Origanum dictamnus (dittany of Crete, Cretan dittany known in Greek as δίκταμο (díktamo, cf. "dittany") or in Cretan dialect "έρωντας" (erontas, "love").
Origanum dictamnus, the dittany of Crete,
It is a healing, therapeutic and aromatic plant that only grows wild on the mountainsides and gorges of Crete, Greece.
Dittany on the skin has healing and astringent properties, antioxidant and antimicrobial. Ideal in improving the appearance of scars fights pimples and improve the overall appearance and texture of oily skin, abrasions, insect bites and dry skin.
The ancient writers wrote the dittany that it was eaten the wild goats of Crete (Capra aegagrus) and the arrows they received fell immediately. Dittany herb is attributed many healing properties, so it is considered medicinal.
Symbolizes love and affection, since only the most ardent young lovers would climb the gorges of Crete in order to collect its flowers for their loved ones.
Easily recognised by the distinctive soft, woolly covering of white-grey hair on its stems and round green leaves, giving it a velvety texture. Tiny rose-pink flowers surrounded by brighter purple-pink bracts add an exuberant splash of colour to the plant in summer and autumn. The dittany is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plant Species 1997.
