Hello everyone 🌿

Discovered in Peru and described as early as 1569 by the Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes in his work Historia Medicinal, the passionflower owes its nickname “passion flower” to the Spanish missionaries. They saw in its anatomy the symbols of the Passion of Christ: the petals and sepals for the apostles, the crown of filaments for the crown of thorns, and the stigmata for the nails of the crucifixion.

In reality, the passionflower is a devilish plant that hides its game well 🫣

Betrayals, poisonings, tricks… the war between certain species of passionflower and the Heliconius butterfly is nothing like Game of Thrones. To avoid being devoured, the plant secretes deadly toxins… except that the caterpillar of this butterfly, having become completely immune over generations, does not care at all. Moreover, it swallows and stores this poison to become toxic to birds itself. Ultra-territorial, this caterpillar does not hesitate for a second to devour its brothers and sisters to rule alone over its leafy territory. Facing this redoubtable attacker, some species of passionflower retaliate by growing on their leaves and tendrils false small yellow balls simulating already laid eggs. Knowing the caterpillar babies well, the future butterfly mother will take no risks with its offspring and will lay its eggs elsewhere 🤯

And passiflora and humans, what does that give?

You will have understood that not all passionflowers are medicinal. And don’t trust its pretty flower, some are toxic.

The purple passionflower, was already prized by the Cherokees long before its discovery by Europeans. It was used as an infusion to soothe pain and help with sleep. In France, physicians particularly recommended it against war anxiety from 1916.

And now? What is it for? Well, we leave you to discover its properties and precautions for use on our website. Good discovery 🧐

New plant 👏

• Purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)

The plant’s juice now in image 👏

We wanted to add the juice to our database, that liquid from the plant that we tend to forget. And watch out for false friends, we are talking about juice here, and not sugar or sap.

To keep it simple, sap is the plant’s circulatory system. Raw sap moves up water from the roots to the leaves, while elaborated sap moves down sugars to the rest of the plant.

The juice, for its part, does not travel; it is the plant’s personal reserve. Carefully stored in the heart of the cells, the juice is generally rich in nutrients, essential oils, and active ingredients.

With generous plants, a simple incision on the stem is enough and it drains by itself. With the slightly tougher plants, you will have to use the mortar and pestle, before twisting the anther with both hands to draw out a few drops.

We have all had dandelion juice on our fingers when cutting its stem. But do you know what this juice in this plant is really for? The answer is on our website 🧐

New illustration 👏

A big thank you to Hélène from the Atelier P’tites Boussoles for this superb illustration. Are you intrigued by the Bear’s breeches? (Re)dive into its dedicated plant sheet directly on our site 😊

Quick reminder❗️

We are not physicians.

At the head of the non-profit organization, Sylvie combines a passion for plants and academic rigor. Doctor in philosophy and certified herbalist after a two-year course at the École Bretonne d’Herboristerie, she instills a scientific approach into the non-profit organization’s projects. Note however that Phyto-info has a strictly informative objective, no medical advice is given.

That said, if you would like personalized support on the use of plants, Sylvie offers her services as an independent herbalist outside the non-profit organization’s framework. You can join her directly to chat with her (sylvie@thouesny.net).

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for this month update; if you are interested in our search tool, more info at phyto-info.com.

To discover our search tool, head to this page.

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And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

Although livestock love it and farmers appreciate it as a natural fertilizer, red clover is best known for its fourth leaf.

The rule is clear: three leaves, one for faith, one for hope and one for love, and the fourth one to win the jackpot. Today, you can buy four-leaf clovers on the Internet… And who’s the lucky one? Spoiler alert: the seller 😅 For this to “really” work, you’ll have to hunt for your four-leaf clover the old-fashioned way, nose in the fresh grass 🍀

Once considered a plant of immortality by the Celts (no less!), red clover is above all the favorite gourmet break of walkers, young and old. By nibbling at the base of the flowers, you’ll find a tiny drop of ultra-sweet nectar… hence its nickname, “meadow honey” 🍯

On the phyto side, red clover is full of isoflavones, you know those phytoestrogens that are super useful for taming the minor inconveniences of menopause. While soybeans monopolize all the attention in this area, red clover offers an equally effective alternative and, its huge advantage, it grows almost everywhere on its own. Unless you have a soybean field next to your home, this is the perfect opportunity to bet on the hyper-local supply chain.

Properties, benefits and precautions for use: find out more about red clover on our website 🥰

New plants 👏

• Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
• White clover (Trifolium repens)

General assembly 👏

Here is a summary of the main points of our meeting:

🌱 Database: our catalogue targets 125 plants and will soon be enriched with two key features: search by property (e.g., anti-inflammatory) and display of frost hardiness zones to best support you in your cultivation projects.

📚 Flagship project: the creation of personalized books (free PDFs or printed version) is becoming our priority, in parallel with the development of videoconference workshops.

🚶‍♂️ Events: return of the workshops next spring, continuation of on-demand formulas, and a project for botanical walks in Dublin to meet our Irish members!

For more details, read our full report here.

Check out our new illustrations 👏

A big thank you to Hélène from Atelier P’tites Boussoles for this superb visual work. (Re)discover the lesser periwinkle and the greater periwinkle on our website 😊

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for this month update; if you are interested in our search tool, more info at phyto-info.com.

To discover our search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Introduction

The general assembly of the non-profit organization Phyto-info was held on June 14, 2026, at 2:30 pm in Voillans, France, upon the convocation of its President.

The President notes that all members of the board of directors are present: Ms. Karine Fenix (Vice-Chair), Mr. Nicolas Fénix (Treasurer), Ms. Fany Savina (Secretary). The total number of votes was thus four; the President then declared that the Assembly was regularly constituted and could validly deliberate and take decisions by the required majority.

Moral report

Reminder of the values

The aim of the non-profit organization is the democratization of knowledge about plants, their risks and benefits, as well as the creation, development and dissemination of any educational material in the field of plants.

The Chairperson recalled that Phyto-info had a strictly educational purpose and was in no way an aid in diagnosing a pathology or in setting up a treatment, the latter being reserved for health professionals. The President also recalled that some plants can cause side effects and are likely to interfere with drug treatments, so it was strongly recommended to consult a doctor or a health professional before using medicinal plants.

Reminder of the Internal regulations

The amount of subscription, as indicated in the internal regulations, remains unchanged for the year 2026-2027.

Active members are those who are members of the board of directors and those whose request is unanimously accepted by the board of directors. Active members undertake to provide a certain number of hours of volunteer work each year and to pay a subscription of 30 euros.

Supporting members are those who support the actions of the non-profit organization and who have undertaken to pay an annual subscription of 15 euros minimum.

The annual subscription is due as soon as the new members are approved. Any subscription paid is definitively acquired by the non-profit organization.

Roadmap for the coming year

• Secondary hosting

The server hosting our website is directly managed by Phyto-info to ensure maximum protection of our users’ privacy. To avoid any service interruption, we are imminently setting up a secondary hosting solution to serve as a backup in the event of a technical issue.

• Adding plants to our database

We are maintaining our momentum by continuing to enrich our database at a rate of 1 to 2 new plants per month. In June 2026, our catalog included 105 plants, representing an increase of 24 plants over the year. We remain on track to reach 125 plants by the close of this new financial year.

• Videoconference workshops

Although we were unable to bring this project to fruition last year, we still plan to create workshops accessible via videoconference.

• Workshops and walks

We plan to hold the preparation workshops again next spring, while already considering new topics. As a reminder, our workshops are also available on demand, a flexible option that already seems to be satisfying some of you. We are also planning to meet our members based in Ireland during organized walks in Dublin’s parks.

• Tailor-made books

We ran out of time to bring this project to fruition this year, but now that the English version and open access to the information are finally up and running, we can devote ourselves to it fully. This is a project that is particularly close to our hearts. As a reminder, and to make the use of medicinal plants more accessible while emphasizing safety and precautions, we develop personalized content based on our visitors’ interests. You will find there the traditional uses of the plants you have selected from our catalogue, as well as their preparation methods. This content will be available for free in PDF format, and in print upon request for a contribution towards production costs.

• Integration of hardiness zones

At the suggestion of one of our members, and to best support your growing projects, we will very soon be adding hardiness zones to our information sheets; these indicate a plant’s ability to withstand cold and frost. This global scale ranges from Zone 1 (polar climates, below -45.6°C) to Zone 13 (purely tropical climates, above +15.6°C). This way, you’ll know at a glance whether a plant can withstand the cold in your area. For example, the dandelion is found in zones 5 to 9.

• Search by property

Currently, our search engine allows you to find a plant by its name or by the symptoms it helps relieve. To take things a step further, we are developing a highly anticipated new feature: search by property. This feature will make it possible to display, for example, all plants with anti-inflammatory properties.

Financial report and memberships

See appendix (accessible to active members only)

• Memberships
• Summary of accounts
• Forecast for the fiscal year 01/07/2026 - 30/06/2027

Resolutions to vote on

• First resolution: Quitus of the moral report

The general meeting approves the moral report of the Board of Directors and approves its management; this resolution is adopted unanimously.

• Second resolution: Exit from the financial report

The general assembly approved the financial report of the office and authorized it to manage it; this resolution was adopted unanimously.

• Third resolution: Roadmap for the coming year

The general assembly approved the roadmap for the coming year; this resolution was adopted unanimously.

Divers questions

No questions.

Closing

With no one else wishing to speak, the President reminds everyone that the report covering the period from 01/07/2025 to 30/06/2026 demonstrates an active non-profit organization and reflects the achievement of previously set objectives. The President thanks the members present for their involvement and dedication to keeping this non-profit organization alive, and reiterates her commitment to doing everything possible to energize and develop the non-profit organization.

The agenda being exhausted, the meeting adjourned at 3.30 pm

The present minutes of the general assembly are drawn up, in which the President and the Secretary participated in the drafting of the meeting. It is signed by the President.

Certified compliant on July 10, 2026.

Hello everyone 🌿

To find the cuckoo flower, our plant of the month, look for the orange tip… nothing to do with the fruit, but the orange tip, the butterfly. It is easily recognized by its forewings, which are orange with black-bordered tips in males and white with the same borders in females. In both cases, the underside of the hindwings is tinged with green. The female loves cuckoo flowers. She lays her eggs on its flower buds so that her baby caterpillars can feed directly on the plant’s fruit.

If the fruit escapes being eaten by caterpillars, once fully ripe, a mere gust of wind or a light brush is enough for the cuckoo flower to propel its seeds more than two meters away. Guaranteed surprise effect 😁 and a flawless technique for dispersing its offspring.

The flowering of the cuckoo flower coincides exactly with the time the cuckoo starts singing again in spring. It’s a bit late for this year, but keep an eye out next year. If you spot the orange tip butterfly, you will find the cuckoo flower.

Also known as meadow cress, this plant has young leaves with a very pronounced, pungent, peppery taste, similar to horseradish. We’ll let you discover its properties on our website 🥰

New plants 👏

• Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis)
• Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)
• Narrowleaf bittercress (Cardamine impatiens)
• Large bittercress (Cardamine amara)

Discover all their benefits and more importantly their precautions for use on our platform.

General assembly 👏

We met on June 14, 2026, at 2:30 pm, brainstormed, and have some great projects in store for you for the coming year. We’re telling you everything next month…

New book 👏

Who would have thought a village book exchange box could hide the secrets of bonesetters? Spoiler: not us. Thanks to the person who dug up “Secret et vertus de plantes médicinales”, because we had our eyes everywhere except there. Since then, we’ve turned into street detectives; the hunt for that rare gem is officially on 🧐

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for our June update, if you are interested in our search tool, more info on phyto-info.com.

To discover our search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

This month we let you guess the plant we’ve been working on lately. It is a common plant, so common, that it is often disdained by English lawn lovers. Herbalist Maria Treben tells the story of a mother who refused to treat her son’s acne with this plant on the pretext that people are not treated with “weeds”. Have you guessed already? No? So, we’re following the clues.

It was dedicated on the 26th day of the month of ventôse in the French Republican calendar. Once, its latex was used to make rubber before being dethroned by the hevea. It is even said that during the Second World War, in the Soviet Union, a related species was grown on a large scale for its latex to make the tires of Red Army trucks.

It also played a role in the collective imagination and poetry. The ethnographer Élie Reclus wrote in his collection on plants “this flower which is a sun becomes a milky way, a world of stars, after flowering”. Even the rock world paid tribute to it, with the Rolling Stones fans probably remembering their 1967 song of the same name. You’re probably starting to guess which plant it is. With the clues coming, it is the assured outcome!

It became the emblem of the Éditions Larousse, born from the inspiration of the cartoonist Émile-Auguste Reiber, who depicts a woman blowing on its fruits under the motto “I sow to the four winds”. At the heart of the divinatory tradition, young girls asked it how many years separated them from marriage. As many times as they had to blow, as many years as they had to languish. For a child, blowing on the ripe flower to disperse the fruit according to the wind is, or was, pure pleasure – a practice that seems to be falling into disuse in the screen age.

In addition to being medicinal, it is also edible. Its leaves are eaten in salad or fritters, its flowers are transformed into fortifying wine or honey, while its root serves as a substitute for coffee or tea. However, be careful not to pick it near a pasture area, it would be a shame to grab the lancet liver fluke and kick the bucket sooner than expected.

You already figured it out a while ago, here is the dandelion. You can discover all its benefits and how to use it on our website phyto-info.com.

Our new plant 👏

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Discover its benefits and precautions for use on our platform.

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for our May update, if you are interested in our search tool, more info on phyto-info.com.

To discover our search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

You must have heard of the periwinkle. If it has deserted the French streets, it intrudes into the professional vocabulary of graphic designers and remains an emblematic figure of our classics.

Let’s take a step back in time, long before your first philosophy lessons. In 1764, while Jean-Jacques Rousseau was playing adventurer on a small mountain with his sidekick M. du Peyrou, he stopped short and cried out: “Ah, here comes the periwinkle!” This was a total blast from the past. In a second, a sentence from his mother that he thought he had forgotten forever comes back to his face. This is the Madeleine of Proust before time, botanical version!

A little later, in 1971, the Prefecture of Police of Paris launched a new brigade 100% female to hunt down poorly parked cars. Do you remember that? No? Well, at the time, their uniform was a wine dregs color. They were called straight away the “aubergines” (eggplants). To stop the mockery, in 1976 they swapped purple for a bright king blue. In no time, the public renames them, they officially become the “pervenches” (periwinkles).

Because yes, periwinkle blue is above all a shade of character, oscillating between blue and purple. In 2022, under the pseudonym Very Peri (a nod to its common English name Periwinkle), it was crowned “Color of the Year” by Pantone. Pretty cool for a little wild flower that, let’s not forget, grows quietly in our undergrowth, if it does!

It was once called the “violet of sorcerers” or witches. It was used in love potions and charms to drive out evil spirits from tormented souls. Back then, “we” also said that a periwinkle branch tied around the thigh of a pregnant woman made any termination of pregnancy unthinkable 🤔

And today, what do “we” say about the periwinkle? Whether it’s the lesser or the greater periwinkle, we let you discover what our sources say 🤗

Our new recruits 👏

• Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor)
• Greater periwinkle (Vinca major)

Discover all their benefits and more importantly their precautions for use on our platform .

Celebration 👏

We passed the milestone of 100 plants this month. And since we are officially addicted, we do not stop there, new challenge… 110 🎉

Do you have a favorite plant? Share it with everyone! If you are a member, send us the name of the plant by email, and we will add it to our database. We were asked for dandelion, we will soon stick to it 🧐

Workshops 👏

A look back at our workshop “tinctures, wines and elixirs” 🍷 of April, a privileged moment of exchange and smiles to never end. The next series of workshops is being created… we will keep you informed 👏

Did you miss the boat? Don’t panic, we adapt to your agenda 🥰 Our workshops can be organized at the time slot of your choice.

Discover all our workshops 😍

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for our April update, if you are interested in our search tool, more info on phyto-info.com.

To discover our search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

We have all seen the ruins of the Temple of Zeus at least once in a photo, you know those 15 columns standing in the middle of Athens and a 16th lying on the ground, cut into slices… the cream of the Corinthian style. And these columns are topped with capitals adorned with leaves and not just any kind, but those of the bear’s breeches. And yes, the star of ancient architecture might be squatting in your garden right now.

And why did the bear’s breeches become the muse of Callimachus, the inventor of the Corinthian column? Was it revered for its medicinal benefits? Not at all… its entry into history is due to pure chance.

Taking a shortcut through a cemetery, Callimachus was captivated by the grave of a young girl who had left too soon, a grave on which lay a basket of memories protected by a tile and, above all, a somewhat invasive bear’s breeches. By growing all around this basket, the plant unknowingly created the first Corinthian capital in history. Callimachus had just had the idea of ​​the century.

The bear’s breeches is ornamental, but not only that, it is also invasive and medicinal… quite a list of accomplishments for a single plant!

Native to Mediterranean countries, the bear’s breeches, while a source of pride in our gardens, is not only pretty, it is also considered invasive in many regions of the world. It tends to take up a little too much space at the expense of local plants. If you have one in your garden, don’t hesitate to use it, it will grow back.

And what exactly is it used for? We’re not going to spoil the ending for you… we’ll let you discover its traditional uses directly on our website.

New plant 👏

• Bear’s breeches (Acanthus mollis)

New illustrations 👏

• Raspberry bush (Rubus idaeus)
• Black bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
• Blue bramble (Rubus caesius)

Thanks again to Hélène from the Atelier P’tites Boussoles for the illustrations.

Want to learn more about brambles? Go check out our website to revisit these plants 😊

Workshops 👏

A look back at our March workshop on “powders, capsules and tablets”: a fantastic atmosphere and plenty of good cheer 💊

The next one is coming soon, on to the last workshop in our series of 6, dedicated to “tincture, wine and elixirs”. The workshop is full.

Did you miss the boat? Don’t panic, we adapt to your agenda 🥰 Our workshops can be organized at the time slot of your choice.

Discover all our workshops 😍

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for our March update; if you are interested in our search tool, more info at phyto-info.com.

To discover our plant search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

We thought that this day would never come. After hundreds of hours in front of our screens merging with our office chairs, 27 meetings, 359 liters of sparkling water, 21 kg of dried seeds and nuts, 14 kg of dark chocolate and 42 sleepless nights, the big day has arrived, the English version of our search tool is finally online 🥳

Of course, we still have a few details to work on, but nothing important. Honestly, the main thing is there, you can now search by plant or by use with their English names.

Find the full article on our blog and make a Search in English.

Not on our website!

Today, the Internet has become a digital dumping ground saturated with content manufactured by Artificial Intelligence, which has only one goal: to make you click on advertising banners.

At our place, we still believe in a handcrafted and human Internet, faithful to the spirit of sharing of the 90s, where every piece of content is created with love.

At our place, there’s no AI; we personally handle the collection and aggregation of data to power our website, all with our own two hands.

Find the full article on our page We don’t use Artificial Intelligence!

Workshops 👏

Let’s take a look back at our “Infusions and decoctions” workshop in February, it was a great moment spent in a fun atmosphere ☕️ The rest is coming quickly, now it’s time for the 5th workshop of our series of 6, dedicated to “Powders, capsules and tablets”. The success is there, it is sold out.

Did you miss the boat? Don’t panic, we adapt to your agenda 🥰 Our workshops can be organized at the time slot of your choice.

Discover all our workshops 😍

🌿 🌻 🌾

That’s all for our February update; if you are interested in our search tool, more info at phyto-info.com.

To discover our plant search tool, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!

Historical fake news tells that on July 4, 1776, the day of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, King George III wrote the following famous quote in his private diary, which in reality never existed: “Nothing major happened today.” Funny, isn’t it?

But what is the relationship with Phyto-info you tell us? We’re getting there.

Well on Sunday, February 15, 2026, 249 years, 7 months and 11 days after the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, George III could have written in his fictional diary, “Another insignificant day.” But hey, that Sunday was not exactly a day like the others.

After hundreds of hours in front of our screens merging with our office chairs, 27 meetings, 359 liters of sparkling water, 21 kg of dried seeds and nuts, 14 kg of dark chocolate and 42 sleepless nights, the big day has arrived, the English version of our search tool is finally online 🥳

We’ve been talking about it for a long time 🥳

To tell you the truth, we thought that day would never come! Of course, we still have a few details to work on, but nothing important. Honestly, the main thing is there, you can now search by plant or by use with their English names.

We know it’s not perfect 😇

Besides, don’t we say that the best is the enemy of the good? But still, if you spot any errors or mistakes, let us know, we would greatly appreciate your feedback 🙏

So how does it actually work?

• Click on the link and let yourself be guided: https://www.phyto-info.com/en/
• Click on Phyto-info, the site will automatically be displayed in English if your browser is configured in this language.

Have a nice visit 👏

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To discover our plant finder, head to this page.

If you are interested in our search tool, more info at phyto-info.com

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Stay tuned!

Hello everyone 🌿

We said we would… and we did it!

Our guiding principle has always been the same since the creation of Phyto-info: to offer everyone all the information we compile on plants and their precautions for use… yes, all of it 🎉

The journey was long and rocky, but we made it!

As a baby, the non-profit organization needed funds simply to be born. Reluctantly, we had limited access to our research to our members, a necessary step to start and continue. A huge thank you for believing in us from the very beginning ❤️

As a pre-teen, the association was starting to establish itself, but the financial aspect was still an obstacle. We needed a compromise between our philosophy of sharing information and the proper functioning of Phyto-info. That’s when the idea of ​​the century emerged: limited free access to our search tool for everyone and the full version reserved for our members.

Today, Phyto-info lives according to its own convictions and fully shares the fruits of its labor. Of course, we always need support, we are talking here about financial support. If you feel like giving a small coin or a small bill, we would be extremely happy. Otherwise, we’d be just as happy for you to visit our website, and we sincerely hope you find what you’re looking for, and more 🤓

Our goal of compiling a list of precautions for using plants, as well as their traditional uses in accordance with the writings of specialists, and then sharing the summary of our readings with you all, is finally online 🎉

So how does it actually work?

• If you are a member, all you need to do is log in to your account to have access to all the information on plants that we have synthesized.
• If you are just passing through and/or simply curious to see how it works, head to the search tab and let the search tool guide you. You will also have access to all the information; your only requirement will be to accept our general terms of use with each search.

Great finds 👏

🌿 🌻 🌾

This was the news of our month of January, if you are interested in our search tool, more info on phyto-info.com.

To discover our plant finder, head to this page.

Search now Become a member

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 🤗

Next newsletter in a month! Stay tuned!