On a hot summer day in early September, I met with Corinne of Athens Living who has been making YouTube videos about interesting people and places in Athens since 2009. We briefly explored the National Garden together and spoke about my popular Myths & Medicine Plant Walks there, as well as my work as a writer and herbal retreat organizer, most recently on Samothrace island.

The hot and dry Mediterranean climate of Greece can make it challenging to maintain a healthy garden. During the past several months, I have had the opportunity to visit flourishing gardens in Athens and on the islands of Evia and Syros.

For the past two years, our Herbal Medicine Tour on Kythera Honoring Juliette de Bairacli Levy has taken place in late June at the start of the summer season. The herbal legacy of Kythera is made possible by the generosity of the plants that bring us together each year to celebrate the gifts from those who have come before us.

Known as the godmother of modern herbalism in the United States, Rosemary Gladstar is an influential herbalist, best-selling author, and educator who has captivated people worldwide for more than 50 years. Rosemary’s upcoming visit to Athens marks an important moment for herbal medicine in Greece, and is an exciting reminder that the plants around us can inspire us for a lifetime.

A recap of our Soul Blossoming in Nature Yoga and Herbal Retreat on Silver Island on April 21-27 and April 28-May 4, 2024. Silver Island is a family-owned, private Greek island in the Aegean Sea offering an exclusive yoga retreat experience. Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) offered herbal inspired workshops for two weeks on the island to kick-start the yoga retreat season that will run until October.

The mountains of Greece cover 80% of the country’s landmass. They are currently more at risk than at any time in their history. The aesthetic beauty of these landscapes, their phenomenal history and culture, and above all, their high environmental diversity are increasingly threatened due to several main threats.

An interview with Valia Vlatsiou, an expert practitioner in Thai massage and yin yoga, and the television presenter of Βότανα Καρποί της Γης (Herbs: Fruits of the Earth). Valia and Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) are offering the Herbal Medicine & Wellness Retreat on Samothrace on August 25-30, 2024.

On Saturday, April 9, 2024, the Herbalists Without Borders, Athens Chapter hosted a public groundbreaking garden event to establish The Dioscorides Garden on the iconic grounds of Zappeion.

Maria Christodoulou had been living in New York City for years when she decided it was finally time to move to Greece and dive more fully into the wisdom and whimsy of ancient Greek herbal medicine. In this episode of HerbMentor Radio, Maria weaves personal stories, science, and history together to offer us a beautiful peek into traditional and contemporary Greek herbalism practices.

The 2nd Panhellenic Congress of Ethnopharmacology, themed “From the Vikos Traditional Healers (Vikoyiatroi) to Modern Phytotherapy,” took place on March 1-3, 2024 in Ioannina, Greece. Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) presented on “Examining Ancient and Modern Uses of Melissa Officinalis.”

An interview with Dominik Brun of Venikos Wine & Culture Travels. His knowledge of Nemea in the Peloponnese region is focused on organic products, wines, and gastronomy. Dominik and Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) are offering the Herbal Medicine & Culture Tour in the Peloponnese on May 11-18, 2024.

Featured in the Fall 2023 issue of the Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, the article "Medicinal Wine in Ancient Greece" by Maria Christodoulou explores the historical evidence and efficacy of herbal wines in Greek antiquity: “Piecing together historical and archaeological evidence of ancient herbal customs can help us understand the value of these natural remedies and provide inspiration to herbalists today who wish to connect to their own heritage from this region.”

Lemon balm, St. John’s wort, oregano, and mastic. What medicinal powers do these herbs have and how did the ancient Greeks use them for their own health?

In a podcast with A Temple Wild, Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) discusses her experiences as a first generation Greek-American, what it was like encountering the Greek landscape for the first time, how she went from a classics major to studying herbalism to now living in Greece and, among many things, leading the way in herbal immersion tours all over the country.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is a tree in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America with a rich history of use in many traditions. The berries, flowers, leaves, and bark have all been used medicinally for thousands of years. Learn about the health benefits of elderberry and how it can support your health during the winter season - and throughout the year.

The ancient Greek civilization thrived on philosophy, science, and the healing arts. From ancient texts to excavated pottery, there are countless artifacts to engage our senses. To begin our journey, we must first meet the herbalists who made history.

Upcoming virtual class on Sunday, September 24 with The Greek Herbalist and hosted by Rowan + Sage: The ancient Greeks blended myth, magic, and medicine into their daily rituals and spiritual practices. In this workshop, learn about their ancient practices and the plants that they relied on for healing and inspiration.

Traveling through thousands of years of ancient history, we will explore some of the Greek gods and goddesses and their connection to the plant world, the underground practice of magic, and the timeless power of medicinal plants that we continue to rely on today.

From The National Herald: “Greek herbs and traditions with the land are becoming increasingly popular for visitors to learn about during their visit to Greece. Maria Christodoulou, The Greek Herbalist, has developed educational herbal tours and academic programs in Greece that teach about the traditional uses of medicinal plants from both ancient and modern times.”

From the Society for Classical Studies: “This year’s Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities (AnWoMoCo) panel, organized by Nina Papathanasopoulou, Public Engagement Coordinator for the SCS, and Greg Thalmann, former Chair of the Classics in the Community Committee, offered perspectives from six projects funded by the AnWoMoCo microgrants initiative, which has provided financial support for 149 proposals since January 2019. This dynamic sampling of awardees demonstrated the scope, creativity, and engagement behind the AnWoMoCo mandate to support interdisciplinary collaborations that bring together distinctive communities and to encourage thoughtful engagement and creative expression.”

An oasis in the center of Athens, the National Garden consists of 7,000 trees, 40,000 bushes and other plants, belonging to 519 species and varieties.