[LUM#2] Drugs last

[LUM Magazine] - Published on March 22, 2016 in Heritage, Science-Society

From the pharmacopoeias of yesterday to the medicines of tomorrow: a journey into the little-known world of traditional medicine, which is currently enjoying a resurgence of interest. Welcome to the Montpellier apothecary.

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Antique jars, majestic cabinets, old windows reflecting the gaze of curious onlookers... Here you will find our grandmothers' remedies, in their original form or in powdered form, mixed together with traditional ingredients from Africa, Asia, and the Americas: from the purifying dandelion of our scrublands to precious Chinese teas, medicinal plants from Reunion Island, vipers in bottles and other dried centipedes, and even ambergris from distant seas...

Living collections

This astonishing treasure trove is hidden at the end of an anonymous corridor in Montpellier's Faculty of Pharmacy. Yves Pélissier holds the keys. When he opens the doors to Montpellier's venerable apothecary —the heir to the very first apothecary created in 1588—visitors are welcomed into another world.
In its heyday, there were up to 45,000 samples here, recalls the man who, along with Chantal Marion, fought to preserve this place threatened by flooding, dust, and oblivion. In 2009, thanks to their efforts, Montpellier's drugstore was classified as a historic monument. Today, it contains nearly 10,000 samples of "drugs": minerals, plants, and animal substances. These collections have been built up over centuries of travel and exchanges with the rest of the world.
A museum? Not exactly. Because this collection is still alive. It is enriched every day by donations and bequests. And through research: the herbarium has become a very active center of education and research. Since 2002, it has inspired more than 75 theses. As for the university degree in phytotherapy recently created by Yves Pélissier, it is in high demand: 157 applications this year for 33 places...

Ethnopharmacology

A growing interest that signals the fascination that ethnopharmacologyholds today: this science that focuses on traditional knowledge and what it has to teach us. Knowledge that is complex, to say the least. This is because a plant is a veritable cocktail of chemical compounds, which varies according to many parameters: the season, the soil, the amount of sunlight, etc. "The ancients knew very precise harvesting periods and areas . Today, we often lack reliable information and properly trained practitioners. There is therefore a real risk, particularly when it comes to self-medication via the Internet."

This warning is particularly relevant for aromatherapy, a branch of herbal medicine based on the use of essential oils. Plants are not harmless. Just as their benefits have been known since ancient times, so too has their toxicity. "They should only be prescribed according to best practice and by recognized specialists. Nothing is harmless, for example, in a simple eucalyptus essence: in overdose, it can be toxic," warns Yves Pélissier, professor of pharmacognosy, phytotherapy, and aromatherapy.
With the advent of chemistry in the^19th century, allopathy gradually replaced traditional medicines. Today, these are making a comeback. Their main advantage? "They don't just treat the symptoms. They offer a 'holistic' approach, i.e., a comprehensive one." In other words, "they have the merit of focusing on your well-being and offering a harmonious approach that doesn't neglect any aspect, particularly psychology. Acupuncture, massage, energy, plants: Chinese medicine, for example, incorporates all of these!"

Learning from the past

Yves Pélissier does not, however, pit conventional medicine against traditional medicine. Instead, he talks about "complementary approaches.""Allopathy—of which herbal medicine is an integral part—has proven its worth. Traditional therapies also have their place. When administered professionally and under medical supervision, they can be recommended in primary health care, to support patient well-being, or to mitigate the side effects of certain treatments."
It should be noted that in emerging countries, theWHO now recommends the use of "improved traditional medicines." Inexpensive and effective, these derivatives of traditional pharmacopoeia are ideal for treating basic health problems such as fever, hemorrhage, and dysentery. However, it is still necessary to preserve ancestral knowledge that is tending to disappear...
This oversight does not spare our industrialized countries. Fortunately, research is now taking over from tradition. A place for preserving ancient pharmacopoeias and a resource center for teachers, the Montpellier drugstore is also a laboratory that brings together scientists from all over the world. "Researchers are on the lookout. Today, many plants from traditional pharmacopoeias are the subject of scientific research to confirm their therapeutic applications." After a long process, these plants, hitherto unknown to modern science, may be included in the official European pharmacopoeia. This entry is synonymous with recognition of their medicinal properties: a necessary condition for them to one day be prescribed by your doctor.
Far from being condemned to oblivion in our grandmothers' cupboards, plants are a source of hope for the treatments of tomorrow, and the Montpellier herbarium is a fabulous field of exploration for researchers. "In the face of new technologies, the future of phytotherapy is not bleak," concludes Yves Pélissier. " We have things to learn from the past. Provided we apply today's scientific methods to this ancestral knowledge."