"Regarding Jacint Obiols Torrents the study of medical herbs is something more than just an acquired vocation: it is part of his environment since his childhood, as he was born in the bossom of a family with a long tradition in the field of natural remedies."

At the very end of the 19th century, his grandmother took part of the “trementinaires” group, an old female trade born in the Pyrenees side to Lleida, in the south of the Cadi Mountain (Seu d’Urgell), owing to the need of emigrating from the mountain in order to improve the family economy.

Thus, while men used to work the land and take care of the animals, women usted to collect and prepare to carry with them medical herbs, natural remedies and ancient formulas made up by mountain people, with the aim to make them know to urban people. Those “trementinaires” triggered off the commercialization of medical herbs (Polygala calcarea, Silene saxyfraga, hyssop, Jasonia glutinosa, lindenfield scabious, etc.). Moreover, they used to prepare remedies such as “ trementina” (the origin of their name), “pega negra” (kind of black sticking stuff), “oli d’avet” (fir oil), “oli de ginebró” (juniper oil), for external use only to treat a wide range of ailments.

The first shop

Some years later, one child of this “trementinaire”, Pere Obiols Boixadé (and Jacint Obiols’ father) set up a little store in Manresa’s centre. Thus, HERBORISTERÍA LA FLOR DEL PIRINEO was born in 1933, which is still today ran by Mª Jesús Gordo Resa, with love, commitment and knowledge initially acquired from “Mister Pere”, her father in law and, later on, from her own vocation. Similarly, Jacinto Obiols extended the medical herbs sale by packaging the raw material under the commercial license “La Flor del Pirineo” in order to be sold and distributed wholesale. Nowadays, the company is present throughout Spain, as well as in Portugal and Andorra, and our products can be found in most of natural remedies and dietetics stores in Spain.

The tradition goes on...

It is interesting to point out the fact that the genetic mark of love towards medical herbs still perpetuates in the Obiols family. Thus, since 2005, one of Jacinto and Mª Jesús’ daughter called Marta decided to follow her mother’s footsteps in the near town of St. Fruitós de Bages, and went on the adventure of managing a new La Flor del Pirineu specialized in organic food.