Holders of unique expertise, plant lovers, and great connoisseurs of the forest, the pickers did much more than help me find quality wild plants. They taught me to observe and listen to the forest to better appreciate and preserve it. With them, I felt like I was rediscovering what nature has to offer us.
This article is my way of highlighting their work.
Consciousness, contemplation and humility
Three years ago, I discovered the practice of wild foraging while reading an article. I became interested in these women and men who had chosen to live in the heart of nature. I decided to meet them to better understand them. I then discovered great plant connoisseurs, capable of picking the buds at maturity in a spectacularly beautiful setting. Bearers of ancestral know-how, they listen to the whisper of the leaves in the wind and the cracking of the branches under their feet to unearth wild plants with a thousand virtues.
The wild plant, a source of wonder
Curious to learn more, I approach Claire, an ethnobotanist and anthropologist specializing in wild harvesting, who becomes a true friend over the course of our discussions. Convinced of the sensitive relationship between the gatherer and the plant, the expert shares with me the importance of instinct and the sensitivity of the gatherer. There is no school for gatherers; nature dictates what is right.
She also showed me the value of using wild plants rather than cultivated plants to create cosmetic formulas. When left in their natural ecosystem, plants develop properties incomparable with those of ingredients cultivated by humans. They do not experience any stress or competition in their natural environment. They also benefit from a slower growth rate. However, it is in this slowness that they succeed in delivering active ingredients of rare effectiveness. On Claire's advice, I choose to integrate birch sap (detoxifying) and beech bud (regenerating) into my formulas.
Virtuous collaborations for precise traceability
Harvested in a private forest in Gironde by an environmental enthusiast, the birch sap comes from trees whose every story is known. As for the beech buds, they are picked by a cooperative of professional pickers in the Massif Central. Both harvesting areas are certified organic by Ecocert.
Federated under the auspices of the French Association of Wild Plant Harvesters (AFC), these harvesters advocate for responsible and sustainable practices. They have created a best practices guide to teach people how to respect plants, manage resources responsibly, and ensure the preservation of biodiversity. They have thus identified 738 species harvested for their properties.
I've had the chance to visit the sites several times to observe the harvesters at work and touch the trees, without which nothing would be possible. I even had the opportunity to participate in the birch sap harvest last year. It was fascinating and inspiring, a true moment of reconnecting with nature.
