HERBS, SPICES & TEAS 

With over 130 species of wild flowers and herbs endemic to Crete, the island is full of unique aromatic plants. Well-known herbs such as dictamus (the king of endemic flora of Crete) and malotira are found in abundance and have been known for their priceless healing and nutritional qualities since antiquity and the Minoan era. For example, in antiquity, dictamus was known for its antiseptic properties and was considered a form of panacea (cure-all natural medicine). Hippocrates, the father of medicine, recommended it to pregnant women for speeding-up delivery and making it as painless as possible.

Today, herbalists claim that handpicked, naturally dried Cretan herbs can help to successfully treat a number of common health problems, such as the common cold, indigestion, headaches, malaise, etc., thus avoiding taking medicine that can have unpleasant or annoying side-effects. Among the diseases and ailments normally treated by specialists using herbs are allergies, arthritis, infections, circulatory problems, liver diseases, gynaecological problems (relating to menstrual cycle), skin diseases, stress related problems (headaches, insomnia, palpitation), etc.
The flora of Crete is at its best in Spring, when following the early rains, the island turns green with hundreds of flowers, plants and herbs starting to blossom. Many of these Cretan herbs (among them dictamus) grow on steep mountain slopes on the island and are usually gathered by experienced locals, dried under natural conditions and then packaged in modern packaging facilities without any form of chemical processing making sure that they retain their aroma and other amazing qualities including their antioxidising properties when consumed. A large variety of these herbs are used for tea preparations, condiments, and also for cooking and pastries.
Herbs found on the island
A very wide variety of aromatic herbs is found on the island, many of them endemic to Crete. Varieties include dictamus, oregano, basil, malotira (infusion), tilia (infusion), marjoram, thyme, mint, rosemary, chamomile (infusion), sage, louiza, arismpari, bay leaf, eucalyptus, lavender, thrympa (infusion), fliskouni (infusion), kalentoula (infusion), elichrysos (infusion), antonaida (infusion) and many more.