The document discusses the history and uses of medicinal and aromatic plants in Greece, including herbs, olive oil, olives, honey, and saffron. It notes that Greeks have cultivated and used these plants for thousands of years, since ancient times, for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Key Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen advocated for the use of herbs to treat illnesses. Greece continues to be a major global producer and exporter of olive oil, olives, honey, and saffron today.

1. Medicinal and aromatic herbs and plants
Herbs are great plants, as they have so many uses. Although most
aromatic herbs can be used for cooking and medicinal purposes,
sometimes the aroma is all you need. All of our aromatic herbs have
essential oils that are used in aromatherapy, but sometimes just having a
walk through the garden, inhaling all of the fresh scents from your own
aromatic garden is therapy too! We grow hundreds of herbs, and so many
of our herb plants can be used for potpourris - easy to grow and easy to
dry. In fact, almost all of our herb plants provide aromas - just pick a leaf
and rub it between your thumb and forefinger.
Herbs
Since antiquity, Greeks were using aromatic plants for their healing
attributes and for their nutritional value.
The legend says that Mount Olympus, where the Greek gods lived, was
covered with a canopy of flowers and herbs that were of service to the
gods, as well as to living mortals. The story about these gods and
goddesses clearly shows the respect the Ancient Greeks held for the
beauty of the plants and their attributes.
Hippocrates, the Greek physician and “father of medicine”, advocated the
use of herbs, fresh air, exercise, and good diet. He recorded the use of
about 400 herbs to heal illness. Hippocrates stated that illness was an

2. imbalance of the basic elements within the body, and the proper use of
herbs could restore this balance.
Another influential Greek physician, Galen, expanded the philosophy of
Hippocrates. His work “De Simplicibus” became the standard medical
text in Rome. Another famous work, “De Materia Medica” written in the
first century A.D. by the Greek physician Dioscorides, provided a major
source of herbal knowledge for the next 1,500 years.
It was the Roman armies that were responsible for spreading herbal lore
throughout Europe, as they brought many of their medicinal plants with
them on their conquests. Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) was the Roman
naturalist who collected an encyclopedia of herbal knowledge called
“Naturalis Historia”.
The manuscripts of Hippocrates and Dioscorides were preserved in
medieval monasteries, where they were translated and copied by diligent
monks.
Through the centuries a handful of traditional herbalists created local
centers of herbal treatment throughout Europe. By the 19th century the
chemical composition of herbs was being analyzed to discover their
effects on the physical body. Many herbs subsequently became the basis
of modern medicines.
Nowadays, there is a growing awareness that certain areas are reach in
healing resource, which is leading to a change of attitude as
pharmaceutical companies search for new cures for modern diseases such
as cancer. Herbs are still part of the healing tradition of Europe and North
America. Despite the use of sophisticated drugs to cure disease, many
people still make use of traditional plant remedies.
Plants take up substances from the earth and convert them into vitamins,
minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fats that the human body can use
for healing and nourishment. Almost 200 different chemical elements are
contained in each of the aromatic plants. Combinations of herbs can
benefit by the synergistic way in which the plants work.
During the past few years there is a continuous increasing global interest
for the Greek aromatic plants and their multiple uses.
Nowadays, the Greek and international industry are using the aromatic
plants for the production of cosmetics, medicines and foods. Greeks,
throughout the country enjoy the therapeutic benefits of a variety of

3. herbs: Chamomile, lime, sage, mountain tea, mint, spearmint, thyme,
fennel, aniseed, lavender and oregano existed- and still exist until our
days.
With a return to traditional values, more and more people are reverting to
natural products in their daily lives and rediscovering therapies that
spring from the depths of time. It is notable that in Greece, the trend
toward the use of aromatic and medicinal plants is steadily increasing as a
popular therapeutic choice.
Olive and Olive Oil
Greeks were the first to cultivate the olive tree for its precious products,
the olives and the olive oil. The Olive Tree, harmoniously tied with the
Greek landscape and it’s inhabitants’ temperament, chiselled by the
Mediterranean sun and the Aegean winds has served the Greek Spirit and
Soul as an endless source of inspiration. A symbol of social and religious
values, progress, peace, affluence, wisdom and fame.
During the Minoan Era, olive oil served as the foundation of the Cretan
economy. Evidence of this relationship can still be traced in the surviving
artefacts in the palaces of the once mighty empire of Knossos.
The goddess of wisdom, Athena, dedicated the olive tree to the city
bearing her name, as a proof of her bond with the city.
An olive branch was the golden medal awarded at the Ancient Olympic
Games, since it was shaped in the form of a wreath and bestowed to the
winners. Legend has it that the wreaths came from a tree planted by
Hercules himself.
Olive oil was called “liquid gold” by Homer, and the “Great healer” by
Hippocrates.
Today, in the shadow of great traditions and legends, Greece still relies

4. on the olive tree. There are 120,000,000 olive trees in Greece or, to put
things in perspective, 12 olive trees for every Greek citizen.
Greece is the world’s third largest producer of edible olives and olive oil,
with a 16% share of the international olive oil market. 450,000 families
depend on olive oil production as a primary or secondary source of
income.
The olive tree serves both as a universal symbol of peace as well as a
symbol of Greece. More importantly, it fed, bred and gave shed to
countless generations of Greeks and earned its place as an integral part of
Greek culture.
Olives
Nowadays, Greece produces about 120.000 tons of table olives per year.
The table olive oil is one of the country’s most important agricultural
exports.
The harvest begins in October for table olives and continues for about
two months, depending on the type of olive and the place it is cultivated.
Green olives-essentially less ripe than their darker counterparts-are
harvested first; next come all the plump black olives that are among the
country’s best-known snacks: tight-skinned Kalamata olives with their
pointy, nipple-like tip; juicy Amfissas in an array of browns, blacks and
purples. Last to be plucked from the tree is the wrinkled black variety,
which matures on the branch, can be harvested as late as March, and is
cured in coarse salt not brine.
In salads, olives are delicious matched with all sorts of vegetables, such
as fresh ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and more. They are
wonderful with vegetables preserved in brine or olive oil, such as roasted
red peppers, pickled cauliflower, etc. Greeks use olives in some sauces,
namely tomato-based sauces that are served over pasta.
There are several breads and pies which call for olives. In some parts of
the country, stews often include olives. One such dish comes from the
Ionian island of Zakynthos, where potatoes are stewed with onions,
tomatoes and black olives. On the mainland, olives are roasted and served
as a meze, and in Crete, one of the most delicious preparations is for
something called oftes elies-roasted olives. This process intensifies the
flavour and aroma of the olive and makes for one of the best appetizers in
all of Greek cooking.
In the last few years, the olive has caught the imagination of
contemporary chefs, so that in today’s Greek kitchen olives are
everywhere: in the skillet and in the pan, in breads, pies, braised dishes,
sauces, stuffings, dips and more.

5. Olive oil
Olive oil in Greece dates back 4000 years, but also has a significant
present and promising future. It is globally acknowledged for its purity
and exceptional taste and it is globally proposed as one of the features
quality Greek products. It is the basis of all the Greek traditional recipes,
thus proving its unique position within the Greek diet.
Even today Greek olives are treated with the same care and tenderness
they were treated with 2500 years ago. As in the past, olive keeping is
still predominantly a family business. And because it’s a family business,
each tree receives the same kind of personalized care and love that comes
when people form an intimate bond with their object of work.
Production is scattered all over the country, even though the Peloponnese
and Crete account for over 65% of total production. The average annual
olive oil production is 350,000 tons.
Intensive cultivation, in combination with the climate and well-adjusted-to-
the-Greek-soil varieties, contributes to the production of worldwide
top quality olive oil.
80% of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, which is the top-ranked
classification category in the world. This constitutes Greece as the
world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. Greek extra virgin olive
oil’s superior quality is appreciated by the international trade, which is
the reason why 150-200 thousand tons of our best olive oil are exported
to Italy and Spain and sold at a premium price, in comparison to olive oils
of other origins.
At an international level, Greece enjoys the largest per capita
consumption of olive oil, with the average Greek consuming more than
15 kilos annually. Spanish come in second place, with 11 kilos per capita
consumption per year.
Biological olive oils and olive oils of controlled origin are becoming a
trend in the internal market, demonstrating a growth of more than 30%
annually.
Research shows that olive oil is the healthiest choice among other
vegetable oils and thus it’s an integral part of a balanced diet. Olive oil
contributes to the reduction of LDL cholesterol without affecting
quantities of the HDL cholesterol. It protects from various diseases, and it

6. reduces blood pressure. It reduces the chance of breast cancer by 45%,
while it’s believed it may play role in reducing intestinal cancer as well. It
protects against cell aging and strengthens memory. Also, it contributes to
the health of the central nervous system and brain cells.
Quality classes
There are three classes of oil: Virgin, refined and seed-oil.
Honey
Far earlier than olive oil, long before wine, Greeks fell in love with
honey. In ancient Greece, the bee, as well as its products, found itself in
high place in the estimate of the people and the men in power. Proof of
this constitutes the large quantity of mythological references and
representations in ancient Greek vessels of mainly 6th century B.C. These
facts prove the significant place of bee products in the daily life, as food
but also as therapeutic means. Greek honey is globally famous for its
exceptional quality, its unique aroma and its rich taste. Its great diversity
in terms of flavour and aroma sets it apart from its competitors, fuelling
its international recognition. This advantage to a great extent derives from
the rich Greek flora, which comprises numerous wild plants land herbs.
In Greece, 12,000 tons of honey are produced annually. (flower honey).
The vast majority of forest honey production is the pine honey, fir honey
and oak honey. These types of honey do not crystallise and have high
nutritious value due to their high content in trace elements (potassium,
sodium, magnesium, iron etc).

7. In flower honeys, unmixed categories are classified such as the famous
thyme honey, the full aroma orange honey, heather honey, chestnut
honey, the rich in antibacterial attributes cotton honey and several types
of flower honey which are mainly collected by aromatic plants of the
Greek countryside, like wild oregano, wild lavender, salvia, and many
more.
Today, there are about 25,000 beekeepers in Greece and about 1.3 million
hives. Despite the density of hives - one sees them all over the
countryside – production is relatively limited. Figures vary depending on
the source, but production is fairly stable from year to year. Beekeepers
move their hives from place to place, slope to slope, field to field, in
order to reap the rewards of the season and provide fodder for their hives.
The season begins in March and ends around November in the
southernmost parts of Greece. In May, when orange trees bloom, bees are
taken to feed off their inebriating flowers. July is the season for thyme
honey; September for pine; and May and September for heather, which
blossoms twice. As a general rule, the honey is harvested right after the
feeding period to ensure the best flavour.
Certainly honey was the first – and for quite a while the only – sweetener
Greeks had in their diet. Even now, it remains the most prestigious one.
With its importance from ancient times, honey, along with the olive and
the grape, marked the beginning of Greek gastronomy and a cuisine that
retains its unique and original aspects today.
Cheesecakes sweetened with honey are still found all over the Greek
islands, especially at Easter. The chefs of Byzantium simmered Greek
honey to pour over their famous layered sweets, baklava, galaktobourico,
kadayifi, and the fried doughnnut – like puffs called loukoymades, all
sweets still savoured in today’s Greek kitchen.
In cooking, honey adds flavour in a way that other sugars cannot. Greek
cooks well recognize this, which is why honey still plays a major role in
Greek cuisine. Honey is utilized not just in desserts, but often as an
element in classic stews such as stifado and the intriguing kapama from
Corfu. In Crete it is sometimes used as a marinade and tenderizer for
lamb and added to various meat stews at the end, simmering until it
caramelizes. Contemporary chefs mix it with raisin vinegar and orange
juice and use it as a sauce for everything from seafood to salads.
There are dozens of books having Greek honey as their main theme,
exalting this wonderful product of the Greek nature. Characteristically
enough, there have never been any negative critiques on Greek honey –

8. only positive comments, because Greek honey, whether it comes from
Crete, the Peloponnesus, Thasos, Epirus, any of a thousand islands or
Mount Hymettus in Attica, it invites every one who tastes it into the love
affair that Greeks have forever relished.
Saffron
Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. The
Saffron filaments, or threads, are actually the dried stigmas of the saffron
flower, "Crocus Sativus Linneaus". Each flower contains only three
stigmas. These threads must be picked from each flower by hand, and
more than 75,000 of these flowers are needed to produce just one pound
of Saffron filaments.
"Crocus Sativus Linneaus" contains crocin, the source of its strong
coloring property, bitter-crocin, which offers the distinctive aroma and
taste and essential oils, which are responsible for its therapeutic
properties.
Saffron is well known since the beginning of its production for its healing
attributes and its use in gastronomy. Today, the greatest saffron
producing countries are Greece, Spain, Turkey, Iran, India, and Morocco.
The largest saffron importers are Germany, Italy, U.S.A., Switzerland,
U.K., and France.
It was not defined well when saffron cultivation began, but it is believed
that this might have happened during Prehistoric Greek times. The
excavations in Knossos, Crete, and Akrotiri in the island of Santorini
brought to light some frescoes where saffron is depicted.
The most famous of these frescoes is the 'saffron gatherer', where it was

9. depicted that there was a monkey amongst the yellow saffron flowers.
Etymologically, the word crocus has its origin from the Greek word
"croci" which means the weft, thread used for weaving on a loom.
Mythologically, according to Ovidius, the plant took its name from the
youth Crocus, who after witnessing in despair the death of fair Smilax
was transformed into this flower.
Known since antiquity, saffron it was one of the most desired and
expensive spices of ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans for its aroma,
color and aphrodisiac properties. It was quite popular among the
Phoenician traders, who carried it wherever they travelled. The ancient
Assyrians used saffron for medical purposes.
Hippocrates and other Greek doctors of his time, like Dioscourides and
Galinos mention crocus as a drug or a therapeutic herb. It is referred
throughout ancient history and in the course of many medical writings of
the classical Greek and Roman times all the way to the Middle Ages.
Another saffron use in ancient Greece was that of perfumery.
The history of red saffron in modern Greece starts in the 17th century
when red saffron was cultivated in the area of Kozani in Macedonia. For
more than 300 years, Greek red saffron is systematically cultivated under
the warmth of the Greek sun, in the rich soil of a unique area including
many small towns of Kozani in West Macedonia.
As a therapeutical plant, saffron it is considered an excellent stomach
ailment and an antispasmodic, helps digestion and increases appetite. It is
also relieves renal colic, reduces stomachaches and relieves tension. It is
also a fact that even since antiquity, crocus was attributed to have
aphrodisiac properties. Many writers along with Greek mythology
sources associate crocus with fertility. Crocus in general is an excellent
stimulant.
As a spice it is used for colouring and flavour improving while giving a
distinct aroma and a beautiful golden color. There is a great list of foods
where saffron is added including cheese products such as cottage cheese
and parmesan, soups, chicken and meat, various spirits, pasta and rice. To
use saffron, either infuse a few threads in a cup of hot water and add the
colored liquid towards the end of cooking, or crumble the threads and add
directly to the pot.
Alternatively, dry roast, crumble and then steep the crumbled threads.
Unlike other spices, a good pinch will suffice to add flavour and color
most dishes. Cook with red Greek saffron and indulge in its excellent
flavour.

10. The Kozani Saffron is globally accepted as one of the highest quality.
According to the European Union Law (378/1999), the Kozani Saffron
has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is
the only country that has the right to produce it. The quality production
and packing methods of the Kozani Saffron has a major contribution to
the international promotion of the Greek products.
Chios Mastic Gum
Mastic Gum comes from the resin that seeps like teardrops from the bark
of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus).
It is an exclusively Greek product, because although the mastic tree
grows in many places it only sheds its tears, thus producing its valuable
crystals, in the Aegean island of Chios.
Herodotus had noted the strange behavior of the mastic tree since the 5th
century B.C. According to the legend, mastic trees begun to cry in
sympathy when Romans tortured Isidore, the island’s patron saint.
Columbus apparently stayed on the island between 1473 and 1474, and he
found out about mastic, which was in great demand in those days. So he
thought if he could find another source, he could break the Chios
monopoly and get very rich. In the New World found trees that looked
just like the mastic trees, but they didn’t weep like the mastic trees in
Chios.

11. Since then numerous endeavours to grow the mastic tree in other Greek
regions and countries have been reported, but always without successful
results.
According to scientific evidence, this phenomenon is related to the
temperate climate of the island and the underwater volcanic zone of the
area and Chios’ ground which is rich in limestone.
Care for the mastic groves is a year-round job carried out by the families
of some 4,850 members of the mastic-producers’ union. The winter
months involve pruning and thinning branches, followed by clearing and
weeding the area under the trees until it is smooth. Then fine white earth
is sifted over the area and tamped firm. The resin would darken and spoil
if it dripped and dried onto brown earth Summer marks the start of the
pricking season.
From early July until late September, the men make vertical slits, 4-5 mm
deep and 10-15 mm long, in the trunks and branches of every tree twice a
week. The process is called kentima, a word that also means embroidery,
but it more like the jabs one makes in a leg of lamb to insert a garlic
sliver. A tree can receive from between 20 and 100 slits, depending on its
age.
Though they may live to be more than 100 years old, mastic trees don’t
begin to ooze resin until after their fifth year and remain productive until
after they reach 70. The resin usually takes 10 to 20 days to crystallize
and the first harvest in the second half of August yields bigger tears. The
second harvest lasts from mid-September until mid-October or the first
rain storm, while cleaning the crystals for processing may last until
pruning time.
In cooking, mastic flavours Greek cakes and breads, myriad confections

12. an ouzo-like liqueur, and a chewing gum. It is also used in making
varnishes and adhesives. But the most important thing about mastic today
is that scientists are confirming what earlier savants had observed and
Hippocrates had pointed out: mastic is good for myriad ailments. For
example, a research team from the UK’s Nottingham University has
found that even small amounts of mastic can destroy the helicobakter
pylori bacteria, which only a decade ago was recognised as the prime
cause of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer.
Furthermore, mastic adhesive bandages heal rather than hurt your skin, as
do mastic-based surgical sutures; mastic appears to be able to lower
cholesterol levels, it has an anti-inflammatory property, acts as an
antioxidant (smoothing wrinkles inside and out) and may even offer
protection against arteriosclerosis. Yesterday’s panacea is looking
increasingly like tomorrow’s wonder drug. It may even raise gum-chewing
out of the gutter and back into polite society. And to think that
it’s completely natural.
According to European Union Law (123/1997), the Chios Mastic Gum
has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is
the only country that has the right to produce it.
Ouzo
Ouzo is a globally famous Greek drink-aperitif. It is an anise-flavoured
liqueur that is widely consumed throughout the country. Ouzo is exported
throughout the world and Ouzo is one of Greece's most sought after
products.
The production of ouzo began at Greece in the mid 1850’s and flourished
at the end of the 19th century the Plomari in Lesvos

13. Modern ouzo distillation largely took off in the 19th century following
Greek independence, with much production centred on the island of
Lesbos which claims to be the originator of the drink and remains a major
producer. In 1932, ouzo producers developed the method of distillation
using copper stills, which is now considered the canonically proper
method of production.
Ouzo starts as a strong spirit made from pressed grapes or raisins. Other
herbs and berries may also be added at the fermentation stage. The
distinctive smell of ouzo comes from the addition of anise (or star anise)
as flavouring, but other ingredients, varying according to the producer,
are also used common ingredients include coriander, cloves, angelica
root, liquorice, mint, wintergreen, fennel, hazelnut, cinnamon and lime
blossom.
The alcohol and flavourings are placed in warmed copper stills and
distilled; higher-quality ouzos may be distilled several times. The
resulting spirit is stored for a few months, and then diluted, usually to
around 40% ABV.
When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky
white; this is because the etheric oils are soluble in alcohol but not water.
Diluting the spirit to less than around 40% ABV causes it to separate into
an aqueous and an organic phase, whose fine droplets scatter the light.
The crystals sometimes seen in ouzo served cold are crystalline anethole,
the constituent of anise aroma.
All the visitors of Greece have tasted ouzo and have transferred to their
countries their best impressions it.
Ouzo drinking for Greeks is an art, and also a way of life.
In modern Greece ouzeri can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and
villages. Every cafe in Greece from the most modern to the most
traditional, serves ouzo.
The key to drinking ouzo is to eat mezedes appetizers such as octopus,
salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is
traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together
with mezedes shared with others.
These keep the effects of the alcohol from overwhelming the person who
can sit and drink slowly for hours in a profoundly calm state of mind.
This well known aperitif, according to the European Union Law
(1576/1989) has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so
Greece is the only country that has the right to produce it. Nowadays in
Greece, there are almost 300 different ouzo producers

14. “Let’s make our world more green and clean”
Comenius project 2012-2014
Selected work by Ann Magkiosi
Nursery Rizario School –Trikala -Greece
----------------------------------