Couple Cultivates Medicinal Plants in Basque Country

In the Basque Country of France, Marjorie and Axel are growing medicinal plants by hand, building a livelihood outside of mainstream agriculture. They call their endeavor Alma Sauvage, acknowledging it’s a demanding lifestyle beyond idyllic visions of returning to the land.

On less than one hectare, the couple cultivates and processes plants like ashwagandha, tulsi, and locally sourced arnica. This requires constant adaptation to natural cycles and market demands.

Alma Sauvage aims for a holistic way of life, blending ancestral knowledge with scientific rigor. They prioritize manual weeding and natural soil enrichment, like using forest ferns as mulch.

Marjorie and Axel acknowledge the challenges of starting a farm from scratch—finding land, building infrastructure, and securing funding. They also note the current agricultural model favors large operations and low prices, making ethical, nature-preserving work difficult to reward. While they hope their work will allow them to slow down, they are currently fully engaged in building the business.

Their popular elixirs for stress, sleep, and concentration reflect a need for solutions to modern lifestyles that disconnect people from natural rhythms, and the work continues as they refine their practices and expand knowledge.