Virginie Verglas

Virginie Verglas is a French journalist and author who writes about traditional remedies and the household knowledge that used to be passed down at home. In 2012 she started Grands-Mères.net on a simple idea: at a time when labels had become unreadable and every product promised a miracle, it was worth writing down what families had actually done for generations, and saying honestly what it was worth.

The site grew quickly. By 2014 it was one of the most visited independent websites in France, and in February 2015 the OJD, the body that certifies audience figures for French media, ranked it 54th among French consumer websites, ahead of several national magazines and broadcasters. In 2016, French internet users voted it both Website of the Year and Most Popular Website of the Year in the Health category.

She has published with Éditions Michel Lafon since 2016. Her first book of remedies was reviewed in full by Dr Franck Gigon, a French physician specialising in phytotherapy and micronutrition, and was later translated into Italian. A book of family desserts followed in 2019, and its recipes are on this site.

Her most recent work is "The French Book of Natural Remedies", the American edition of her guide to sixty-three everyday complaints: more than four hundred remedies, simple ingredients, and clear limits.

What she looks for in a remedy is the same thing every time: what it is made of, how it was actually used, and where it stops. Describing a practice, always; promising a cure, never; and saying plainly at what point you should stop reading and go see someone.