Nature Festival

Nature Day takes place every year in May, on the date closest to May 22, which is International Biodiversity Day. This year, the events will take place from May 24 to 29.

To mark the occasion, thousands of events are being organized by conservation and nature education groups, local governments, schools, businesses, and others…

As was the case last year, under the leadership of the UM and the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, the school will participate in this event and offer eight workshops on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

This year, it is open to^second-year pharmacy students, PASS students, and any other students interested in this event.

The program

The Herbarium at the University of Montpellier’s School of Pharmacy is the second-largest herbarium in France, after the one at Paris Descartes University. A visit here offers the chance to explore a unique collection of 10,000 plant specimens, most of which are of botanical origin. This educational tour takes visitors on a journey through time to the origins of the pharmaceutical use of plants. Learn more about the herbarium

Herbarium collections are an important source of information for species identification and other activities related to botanical studies. The collections consist of plant specimens collected in the field, spread out, dried, and mounted on herbarium sheets according to a specific procedure for future reference. During this workshop, doctoral students in pharmacy will present their digitization work.

This workshop offers an overview of traditional African medicinal plants, courtesy of a donation from Professor Yves Pélissier and Dr. Charles Haddad. The work presented by the doctoral students involves identifying and digitizing these plants for future scientific research.

Aromatherapy, or the art of healing with essential oils, is a specialized field of pharmacy. Essential oils are used to treat various illnesses and conditions, including anxiety, stress, headaches, and joint pain. They can also be used to improve sleep quality, boost blood circulation, or stimulate the immune system. During this workshop, you will be introduced to several essential oils. You will learn about their uses, as well as any potential contraindications. You will, of course, have the opportunity to smell them. Herbal products containing one or more essential oils as active ingredients will also be presented.

Originally, a herbariumservesa scientific and naturalistic purpose: its goal is to assemble a collection of plants that is as systematic as possible, rigorously classified and identified. When preserved under proper conditions, a herbarium is passed down from generation to generation… This workshop teaches participants how to recognize plants, identify them, collect them, dry them, and create their own herbarium.

This workshop introduces tools for processing certain byproducts that are harmful to the environment—known as “margines”—as well as raw materials from the olive tree, such as leaves and olive pomace. It explains the principles behind extracting valuable and active compounds and demonstrates the equipment used to isolate and analyze them.^Fourth-year pharmacy students present their projects focused on the olive tree.

Rosemary, a true treasure of Montpellier’s pharmaceutical tradition: this workshop explores various applications of*Rosmarinus officinalisL.* Using different extraction methods, the workshop will present practical applications that lead to the development of natural health products rooted in our local regions and pharmaceutical expertise.