The Languedoc region of France has a strong medical tradition and in the capital, Montpellier, a medical school was founded as long ago as 1220. The school became a major European centre of medicine and the importance of plant remedies in mediaeval times led, in 1593, to the establishment of a botanical garden for the purpose of teaching botany and therapeutics to medical students (1).
The Faculty of Medicine still administers the garden, which contains an impressive collection of medicinal herbs, but the study of herbs was dropped from the medical degree course almost forty years ago, with no post-graduate option in herbal medicine. The same system was applied throughout the country and, since only medical doctors are legally entitled to practise in France, this somewhat stalled the development of modern herbal medicine.
Medical students were obliged to seek herbal education elsewhere, often abroad, and fortunately many did so. As a consequence of their determination, there now exists a number of private schools of herbal medicine and, in a recent (1987) development, Montpellier University became the first in France to offer a diploma course in Phytotherapy.
Even now, however, few doctors in Languedoc practise herbal medicine. Of these, most offer herbs in conjunction with other therapies, particularly acupuncture (for which "official" medical training exists) and/or aromatherapy.
Although the Montpellier School has long dominated medical practice in Languedoc, traditional medicine has not died out and has been practised in parallel down the ages.
The most numerous practitioners of herbal medicine here today are the guérisseurs (literally, healers), known affectionately in official medical circles as les charlatans, who work outside the system. This diverse group of people practise a whole range of natural therapies and make use notably of traditional remedies based on indigenous plants. Often without any formal training, they embody the spirit of natural medicine and enjoy considerable support from the public.
As in most cultures a popular, family-based herbal tradition survives as "grandmothers' remedies". Unfortunately, much of this knowledge has been lost but several strong pockets remain, more often it would seem in relatively isolated communities such as in the highland Cévennes.
Counsel in herbal medicine is also available
"over the counter" in herbalist shops and pharmacies
(pharmacists are still required to possess a thorough knowledge
of herbal remedies), in health-food shops and on the local markets,
where the herb stall remains a familiar sight.
The plants I describe in this rapid
survey of Languedoc are essentially examples of those used in
folk medicine, mostly as simple tisanes, decoctions or poultices.
Some of these remedies have been adopted by the medical establishment
and are widely known, many are used in the folk medicines of other
countries in which they grow, whilst others have fallen, as it
were, by the wayside.......
Languedoc covers approximately the four departments of Aude, Lozère, Gard and Hérault in S.E. France. The region is geographically variable and the climate changes in less than 70 km from mediterranean on the coast to pseudo-oceanic in the mountains, with large differences in temperature and rainfall. In addition the area of influence of each climate type varies from season to season and there is considerable overlap. The Languedoc is very windy with the strong north winds, the Mistral and Tramontane, alternating with the winds coming in from the sea to the south and west. The nature of the soil and underlying rock is also variable, ranging from sand and clay to basalt and granite (2).
In consequence, the flora
is highly diverse. This diversity can be reasonably classified
into 3 broad ecological regions - coastal, plains, and mountains
- each with its particular population of medicinal plants.
Coastal region
The Languedoc coast is at the northern limit of the mediterranean zone and although there is typically a hot, dry summer, the temperatures in winter are more temperate with occasional frosts. (Annual rainfall 500-600 mm, <100 mm in summer : Average maximum temperature of hottest month, M = 28°C ; average minimum temperature of coldest month, m = 3°C)(2).
The typical coastal environment is one of sandy, duned shorelines giving on to flood plains surrounding numerous inland lakes or étangs. The lakes are often connected to the sea via narrow channels (graux) and are also fed by freshwater streams, so that the salt levels may vary considerably within and around them.
The dunes are formed continuously by the deposition of alluvium arriving from the adjacent Rhône delta and blown up by the sea winds. At the same time they are eroded by the action of the north winds, coupled with the incessant lapping of the sea and the occasional storm. As a result the dunes are highly mobile and in places the shoreline may advance or retreat several metres in a year (3). The instability of the dune structure is the major obstacle to colonisation by plants and the successful pioneer species are typically those with long or extensive root systems. The dominant plant here is a relative of that well-known extensive root system - couchgrass - and is considered its medicinal equivalent (Agropyron junceum (L.) Beauv.).
Other common medicinal plants found on the dunes are Sea holly, Eryngium maritinum L., and Sea rocket, Cakile maritima Scop., both of which are found all over Europe and beyond.
Sea holly is described in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (5) as a urinary remedy, diuretic and antilithic and useful in cases of renal colic and enlarged prostate. In France, it is also considered to be a digestive remedy with liver action and an aphrodisiac (6,7). Mrs. Grieve (8) concurs and also states that the boiled roots resemble chestnuts, both in terms of taste and nutritional value, and are recommended for chronic nervous conditions.
Sea rocket is a cleansing diuretic, generally reputed of use in post-malarial cachexia. French herbalists prefer to use the fresh juice, which is salty, bitter, styptic and pungent, smelling of bromine/iodine. Fournier (6) in addition suggests that it may be used to replace cod-liver oil, but it is not clear whether this represents application of a particular medical philosophy or simply sadism.
As the dunes become fixed
by the pioneer species and thus more stable, other plants progressively
appear. Among those commonly found on fixed dunes is the prickly
parsnip, Echinophora spinosa L., a grey-green perennial
umbellifer that is not particularly cuddly, with spikes everywhere,
even as far as the sepals. Unusually, the umbels of white (rarely
pink) flowers consist of a single central bisexual flower surrounded
by male flowers (9). Apart from being eaten as a vegetable in
the same way as ordinary parsnip, it is used as a vulnerary, notably
after collection.
Moving inland, the dunes
are older and examples of their different stages of evolution
can be readily observed as one proceeds. The different stages
can be represented by a schematic section of the area (Fig. 1)
Behind the dunes, large hollows (caoudeyres) may be created by the action of the wind. Here the ground remains slightly but significantly more humid than the surrounding dunes and one observes the appearance of moisture-loving species.
Bamboo reed, Arundo donax L., is a tall (2 - 6 m), perennial reed closely resembling bamboo, the aerial parts and the rhizome of which are diuretic. They are also reported to be anti-galactogenic and in one reference (6) at the same time diaphoretic, which seems to be in contradiction to the usual case where anti-galactogenic herbs are also anti-diaphoretic. Garnier et al. (7) state that the effect of the rhizome on the renal volume is reversed at high doses, so perhaps the other actions are similarly dose dependent.
One advantage of being a herbalist is that wherever you are in the world you will always meet up with some old friends, the plantains for example. Here, the most common species is Buck's Horn Plantain, Plantago coronopus L., which possesses the same multitude of medicinal properties as common plantain (P.major L.).
A few species of rush
are to be found in the hollows, including Juncus maritimus
Lam. This herb is compact, with a single tuft of long, thin pointed
leaves originating from a basal stem. It is apparently not used
medicinally in France, but in nearby Tunisia it has a reputation
as a general reproductive herb, specifically for blennorrhagia
(flowers and seeds) and orchitis (root). The seeds are used in
folk medicine as a female contraceptive, being taken in honey
for 7 consecutive days to engender infertility (10).
With time, as the dune becomes further removed from the sea, the destructive action of the wind is no longer compensated by deposition of new material and the dune begins to degenerate, a process assisted notably by human activity. The ability to resist ground erosion is therefore the principal attribute of the plants growing here.
The major medicinal herb to be found on the dunes is Ephedra, Ephedra distachya L., well-known for its sympatomimetic properties and much-used in all systems of herbal medicine.
The "Lys de mer", Pancratium maritinum L., is worth mentioning for its beauty alone. It is a bulb giving out long, spiralling leaves and up to 15 large, white, scented flowers resembling narcissus. Its pharmacological nature is somewhat less delicate, however - it is a violent purgative.
Similarly, Samphire, Crithmum maritinum L., is worth mentioning for its name in the local dialect, "Saoussayrous" (11). Found all over Europe, this plant is eaten pickled and reputed to be a digestive tonic.
Clematis flammula L., resembles common clematis (C.vitalba L.) in appearance and in its actions. Internally, it is a violent purgative, diuretic and diaphoretic. More reasonably, used externally it is an irritant rubefacient recommended for skin and joint complaints. Although it is hot and toxic, it rejoices in the English country name of Sweet-Scented Virgin's Bower, which I imagine helps sales considerably.
As the ground level falls back towards sea level the ground becomes markedly more salty (up to 100 g/kg (4)) with large seasonal variations in concentration as the water level changes. The land drops occasionally between the dunes (souillère) and most importantly at the sides of the lakes, where the environment is one of salt marsh (sansouire). The ground here is waterlogged in winter, whilst in summer the water level drops considerably and the smaller lakes may dry out completely. Not a great deal grows here. Mosses are common and a few species of grasses are known, but the dominant flowering plants are the Chenopodiaceae, the glassworts and sea-blites, which appreciate the salty environment. They include Prickly glasswort, Salsola kali L., the juice and seed vessels of which are diuretic, Shrubby sea blite, Sueda fruticosa (L) Forsk.,whose flowers and seeds aid scar formation and are used in a poultice for cuts and abrasions, and Arabian glasswort, Salicornia fruticosa L. This particular species is toxic and used exclusively externally for eczema (fresh juice), but most other species of Salicornia are cleansing diuretics, including Jointed glasswort or Crabgrass, S.herbacea L., which occasionally grows here. All these plants contain large amounts of soda and were once much used in glass-making.
The inland side of the lake is somewhat less hostile. The soil tends more to clay or ferrosilicate and the input of freshwater reduces salt levels. Consequently, the number and variety of species increases greatly, particularly alongside the freshwater courses.
This zone is marked by the appearance of couchgrass's big brother, Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., which possesses the medicinal properties of couchgrass and is used principally as a soothing diuretic. It is immensely popular with French herbalists, who do not distinguish it therapeutically from couch, but slightly less popular with gardeners and farmers. The large geographical spread and the invasive properties of this herb place it comfortably among the world's worst agricultural weeds (12) and as such it attracts the attention of thousands of tons of herbicide yearly worth several large fortunes. Maybe we should just eat it?
Tamarix, Tamarix gallica L., is a small (up to 2 m) tree often found growing along the water courses and is a popular garden plant. The leaves are blue/green and scaly, not unlike those of Thuja but finer in appearance, and the small white flowers are borne on large catkins, appearing before, or at the same time as the leaves. The bark is an astringent tonic and used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, aperient and anti-diarrhoeal. Of potential use to visitors to wild climes, a decoction of the leaves apparently affords relief to spider bites, although no clinical trials have been reported (10). Biblical manna is reputedly produced from a variety of this species (var. mannifera), being the exudate produced in response to injury caused by a feeding insect (8).
Another local favourite is Montpellier scammony, Cynanchum acutum L., but only for the name. This sweet-scented climber (family Asclepiadaceae) is quite toxic and is not used medicinally, although it did long ago feature in the French Pharmaceutical Codex (1818) (7) as a purgative. The latex is still used in Tunisian folk medicine as an external application for skin and eye problems (10).
Dyer's madder, Rubia tinctorum L., well-known as a diuretic, antilithic and liver remedy, is often found. It is also considered to be an emmenagogue and hypotensor (leaf) and was once widely grown in this region for its dye, which was used principally to produce the red trousers of the French army (13). Cultivation was abandoned, it is rumoured, when somebody realised that a brown dye might be more appropriate.
Some other medicinal plants familiar in the UK are found here, where they share the same reputations. They include Wild carrot, Daucus carota L., Poplar, Populus alba L., Evening primrose, Oenothera biennis L. and Marshmallow, Althaea officinalis L.
Finally, here and there are found examples of a plant that can only be described as Cynodon dactylon's big brother; 1 - 1.5 m high with main roots 1m long and rhizomes attaining 3 cm in diameter which burst forth 20 cm below ground and run up to 4 m away, sprouting new plants as they proceed. Agriculturists and environmentalists fear not, however, for this one we do eat. It is called liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra L., one of the oldest-described and most-used medicines in the world.
To be continued……………
Specific and General
References
1. For a description of the medical school and gardens, see the excellent article by Ann Freeman MNIMH in Herbs, Spring 1993, 24 - 25.
2. Thiebaut, B. Les climats de l'Hérault et des régions voisines
3. Passama, L. Les sols
4. Corre, J.J. Flore et
végétation des milieux littoraux terrestres du Languedoc
Refs 2 - 4 in 113E
Session Extraordinaire de la Société Botanique de
France, Special
Edition, Naturalia Monspelliensia, Institut de Botanique,
Montpellier, 1982, 157p.
5. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia,
Part Two, BHMA, 1979, 248p.
6. Fournier, P. Encyclopaedie
Biologique XXXII, Tome III, Plantes Médicinales et Vénéneuses
de France, Lechevallier, Paris, 1948.
7. Garnier, G., Bézanger-Beauquesne,
L. & Debraux, G. Ressources Médicinales de la Flore
Française, Tomes I and II, Vigot frères, Paris,
1961, 1511p.
8. Mrs. M. Grieve A
Modern Herbal, Leyel, C.F. Ed., Penguin, 1980, 912p.
9. Schönfelder, I
& Schönfelder, P. Guide de la Flore Méditerranéenne,
Hatier, 1988, 314p.
10. Boukef, M.K. Médicine
Traditionnelle et Pharmacopée - Les Plantes dans la Médicine
Traditionnelle Tunisienne, ACCT, 1986, 350p.
11. Pellecuer, J. Dossiers
Universitaires Européens de Phytothérapie et de
Plantes Médicinales, Course documentation, Université
de Montpellier I, 1990.
12. Holm, L.G., Plucknett,
O.L., Pancho, J.V. & Herberger, J.P. The World's Worst
Weeds. Distribution and Biology. University Press of Hawaii,
USA, 1977, 621p.
13. Pellecuer, J. Les
Plantes Médicinales des Régions Méditerranéennes,
Collection Delta 2000, SAEP, 1985, 96p.
© Edited version published in European Journal of Herbal Medicine, Vol 1 No. 3, 1995 pp. 9-12. Nigel Wynn
