Case studies tagged with natural remedies

Displaying 1 - 29 of 29

A territorial and multi-stakeholder organization for sustainable harvesting of Arnica in its mountain stubble habitat (Hautes Vosges)

Signature of the Arnica convention of Hautes Vosges between the actors involved, in 2016.

A multi-stakeholder approach has been initiated in the Hautes Vosges on stubble in the Markstein - Grand Ballon sector to preserve the resource of Arnica montana ssp montana and its natural habitat (the "high stubble"), to maintain the economic issues that represents its picking, while reconciling the other uses of high altitude grasslands where this plant grows : cattle grazing, grass harvest, outdoor sports (skiing, gliding).

Feasibility of small crops of wild medicinal and aromatic plants

Comercial cultivation of arnica (Arnica montana), edelweis (Leontopodium alpinum) and marigold (Calendula officinalis) by Taüllorgànics company in the Catalan Pyrenees mountains (Taüll, LLeida, Spain). Autor: Taüllorgànics.

 The production of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) from wild collection or by cultivation raises environmental, social and economic issues. The demand for a wide variety of wild species is increasing with the growth of human needs and trade. There is an awareness that many wild plants are being overexploited, which many experts recommend incorporating into cropping systems, but several aspects that determine their viability have to be taken into account. An alternative is small-scale cultivation.

Transform local and traditional recipes into a range of health, wellness and gourmet products; example of Abies Lagrimus

The main objective of the brand Abies Lagrimus is the rehabilitation of some Pyrenean traditional recipes through ranges of innovative products. These products come from natural resources, growing in the mountainous Pyrenean area. In this sector, cultural traditions are still very present. In order to guarantee the sustainability of the resources, the harvesting conditions are controlled and its recovery is respectful of the territory’s specificities (regional Natural Park).

Medicinal Plants of Epirus

http://mediplantepirus.med.uoi.gr/pharmacology_en/

Under this framework, the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, UOI, developed a web database of medicinal plants of the region of Epirus and the mainland of Greece, that contain all basic information related to the morphology of the herbs, official and popular names, taxonomy, pharmacological properties, side effects and toxicity, etc.

The users can retrieve information related to a particular medicinal plant using its official or popular name, the active compound of  interest, the disease to be treated, or the region the herb grows. For every herb there are...

Conservation and sustainable exploitation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants from mountain areas

Sideritis grown in the wild

Sideritis sp. are among the most overhavested in Greece and many wild populations are threatened. It is used for the preparation of herbal tea, known as Mountain tea which is widely consumed due to its properties known from folk medicine. The traditional use of 4 Sideritis sp. has been adopted by HMPC in a herbal monograph (1) and several studies have been reported on its pharmacological properties. The overharvesting has put a pressure onto its populations. The MOUNTEA-CONSE project (2) aimed at the development of conservation and sustainable exploitation activities for...

The Val di Non and Val di Sole Apples and Flavours route: a successful territorial marketing strategy

Val di non

Diversify the tourism offer in Trentino Alto-Adige (Italy), a famous destination that attracts thousands of tourists for its mountain trails and hundreds of miles of ski slopes. A diversification of local tourism offer, involving local stakeholders and supported by a specific territorial marketing strategy, can bring benefits to small farmers, restaurants and many other local actors, especially in the marginal area of the region. One of the main goals of the "route" is to assure a constant flux of tourists all year long, offering interesting activities and events in all seasons.

Synergies between forest owners and medicinal plant distiller : The case of Eucalyptus in Andalusia

Collection of eucalyptus branches and foliage in the surrounding forest properties

In the Doñana National Park in Andalusia, short-rotation coppice eucalyptus plantations occupy large areas and belong to private forest owners.

« Esencias Garcia-Palomo » distillery uses 5,000 kg of eucalyptus branches and leaves every day for its production of 10 to 40 kg of essential oil. Not being a forest owner, this resource is a cost to the company.

Mr. Palomo has organized with his neighbors to work in symbiosis and limit the costs of their respective operations : the collection of his raw materials contributes to the silviculture of coppices of eucalyptus.

Tourist valorization of aromatic cultures in contemporary tourism

Permanent exhibition of the pharmacy exhibition in Istria

The subject of this research is aromatic, medicinal and spicy cultures as part of cultural heritage and tradition. The research goal is to examine the possibilities of developing cultural, rural, health and wellness tourism based on cultural heritage. All these forms of tourism are developing rapidly because they have an important economic, social, cultural, educational and scientific role. Istria as part of Croatia belong to the Mediterranean area, the cradle of aromatic, medicinal and spicy cultures that can significantly contribute to the creation of new tourist attractions and product...

Traditional collection and use of medicinal plants in the Knin area

Artemisia absinthium L.

In the past, herbs were the only cure for the disease, and learning about herbs was based only on human experience. They found the medicine in their environment, where they learned to recognize the plants and to determine how to use it. Knowledge and experience have been passed down from generation to generation, so today there are many who, thanks to the knowledge and experience of their loved ones, have become successful users and growers of medicinal plants, although unfortunately some of the knowledge about medicinal plants has probably fallen into oblivion, given that no one ever...

Impact of the production method on the gentian resource and its regeneration - The sustainable development approach of the Gentian sector

Large population of gentian on a meadow in the Massif Central (France).

The Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea) is a wild plant harvested for its roots at the age of 20 to 30 years old. It is highly valued but little protected. A large part of the production is exported from the source in its raw state. The "Mission for the sustainable management of gentian resources in the Massif Central", a project promoted by the harvesters, helps the different members of the sector to organize themselves to work on good production practices and to ensure the sustainable use of the plant. This work is enhanced by a parallel project to create a "Sustainable Gentian"...

Conservation and multiplication of Medicago arborea L.

Medicago arborea leafs and flowers

Medicago arborea, a naturalized species, was selected for its pastoral and high ecological interest: it is a nitrogen fixer and cold, drought, and salt-tolerant plant species (Sibole et al. 2003). It tolerates frost conditions and low temperatures as well as drought conditions and high temperatures. It’s an important species regarding its symbiosis with nitrogen fixation bacteria. The species had always demonstrated its importance as a forage species and its quality in feeding the animal.  The main objective of this work is to master the techniques for multiplying and conserving...

Don’t forget to use wild edible herbs and fruits

Wild edible herbs salad

Wild species must be recovered and their uses incorporated daily as normal. We must document the traditional uses of vegetation and promote actions aimed at citizens to publicise them. The research and dissemination axes are essential, but they must be accompanied by the development of business models that also allow the commercialisation of products. In Catalonia (Spain) there are several associations and companies that work to value them, either in the gastronomic field or as a tourist activity.

Cooperation to reach the market of wild medicinal and aromatic plants

Baskets of hawthorn fruit (Crataegus monogyna) harvested in France by AFC members. Source:

The production of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) has interesting growth prospects, but the atomization of farms hinders their business development, having to bet on a cooperative model, that facilitates the transformation and commercialisation. This is an issue that affecting both agricultural production and wild exploitation. This factsheet presents the needs of the stakeholders and some success stories.

Sustainable wild collection of bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng.) in the Pyrenees as a conservation practice

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi fruit detail. Source: GPAM-CTFC

The aim of the experimental work was to study the aerial biomass production of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi present in the Pyrenees under different environmental conditions (altitude, slope and orientation, substrate, tree cover and population abundance) and to analyse the effects of the season in which it is collected (autumn or spring), the intensity (0%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the population) and the frequency of collection on the regeneration capacity of the species, in order to be able to propose some guidelines for a sustainable collection of bearberry in the Pyrenees.

Modelling seed germination of five species of Eucalyptus to facilitate optimal reforestation

E.saligna morphological aspect (A: fruit, B: seed, C: plant (6months after seed sowing) (INRGREF, 2016))

Eucalyptus is an enormous and fascinating genus with over 700 species. Most of Eucalyptus species are known as aromatic plants and with medicinal and melliferous uses. Therefore, it’s important to valorize and ensure a continuous regeneration of Eucalyptus species. In this prospect, the main focus of this work was to evaluate seeds viability used to regenerate forests and in order to elevate its production of NWFP.

Wild medicinal, aromatic and honey plant species of the southeastern part of the Samoborsko gorje

http://pinova.hr/hr_HR/aktualno/agrotehnika-i-uzgoj-stolisnika

Plešivičko gorje (Plesivica hills) is located in the far eastern part of Žumberak-Samoborsko gorje Nature Park, near the towns of Samobor and Jastrebarsko. The highest parts of this hill area are wooded, and beneath this area there are meadows which are close to arable land - fields, orchards and vineyards. The aim of this study was to determine the flora of meadows in Plešivica hills and to isolate and describe medicinal, aromatic and honey plants.

Traditional use of wild and naturalized plants as a potential for innovation in the development of rural areas of Croatia

Melissa cream with immortelle

The main objective of this factsheet is to determine the possibilities and directions of innovative commercialization of wild and naturalized plants based on market trends and ethnobotanical research. One of the secondary goals is to preserve local botanical and other knowledge related to the recognition and application of wild and naturalized plants in the areas of Drenov Bok and Vela Luka by conducting field research.

Optimisation techniques of multiplication of Periploca angustifolia L.

Periploca angustifolia de la region de Sebikha-Kairouan, Tunisie

The Periploca angustifolia is a native shrub widely distributed in the Mediterranean region. This species is threatened because of its medicinal properties, its pastoral interest and its role in the fight against soil erosion. The main objective of this work is to master the germination and multiplication techniques of Periploca angustifolia L.

An example of good practice in the aromatic and medicinal plants sector

Mellisa officinalis L.

In order to attract new customers, especially foreign buyers, it is necessary to move away from the usual things and take a step forward. The advancement of technology enables customers to easily access the Internet and inform themselves about various products, and can easily buy it through the web store. It is therefore important to provide customers with something new that is not so common and to tell them the story of the product and to provide them with an overall experience that will go beyond just buying the product.

Evaluation of the biological activities of natural extract from some species of Portulaca grown in Tunisia

Morphological aspect of Portulaca (INRGREF, 2016)

Purslane is known for her gastronomic and medicinal excellences effects. It is considered a miraculous plant with healing properties (Hwess.H et al., 2017). It is very used in traditional medicine, but not well exploited in the pharmaceutical industry. In order to raise awareness also on this wild plant, we have decided to compare many provenances of puslane, using maceration extraction.

Seed Propagation Techniques of Myrtus communis L.

Flowers and leaves of Myrtus

The Myrtus communis L. is an endemic species appreciated traditionally for its medicinal and aromatic properties. Improving the multiplication and propagation methods of the common myrtle is the most important objective of this paper. The work was held to conserve the species and its decreasing populations due to the lake of management, overcutting and Anthropozoic pressure in its location area. 

Illegal trade & protected species: Salep harvesting and orchid conservation in Epirus (NW Greece)

“Traditional" or "wild" products such as medicinal plants, aromatic herbs and edible mushrooms (including truffles) are part of an emerging mass market that often targets rare or protected species. Orchids, although they are protected by legislation on a national and global scale, are a good example of such a product. Here, we discuss how we can manage the effect of harvesting on wild orchid populations, as our study points to an urgent need to find sustainable management solutions for such species of commercial interest. The dynamics and spatial characteristics of populations are...

Antioxidant capacity and phenol content of Fraxinus angustifolia leaf and bark extracts

Tree of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. subsp. angustifolia from Nefza

The ultimate objectives of this work were to find new potential sources of natural antioxidants agents in the food industry. This study is the first to investigate secondary metabolites and biological activities of barks and leaves of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. subsp. angustifolia (Oleaceae), Tunisian native tree, from two provenances (Béja and Nefza) were investigated using two solvents extracts (ethanol and distilled water). 

Best practices for seed multiplication of Hedysarum coronarium L.

Sulla flower and leaves

The sulla is a herbaceous bi or multiannual Mediterranean forage species. It’s used as hay, ensilage, or pasture. The sulla is a species that valorizes poor soils and helps in restoring their fertility. Also, it’s a useful plant regarding restoring and promoting eroded soil. The main objective of this work is to master the techniques of multiplication and conservation of this species.

The co-management of forest resources in Tunisia: A new approach for sustainable development in the sector of AMP

The co-management of forest resources in Tunisia

In Tunisia all forest areas are public: in order to use forest products, producers and firms should go through a tendering system subject to Article 18 of the Tunisian forestry code, organized each year by the Tunisian Forestry authority. Small firms and the local populations are facing many difficulties to use available resources legally.  The DGF is promoting a new form of sustainable management for forest resources: Concluding contracts between the organized local community and the administration to improve their livelihood and to protect forestal areas.