If you’ve always wanted to learn more about plants and essential oils, now’s your chance.
Parc dels Olors is an agro-ecological cultivation network of Aromatic and Medicinal Plant species, or PAM and there’s one in Búger in Mallorca.
It was created by Esteve Gomila who offers workshops and retreats for up to three days, so that people can familiarise themselves with the world of plants.
“Plants help in many ways and some of them can heal things like stomach problems, but they can’t replace medicine or cure serious diseases,” stresses Gomila. “The most important thing is to know how and why you want to use them.”
Gomila has extensive environmental experience and was involved in plant distillation and the extraction of perfumed essential oils via steaming or pressing before the project got underway. He also worked at Aguas de Barcelona and in the environmental chemistry laboratory.
Gomila launched the project with the aim of rejuvenating farms and degraded spaces and raising awareness about botany and ethnobotany.
"I've been interested in the world of plants since I was a child, perhaps because my grandparents knew about them, we even ate some of the wild ones," he recalls.
The courses give people the chance to learn more about wild plants; vegetables; natural remedies using oils and ointments; plant aromas and essential oils; botanical photography and how to dye with plants.
“The world of essential oils is a great business. Most people probably don’t realise how many of the wild plants around us are extremely useful and because they’re wild, they don't need any maintenance,” adds Gomila, who recommends watching the Netflix documentary series ‘Unwell’ which delves into the lucrative Wellness business.
In addition to the Es Puig farm in Búger, Gomila has plantations at the ACA Foundation and on other farms in Mallorca.