If you look between the windswept rocks beside the ocean, you might find Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum). A halophyte (salt tolerant) it grows along European coastlines from the Black Sea to the South of Great Britain (around Biarritz you can find it on the way to the beach!). People have been gathering it for millennia, for both its flavor and medicinal qualities.
Rock Samphire does not grow very big: reaching about 50 cm at the highest. You can see its white flowers during the summer (June to August) and it bears seeds in the Fall. It is a hermaphrodite plant (with both flowers bearing both male and female organs), pollinated by insects.
Names & Origins
In English, the name Rock Samphire comes from its territory: steep and rocky coasts. «Samphire» comes the french «Herbe de Saint-Pierre», shortened to «Saint-Pierre» and finally «Samphire». Saint-Pierre is the patron saint of fishermen and holds a divine key to open rocks; a fitting namesake. It is also known as Sea Fennel, which refers to the similarities between the 2 plant species. The similarities are not only superficial: both belong to the same family Apiaceae.
It is alone in the genus Crithimum, whose name is thought to come from the ancient Greek word krithmon meaning ‘barley’, as their seeds are similar. The species name Maritimum is from the Latin meaning ‘near by the sea’, referring to its preferred habitat.
Historical and Current Uses
The plant may have found its peak in popularity in the 17th century, where it sold picked by the barrel on the streets of London. Shakespeare mentions it in his King Lear «Half-way down, Hangs one that gathers samphire ; dreadful trade!» (Act IV, Scene IV). As a food, it contains many naturally protective molecules: vitamins A, C, B2 and B15 and is rich in minerals. Sailors often took it with them on their long voyages around the world to prevent scurvy. Fresh, the leaves have a particular flavor: crisp spice with notes of citrus.
Besides its culinary merits, Dioscorides (the «father» of occidental pharmacology) and Pliny the Elder both spoke of its medicinal qualities. In particular, they talked about its benefits for the spleen and glow of the skin. Even Hippocrate wrote of its detoxifying and diuretic properties. Modern studies has confirmed these claims for skin care, with Rock Samphire extract showing to improve the regenerative capacity of the epidermis as compared to controls. The extract is also remarquable for the number of antioxidant compounds it contains. With all of these qualities, it fits perfectly in our Huile OCÉANE ®.
