Last Updated 26/02/2009 © Villa Ralfa 2009
Gay owned and run accommodation, and lodgings, bed and breakfast hotel and inn for the independent gay travel ler near Hersonissos, Crete, Greece
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The famous Cretan herb Diktamos, sometimes called dittany, its Latin name is Origanum diktamnos!
The Cretans are very fond of herbal remedies and this is one herb which grows nowhere else but Crete, high on the mountains., and has all sorts of properties attributed to it!
The famous Cretan herb Diktamos, sometimes called dittany, its Latin name is Origanum diktamnos!
The Cretans are very fond of herbal remedies and this is one herb which grows nowhere else but Crete, high on the mountains., and has all sorts of properties attributed to it!
The Ancients believed that it cured all ills and that wild goats injured in the hunt would seek it out to cure themselves of wounds caused by arrows embedded in their bodies. Aphrodite herself is reputed to have come to Crete to collect the plant to cure Aeneas of a wound as is mentioned in The Aenead by Virgil
“A branch of healing Dittany she brought
Which in the Cretan fields with care she sought
Rough is the stem, which woolly leaves surround
The leaves with flowers, the flowers with purple crowned.
Well known to goats; a sure relief
To draw the pointed steel and ease the grief.”
Which in the Cretan fields with care she sought
Rough is the stem, which woolly leaves surround
The leaves with flowers, the flowers with purple crowned.
Well known to goats; a sure relief
To draw the pointed steel and ease the grief.”
Locally the plant is known as ‘Erontas’ meaning ‘love. Erontas was often a gift given between lovers, presumably the difficulty in collecting from high up the mountain was a proof of love!
The herb is also reputed to be useful to pregnant women! I personally use it everyday because it is good for stomach disorders and suffering from what the doctor calls ‘a nervous stomach’, I find it eases indigestion and the associated discomfort! Of course here we can make no claims for its medicinal properties and can only give you the folklore surrounding it.
We supply this in 10 gram packets, which is sufficient for 1 litre of water. I use a few pieces on the tip of a teaspoon to 1 cup of boiling water and allow it to stand for 10 minutes, adding a little sugar or honey. You can do the same or make it in bulk and served it from the fridge, but I don’t recommend keeping it for more than 2 or 3 days!! Fresh is best!
Diktamos/Dittamy of Crete 10 gram packet
€6.50 each including postage worldwide.
PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL BE PAYING THROUGH PAYPAL. We do not see any of your credit card details, only your address! Refer to PayPal’s Privacy Policy for more information.
€6.50 each including postage worldwide.
PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL BE PAYING THROUGH PAYPAL. We do not see any of your credit card details, only your address! Refer to PayPal’s Privacy Policy for more information.