Origanum dictamnus
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”
Thoreau, H. D., ‘Walden’ (1854)
Velvet silver leaves. They inebriate minds with their stories and myths.
That’s the magic surrounding and pervading Origanum dictamnus.
Known as ‘Cretan dittany’ or ‘dittany of Crete’, its Latin epithet ‘dictamnus’ seems to refer to Dickti, a greek mountain where the greek god, Zeus was born, or to Diktynna,a Minoan goodness who gave the plants her name.
It is a small perennial bush growing in the beautiful and wild island of Crete. It grows undisturbed on those insidious mountains. For locals, nowadays it is considered a panacea for all diseases: for hypertension, for aches and pains, for wounds, coughs, and, first of all, for the incurable pain caused by Love. For centuries swarms of youngs in love and newlyweds adventured to search for such a beauty in blossom. Those who found and brought it as a gift for the future wife will have a happy and beautiful life together.
Maybe we have to consider ourselves as seekers, just like men before us. Seekers of beauties and rarities granted by nature never asking anything in return.
We could consider ourselves as men seeking with dedication and courage in our hearts …the same abilities of those seekers of Love. Every time we will succeed and relieve our thirst and need of knowledge, we will partially cure pains of our hearts and souls.
Diego Parolo, Geel Floricultura