Burgundy plants
Burgundy is famous for its wines, fondue and… snails. An invitation to discover this plant-rich country at the pace of gastropods, but on your own two feet. Here are a […]
François Couplan
Ever since humans first walked the Earth, they’ve relied on the plants around them for food and healing. Today, it's time to reconnect with these forgotten plants and bring their many virtues back into our daily lives. In meeting them anew, we open ourselves to a different way of seeing the world.
The leading expert on wild edible plants: François Couplan has been a pioneer of wild gastronomy and immersive nature experiences since 1975. His groundbreaking work with renowned chef Marc Veyrat sparked widespread interest in wild plants among both top chefs and the general public.
50 years of teaching
5000 students
126 books
A love for plants
Keiko Imamura & François Couplan
Plants brought us together! Keiko, a traditional Japanese chef from Nagoya and tea ceremony master, was eager to explore how wild plants – so highly valued in Japan – are used in Europe. Through a friend translating one of my books into Japanese, she came to meet me in Paris. Since that day, we’ve never been apart. We now share our life between Switzerland, France, and Japan.
Together, we lead workshops on wild gastronomy and immersive nature experiences: I teach the plant-based knowledge, while Keiko brings her unique Japanese touch to the kitchen. We co-direct the Practical College of Ethnobotany and travel the world, creating short videos to share the joy we find in meeting plants. Through our shared passion, we offer a different way of seeing the world.
Driven by a deep passion for wild plants, I started leading workshops in 1975, first in the United States and then across Europe. To this day I love seeing the spark in someone’s eyes when they discover the incredible mushroom-like scent of a crushed plantain leaf. This shared moment often marks the beginning of a wonderful relationship with the plant world…
In 1973, aged 23, I began turning my wild plant experiences into writing. Ten years later came Le Régal végétal and La Cuisine sauvage. Published in 1996, Nature’s Green Feasts, the Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America, soon became a standard. I have now authored over 100 books on plants, gardening, wild living, and the deep bond between humans and nature.
After teaching thousands of people through my workshops and seminars, I wanted to share my knowledge more deeply. In 2008, I founded the Practical College of Ethnobotany and in 2018 launched a Guided Distance Learning program where participants study plants in their own environment with my personal support. A passionate journey of discovery, both human and botanical.
Our Online Course
The three-year, in-person training offered by the Practical College of Ethnobotany was a powerful and beautiful experience, but it could reach only a few. With Yvann’s help, I discovered the potential of online learning and decided to expand this adventure by sharing more widely the message that drives me: placing plants at the heart of your life can truly transform you and the world around.
Our Complete Online Course offers a three-year journey into the deep relationship between people and plants. Open to all, it weaves together botany, foraging, culinary and medicinal uses, ecology, chemistry and traditional wisdom across more than 120 lessons (videos, PDFs, quizzes and field exercises).
With personal guidance, unlimited access to all content, and a vibrant community, it helps everyone from passionate beginners to future professionals gain confidence, autonomy and a living connection with the plant world.
Latest News
We are pleased to announce that the Practical College of Ethnobotany has just been reaffirmed with the Qualiopi certification, a French national quality label that guarantees the high standards of our training programs and our commitment to educational excellence.
Below you will find our latest updates (interviews, radio shows, conferences, etc.), including the newest episodes of our series “Plants and People,” where I share some of my travel stories.
Plants of the Paris Basin
Beauce, Brie, Vexin – immense plains of intensive cultivation where pylons replace trees… Could the plants of the Paris Basin boil down to wheat, corn and sugar beet? Fortunately not. […]
Plants of Alsace
This region inevitably conjures up images of storks and nectar squeezed from the generous mamelons bordering the Vosges mountains. But Alsace is above all a vast plain, the collapse trough […]
Summer seminar at Haut Ourgeas
from 28 July to 1er August 2025
This summer, join us for a week in the radiant mountains of Haute Provence, just steps from the Verdon Gorge, at Haut Ourgeas near Barrême, France. This is the land of wild lavender!
This seminar invites you to meet a wealth of wild plants in their natural habitat to observe, taste, and understand them and maybe start building a new relationship with the plant world.
Each day, we’ll explore this beautiful area to identify the plants nature offers us. You’ll learn about their culinary and medicinal uses, their history and botanical features. Theoretical lessons will punctuate our days to help you recognize plants and deepen your understanding of the world we live in. Expect to be amazed!
Books
Discover here a selection from my extensive collection of books that dives into the many ways humans connect with plants. Join me on a lively, hands-on journey through foraging and cooking wild plants – with plenty of recipes – exploring their medicinal powers and the traditional wisdom rooted in nature. You’ll also find insights on ecological gardening, plant-based nutrition, gastronomy, outdoor living, and self-reliance.
Other titles invite you to reflect more deeply on our bond with the living world, humanity’s place within it, and the urgent need to rethink how we relate to nature to build a more harmonious society.
Most of these books are in French, with a few in other languages – and one in English: The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America.
Les Plantes et leurs noms
45.10CHFSavoir nommer est essentiel, notamment dans le cas des plantes dont l’étymologie révèle souvent une partie de l’histoire et des usages qui en ont faits. Celle, par exemple, des pâquerettes dont les fleurs éclosent à l’approche des fêtes de Pâques, celle de la berce dont l’apparence «mal léchée» fait penser à un ours (Bât–, en allemand), celle aussi de la belladone, d’origine italienne, utilisée pour vivifier le regard des belles femmes (bella donna) ou encore du calice enflé de l’alkékenge qui lui vaut son nom d’« amour en cage ».
L’origine des noms communs et botaniques des plantes les plus courantes de nos régions — plantes sauvages et ornementales, légumes, condiments, fruits et autres plantes d’usages divers —sont ainsi expliqués. Les noms des genres sont documentés, ainsi que ceux des espèces principales. Nul besoin d’être botaniste ou spécialiste pour apprécier l’étymologie des plantes qui est ici dévoilée. Il suffit de s’intéresser au monde végétal, de mettre un nom sur une plante et de vouloir en comprendre l’origine.
Cette 2e édition enrichie comporte une quarantaine de nouvelles plantes.
Ethnobotaniste, docteur ès Sciences du Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite agricole, François Couplan enseigne depuis 1975 les utilisations des plantes sauvages sous forme de stages pratiques et propose une formation en ligne pour explorer les rapports entre l’homme et le monde végétal. À ses études scientifiques, il joint une expérience de terrain approfondie. Il est aussi l’auteur de nombreux ouvrages sur les plantes et la nature, et a créé le Collège pratique d’ethnobotanique qui forme à la transmission des savoirs sur les plantes.
ISBN : 978-2-7592-4050-0
Lot de Noël – 13 ouvrages
Original price was: 290.00CHF.150.00CHFCurrent price is: 150.00CHF.Bonjour à vous, qui aimez les plantes et la nature.
C’est bientôt Noël, comme le temps passe… À cette occasion, je voudrais vous proposer un lot unique de 13 de mes livres, aujourd’hui introuvables en librairie. Ces ouvrages, fruits de mes années de recherches et de réflexions sur les plantes sauvages et leur importance dans notre quotidien, vous transporteront dans un voyage fascinant à travers la nature. En voici la liste :
- Plantes miracles
- Voyages parmi les plantes
- Plantes autour du monde
- Le véritable régime crétois
- Condiments et épices du monde
- Remèdes et recettes à l’ortie
- Se soigner avec les plantes de nos montagnes
- Aimez vos plantes invasives
- Plantes d’appartement toxiques
- Plantes de jardin toxiques
- Mangez vos soucis
- Fleurs des Alpes
- Se soigner avec les plantes de nos régions
Pour célébrer cette période festive, je vous propose cet ensemble à un prix exceptionnel de 150 euros (au lieu de 290). Ne manquez pas cette opportunité exclusive d’enrichir vos connaissances et d’éveiller votre curiosité.
Lot de Noël – 10 ouvrages
Original price was: 200.00CHF.100.00CHFCurrent price is: 100.00CHF.Bonjour à vous, qui aimez les plantes et la nature.
C’est bientôt Noël, comme le temps passe… À cette occasion, je voudrais vous proposer un lot unique de 10 de mes livres, aujourd’hui introuvables en librairie. Ces ouvrages, fruits de mes années de recherches et de réflexions sur les plantes sauvages et leur importance dans notre quotidien, vous transporteront dans un voyage fascinant à travers la nature. En voici la liste :
- Plantes miracles
- Voyages parmi les plantes
- Plantes autour du monde
- Le véritable régime crétois
- Condiments et épices du monde
- Remèdes et recettes à l’ortie
- Se soigner avec les plantes de nos montagnes
- Aimez vos plantes invasives
- Plantes d’appartement toxiques
- Plantes de jardin toxiques
Pour célébrer cette période festive, je vous propose cet ensemble à un prix exceptionnel de 100 euros (au lieu de 200), soit 10 euros le livre [en Suisse, CHF 100.-]. Ne manquez pas cette opportunité exclusive d’enrichir vos connaissances et d’éveiller votre curiosité.
L’art de la cueillette – 2024
36.50CHFPendant presque la totalité de notre histoire sur Terre, les plantes sauvages ont formé la base de l’alimentation humaine. Mais notre désir de progrès économique et social les a longtemps reléguées dans l’oubli. Aujourd’hui, il apparaît à l’analyse que leur valeur nutritive a été largement sous-estimée. Non modifiées par l’agricul-ture, elles regorgent de nutriments essentiels pour notre santé.
Dans cet ouvrage captivant, fruit d’une longue expérience et d’une passion profonde pour les plantes, François Couplan, ethnobotaniste de renommée mondiale, nous explique concrètement comment profiter des cadeaux de la nature et procurer à notre organisme les nutriments indispensables à une santé optimale. Activité résolument moderne, se nourrir de plantes sauvages en complément des produits de la culture est aussi une invitation à repenser notre lien avec la nature, à nous faire du bien et à édifier un avenir sain et durable.
Daily Videos
Keiko and I share a short video almost every day on Instagram and Facebook, capturing our encounters with plants. Whether close to home or far afield during our travels, spontaneity is key: no scripts, no staging. We let the plants come to us, surprising and delighting us with their beauty or simple presence.
These videos aren’t “perfect” like so many polished posts on social media – the sound might not always be flawless – but they’re genuine and alive! What matters most is sharing with you the magic of the moment, those small flashes of wonder that brighten our lives through our connection with the plant world.
By joining us, you’ll discover countless insights about the plants around you… or those growing on the other side of the world.
Recipes and visual content
On Medium, we share a wealth of simple, quick, and delicious recipes spotlighting seasonal wild plants – using what’s easy to find in nature and in your kitchen. Our goal is to introduce you to wild cooking and make it accessible to everyone.
Our YouTube channel offers a rich variety of content: botanical walks, hands-on workshops, explanations of plant uses and deep reflections on plants’ vital role in our lives. These videos fuel your curiosity, sharpen your skills, and ignite your passion for the plant world.
Join us on Medium and YouTube to embark on a lively journey and hear what plants truly have to say.
Stay Connected
Sign up with your email below to get fresh updates – always free, no spam, no pressure. Be the first to hear about our latest projects, upcoming workshops, and new books by François Couplan.
Please note: our emails might land in your spam or “Promotions” folder (if you use Gmail), so keep an eye out!
We value your privacy. Our host complies with GDPR standards, we never share your data, and you can unsubscribe anytime: your information will be deleted instantly. And no cookies here – just clean, conscious communication.
