The Herbal Legacy of Kythera, Greece
The Greek island of Kythera was once home to Juliette de Bairacli Levy (1912-2009), an influential herbalist and veterinarian whose books transformed the health of people and animals alike. The island continues to inspire herbalists during our annual Herbal Medicine Tour to honor Juliette’s legacy and to experience the botanical bounty of the island landscape.
A sacred moment at Juliette’s cottage in 2024
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. This year the tour also began shortly after the summer solstice and the full Strawberry Moon, marking a special time of the year. Thirty participants, primarily from the United States, gathered together for a week-long immersion on the island, participating in daily herbal-inspired activities with local artisans. Our special guests this year included celebrated American herbalist Rosemary Gladstar and Tish Streeten, the award-winning director of the film, Juliette of the Herbs. Last year our special guest was local Kytherian James Prineas, author of The Kytherians and friend of Juliette’s.
“I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for creating this beautiful space for us to love the plants and connect with one another.”
The tour started with Maria Christodoulou (The Greek Herbalist) leading a Greek herbs tea tasting and tea blending workshop, followed by a walk through Avlemonas, one of the Mediterranean’s most scenic fishing villages, with local tour guide Frank of Pyrgos House. The following day we visited the Tree of Joy & Sorrow, a special carob tree where Maria led a sacred tree meditation alongside the iconic summer sound of whistling cicadas. This tree was where Kytherians in the early 1900s said goodbye to their relatives who left the island for hopefully a better life overseas and the location where they would joyfully meet again if they were to return to the island.
The highlight of the tour was visiting Juliette’s cottage, abandoned since she left the island many years ago, and her beloved olive tree. Both last year and this year’s group offered something meaningful to the tree - a blessing, a gift, or a song - as a sacred act of gratitude, commonly practiced in herbal traditions since antiquity.
The group also participated in an olive oil soap workshop led by Fotini in her beautiful garden in the quiet village of Aloizianika. The soaps were made with olive oil infused with Sempreviva (Helichrysum stoechas), the unofficial floral symbol of Kythera that is slowly diminishing in quantity due to high demand.
Like last year, the group met Yiannis, a local beekeeper whose genuine enthusiasm for his beloved bees shines through his delightful stories and explanation of the honey-making process. Unfortunately, because of the lack of rain this year, the bees had produced very little honey. It was obvious from the browning landscape that the lack of water had affected the growth of wild flowers and medicinal plants that the bees would otherwise be feasting on. On the following day, the group went on a plant walk with local herbalist Sara Scopsi, owner of Elixrysos Herb shop in Mylopotamos. In the stillness of the forest, we collected aromatic bay laurel leaves to make an herbal-infused salve to take home.
To conclude our full week together, the group watched Juliette of the Herbs (1998) which was made extra special with the presence of director Tish Streeten, who had spent many years crafting the film to its continued wide acclaim. The evening concluded with a special awards ceremony in which Maria presented Rosemary and Tish with an olive branch plaque for their valuable contributions to the legacy of herbal medicine in Greece.
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. May the plants continue to inspire each of us to pursue the herbal path and to keep the joy of plants close to our hearts. As quoted in Juliette’s book, Traveler’s Joy, “And the earth with its winged seeds, like a poet in his thoughts, travels.”
Join us next year for our On the Herbal Path Tours in Greece. From mountains to islands, we’ll learn about medicinal plants, Greek mythology, herbal remedies, and traditions with the land. We’ll hike mountains, swim at beautiful beaches, eat delicious food, and meet with local experts. Our tours are designed for active and curious travelers who want to engage with the land and the people who live there. They are designed for all levels of herbal education - from beginner to advanced.