Senteurs de Provence
Lavender with multiple benefits
Originally from Persia and the Canaries, it is said, lavender, whose name comes from the Latin lavare, to wash, has been known since ancient times. The medicinal and antiseptic properties of lavender were already appreciated by the Greeks who used it for the manufacture of medicines. Its calming, insecticidal, anti-rheumatic and sedative properties were widely used, as a kind of universal elixir. In the Middle Ages, its essence was burned in houses to prevent the spread of epidemics, especially plague and cholera.
Lavender has long been known by the shepherds and peasants of Provence for its healing properties: it disinfects, heals, heals burns, calms insect bites, keeps moths and mosquitoes away. Not to mention that she embalms the laundry in the large wardrobes of our grandmothers.
Herbs from Provence, medicinal plants
Herbs of Provence with names that sing, they have the intoxicating scents of wild herbs. The name “herbs of Provence” actually includes five well-defined plants: thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, sage and savory. And yet, there are many others, such as basil, tarragon, fennel, marjoram, oregano, farigoule, wild thyme, bay leaf and all the aromatic plants of the garrigue. Not to mention the famous pesto, a mixture of garlic and crushed basil leaves, the taste of which is exhaled in the famous pesto soup.
We do not always know it, but the herbs of Provence have healing properties. Among other things, sage lowers the sugar level; rosemary, used in Greek medicine, distilled in alcohol, treats rheumatism; thyme infusion is tonic, antiseptic and antispasmodic.
The olive tree, Emblem of Provence
It is found all over the Provençal coast and its fruit is extracted from Provençal y
ellow gold: olive oil.
Its oil is used for cooking, pharmacy and cosmetics. Its benefits on the body were recognized by the Ancients (Pliny the Elder) and are rediscovered today through studies of major pharmaceutical laboratories. It also serves as a base for soap and is 72% part of the composition of the famous Marseille soap.
The “route des vins”
Historically specializing in rosé, Provence has a millennium-old wine-growing history. The road that crosses the vineyards of the wines of Provence opens up a universe of colors, scents, tastes but also unique landscapes, the riches of a natural and cultural heritage. Its vines stretch out over ever-changing landscapes, around historic cities, on the Mediterranean coast and into the hinterland.
From the gates of Nice to the Camargue region, the Provence wine route takes you from the seaside to mountains and scenic villages perched up high.