Over a two-year period, Mandy den Elzen conducted a comprehensive investigation into plant secondary metabolites and their historical uses, with a focus on the Breda Beguinage (established 1535). Beguines, single women living in self-sufficient communities, maintained gardens containing both culinary and medicinal plants. These herbs were utilized to prepare remedies and tinctures aimed at supporting the health of the sick. Additionally, Beguines transmitted their botanical knowledge to local women, instructing them in the effective use of culinary and medicinal plants.

Plants are sessile organisms that cannot evade environmental threats. To survive, they have evolved a wide array of biological and chemical defense mechanisms, which confer protection against herbivores, pathogens (fungi and bacteria), and competitive plant species.

A central component of these defense strategies is the production of secondary metabolites chemical compounds not directly involved in primary growth processes but essential for defense and inter-organismal communication. These include, among others, bitter compounds, tannins, flavonoids, mucilages, essential oils, glycosides, cardenolides, glucosinolates, saponins (steroidal and triterpenoid), alkaloids, and anthraquinones. Plants also contain minerals, proteins, essential fatty acids, enzymes, alginates, gums, resins, balsams, phenols, iridoids, purine bases, quinones, and coumarins. Each compound plays specific ecological and physiological roles, from deterring herbivory to signaling potential threats to neighboring plants.

Humans have long studied and utilized this chemical diversity. Many plant-derived compounds have historically been applied in medicine, nutrition, and other practical contexts, and continue to be relevant today.

Understanding the chemical composition and functional roles of these metabolites provides insight into both plant ecological strategies and historical and contemporary human-plant interactions.

This research presents 80 plant species, systematically arranged in wooden cassettes. Each species is accompanied by a detailed description of its chemical constituents and historically significant applications.

The collection demonstrates that plant chemistry and defense mechanisms are not only crucial for plant survival but also represent a rich source of knowledge and inspiration for human societies.

Het Begijnhof
Gemeente Breda
Stichting Mastboom-Brosens Stichting
De Bredase Maand Van De Geschiedenis
Stadsarchief & Archeologie