Acropolis

The Herbal Column

Modern Musings on Ancient Greek Herbalism

Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

A Visit to Three Greek Gardens

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

The Herbal Legacy of Kythera, Greece

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Celebrating Rosemary Gladstar

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Silver Island Treasures

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Wild Samothrace

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Reflections on the 2nd Panhellenic Congress of Ethnopharmacology

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.”

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

The Secrets of Nemea

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Podcast: Meet The Greek Herbalist

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

The Health Benefits of Elderberry

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Upcoming Virtual Class: Ancient Greek Medicine and Magic

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.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

From The National Herald: Experiences with Herbal Medicine Gaining Popularity in Greece

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.”

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

From the Society for Classical Studies: Reflections on the Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities 2023 Panel in New Orleans

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.”

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

From the Herbal Academy: The Majestic Honey Bee in Ancient Greece + 3 Greek Honey Recipes

The majestic honey bee (Apis spp.) has been celebrated for thousands of years by civilizations across the world. In ancient Greece, the honey bee was a symbol of birth, death, and rebirth—transformational themes connected to the mysterious and supernatural realms. As the creator of honey, the first known sweetener in Greek antiquity, the honey bee was highly revered. Honey itself was a symbol of the honey bees’ power to transform the sugary secretions of plants into a delicious substance for human and animal enjoyment. The ancient Greeks incorporated this bee-made sweetness in religious ceremonies, kitchen recipes, and healing remedies.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

Who was Juliette de Baïracli Levy?

Juliette de Baïracli Levy (1912-2009) was a well-known herbalist, traveler, and writer who lived on the Greek island of Kythera for ten years during the latter part of her life. Learn more about her extraordinary life and be inspired to carry on herbal traditions.

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Maria Christodoulou Maria Christodoulou

From the Herbal Academy: Greek Olive Oil Traditions

Olive oil has a rich and magical history in Greece, where the landscape is dotted with millions of majestic olive trees. Derived from the pressing of ripe olives picked from the Olea europaea tree, this supreme food has been used for thousands of years in the Mediterranean region, Asia, and Africa. The magic of Greek olive oil stems from a combination of rich cultural traditions, as well as its benefits and usages in both cuisine and herbalism.

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