Asclepius Pharmacy: The Land Where Ancient Greek Healing Herbs Continue to Grow

The Path of Asclepius connected Mount Koziakas hosts much than 1,200 taxon of herbs. Credit: Greek Reporter

The pharmacy of Asclepius, the ancient Greek deity of medicine, was located adjacent to a upland wherever medicinal herbs inactive utilized to this time proceed to grow.

Locals are convinced that Pialeia successful Thessaly was the birthplace of Asclepius, the mortal lad of Apollo and accidental determination is grounds to enactment this, namely the precise remains of the pharmacy of Asclepius.

Koziakas, the upland looming implicit Pialeia, besides provides specified evidence. In past times, it was known arsenic Mount Kerketion, allegedly named aft Asclepius’ helper, Kerketis.

According to Dimitris Pappagianopoulos, a retired teacher who has lived his full beingness successful the area, Asclepius chose to unrecorded successful Pialeia due to the fact that of the plethora of Mount Kerketion’s medicinal herbs arsenic good arsenic the surrounding enchanting landscape.

In fact, the herbs Asclepius utilized successful his clip tin inactive beryllium recovered connected the mountain, and locals person relied connected them since past times. In the adjacent colony of Gorgogyri, 1 tin adjacent find the fashionable Path of Asclepius.

Spiros Govinas, a nonmigratory of the village, speaks of the celebrated path:

“It was named the Path of Asclepius successful grant of Asclepius. We don’t person grounds that [he] really walked this way with his helper Kerketis. This is wherefore the ancients named the upland aft him, Mount Kerketion. This is simply a communicative my gramps utilized to archer me.”

“About 20 to twenty-five years ago, the politician named it the Path of Asclepius, since it is afloat of herbs that the ancients used,” helium added.

Mount Kerketion (now Koziakas) hosts 1,200 taxon of flora, mostly aromatic and therapeutic herbs, galore of which Asclepius is said to person used. Nowadays, locals proceed to cod them for idiosyncratic use, to springiness arsenic gifts, oregon to sell, Pappagianopoulos reveals.

Ruins of the purported pharmacy of Asclepius, wherever the herbs were processed. Credit: Greek Reporter

Asclepius and his herbs

The retired teacher tells Greek Reporter that it was present wherever Asclepius was calved and that grounds of this whitethorn beryllium recovered astatine Palαeokastro, the tract of Asclepius’ past pharmacy connected a elevation and the acropolis of Pialeia.

“Asclepius did not cod herbs lone astatine that spot; helium did truthful on the entirety of Mount Kerketion arsenic good arsenic adjacent the river, wherever it is sunnier and wherever helium established the past pharmacy,” Pappagianopoulos says.

“He besides did not cod the herbs by himself,” adds Pappagiannopoulos. “He had his helpers, the Asclepiades (plural). They were locals who collected herbs and grinded them oregon boiled them, and past processed them.”

Today the “Asclepiades” are the section inhabitants who proceed the enactment of Asclepius by collecting and trading the herbs.

“The Asclepius pharmacy was discovered 120 years agone by archaeologist Panagiotis Kastriotis (1859-1931). Since 1975, we person celebrated the Asclepieia to grant the birthplace of Asclepius,” the retired teacher explains. “Asclepius prepared his therapeutical medicine present and successful a ritual mode carried the preparations to Trikki (Trikala), to the archetypal and astir salient Asclepieion, arsenic Strabo describes it.”

Trikki, the past sanction of Trikala, “is the archetypal and authoritative contender for the root of Asclepius. There are 130 places that assertion the origins of Asclepius,” helium continues. “All those assumptions, of course, don’t person the grounds to beryllium their claim. Here successful Pialeia, we don’t person the implicit impervious of our assertion either, but we person the certainty of the pharmacy discovered present astatine Palaeocastro. The pharmacy is an denotation that Asclepius lived present successful Pialeia.”

Birth of Asclepius

Apollo is chiefly known arsenic God of the Sun and Light, but helium is besides a deity of the arts, healing, music, and prophecy. Asclepius was calved of Apollo’s emotion for Coronis, a mortal pistillate of royal humor with whom Apollo fell successful emotion astatine archetypal sight. After they had consummated their passion, helium near a crow, whose feathers were achromatic astatine the time, to ticker implicit her.

Soon afterwards, encouraged by her begetter Phlegyas, king of the Lapiths, Coronis joined a mortal man, Ischys. The crow flew to Apollo to present the news, but helium became furious erstwhile helium heard of the quality and turned the bird’s plumage achromatic to punish it for not keeping Ischys distant from Coronis. From that constituent on, achromatic has symbolized the crow’s descendants.

Apollo was alert Coronis was carrying his kid and, successful a acceptable of rage, picked up his bow to punish her for her betrayal. As soon arsenic helium had released the arrow, helium regretted this, but it was excessively late, for an arrow fired by a deity ne'er misses the target.

Overcome with grief and remorse, Apollo ran to clasp the pistillate helium loved, and she died successful his arms. To atone for his guilt, helium laid her assemblage connected the ceremonial pyre, arsenic ritual required. However, erstwhile helium saw the fire, helium removed the baby, his lad Asclepius, from her womb to prevention him. Asclepius became the deity of medicine done his usage of herbs.

The herbs recovered connected Mount Koziakas person been utilized since past times. Credit: Greek Reporter

The herbs

Making our mode on the Path of Asclepius, Pappagiannopoulos pointed retired the astir fashionable of these, including a peculiar benignant of oregano known as tragorigani which 1 tin beryllium consumed arsenic a beverage to destruct intestinal worms.

Lathania, frankincense called due to the fact that of its oily leaves (“lathi” meaning “oil” successful Greek) is yet different herb with therapeutic properties. It produces flowers portion its stems are known for their pharmaceutical properties which boost bosom relation and humor circulation.

Thistle, a miracle-herb that improves liver function, tegument health, and the digestive and immune systems, has a purple caput that makes for an effectual medicinal beverage erstwhile boiled. One tin besides peel the stem and devour the softer portion connected the inside.

The herb taraxacum, a greenish chicory that tin beryllium utilized successful salads oregon boiled and enjoyed arsenic a portion respective times daily, is an fantabulous cardiotonic portion the fern is known arsenic a decorative works albeit toxic. Nonetheless, radical cautiously usage the fern successful specified doses, arsenic it contains galore therapeutic properties and is simply a laxative. It mostly thrives successful acheronian spots.

Moreover, melissohorto has some pharmaceutical benefits and aromatic qualities. It tin beryllium enjoyed arsenic a blistery beverage oregon successful salads. One spoon boiled has the quality to soothe the tummy and is bully for intestinal pain.

There are 1,200 medicinal and aromatic herbs connected Mount Koziakas successful Thessaly, utilized since the times of Asclepius. Credit: Greek Reporter

Pharmaceutical and aromatic herbs

The deity of medicine “chose this blessed spot due to the fact that of Mount Kerketion, a spot of biodiversity, afloat of trees and herbs, mostly herbs, some therapeutical and aromatic,” Papaggiannopoulos stated.

He explained that:

“Asclepius is simply a sanction known crossed the world. His sanction was deified. Asclepius was a existent idiosyncratic successful Ancient Greece. He lived betwixt 1200-1100 BCE. His 2 sons, Machaon and Podalirius, fought successful the Trojan War that took spot astir 1100, truthful Asclepius lived astir that clip and successful this place, and the impervious is successful the statement by his 2 sons arsenic written by Homer. The 2 men departed with triremes via Pineios River.”

“Centaur Chiron is different mythical fig that connects knowledge, wisdom, philosophy, medicine and this is not a coincidence,” helium added. “Pelion is the archetypal upland successful Greece that hosts a large magnitude of herbs, a large variety, arsenic important, I would say, with that of Mount Kerketion wherever we are lasting now. Asclepius lived on Chiron for galore years and erstwhile helium came of property helium returned to his birthplace. His mother, Coronis, had fallen successful emotion with Ischys, a noble young antheral from Trikki.”

The past Greek deity of medicine, Asclepius, collected medicinal herbs from Mount Kerketion, present Mount Koziakas. Credit: Greek Reporter

Ancient Pilaeia and the colony of Gorgogyri

The ruins of the past metropolis of Pialeia are situated successful the colony of Palaeokastro astatine an altitude of astir 400 meters (1,312 ft) supra the plain. The partition was dated to the 4th period BC. In excavations carried retired successful 1902, captious archaeological findings specified arsenic coins and inscriptions were recovered indicating that Pialeia was a captious past city-state.

Historically, Pialeia is besides referred to arsenic the homeland of Asclepius oregon the spot of his pharmacy, wherever helium processed the herbs helium collected connected Mount Kerketion (Koziakas). In the aforesaid area, adjacent the assemblage of Prodromos, determination are ruins of past fortifications.

Our 2 hosts lasting successful the entranceway to the Path of Asclepius that hosts 1,200 herbs, Credit: Greek Reporter

Gorgogyri is the colony of Trikala, wherever the Path of Asclepius starts off. It is simply a majestic, picturesque colony surrounded by greenery and a river, whose banks are besides utilized for recreational purposes, moving done it. According to legend, each night, fairies and nymphs stitchery and support the villagers company.

The Asclepius Path is simply a way among centuries-old level trees on the waters of the river, which flows from the bosom of Koziakas and passes done the village.