Asclepius Pharmacy: The Land Where Ancient Greek Healing Herbs Continue to Grow
The pharmacy of Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, was located next to a mountain where medicinal herbs still used to this day continue to grow.
Locals are convinced that Pialeia in Thessaly was the birthplace of Asclepius, the mortal son of Apollo and say there is evidence to support this, namely the very remains of the pharmacy of Asclepius.
Koziakas, the mountain looming over Pialeia, also provides such evidence. In ancient times, it was known as Mount Kerketion, allegedly named after Asclepius’ helper, Kerketis.
According to Dimitris Pappagianopoulos, a retired teacher who has lived his entire life in the area, Asclepius chose to live in Pialeia because of the plethora of Mount Kerketion’s medicinal herbs as well as the surrounding enchanting landscape.
In fact, the herbs Asclepius used in his time can still be found on the mountain, and locals have relied on them since ancient times. In the nearby village of Gorgogyri, one can even find the popular Path of Asclepius.
Spiros Govinas, a resident of the village, speaks of the famous path:
“It was named the Path of Asclepius in honor of Asclepius. We don’t have evidence that [he] actually walked this path with his helper Kerketis. This is why the ancients named the mountain after him, Mount Kerketion. This is a story my grandfather used to tell me.”
“About twenty to twenty-five years ago, the mayor named it the Path of Asclepius, since it is full of herbs that the ancients used,” he added.
Mount Kerketion (now Koziakas) hosts 1,200 species of flora, mostly aromatic and therapeutic herbs, many of which Asclepius is said to have used. Nowadays, locals continue to collect them for personal use, to give as gifts, or to sell, Pappagianopoulos reveals.
Asclepius and his herbs
The retired teacher tells Greek Reporter that it was here where Asclepius was born and that evidence of this may be found at Palαeokastro, the site of Asclepius’ ancient pharmacy on a hill and the acropolis of Pialeia.
“Asclepius did not collect herbs only at that spot; he did so along the entirety of Mount Kerketion as well as near the river, where it is sunnier and where he established the ancient pharmacy,” Pappagianopoulos says.
“He also did not collect the herbs by himself,” adds Pappagiannopoulos. “He had his helpers, the Asclepiades (plural). They were locals who collected herbs and grinded them or boiled them, and then processed them.”
Today the “Asclepiades” are the local inhabitants who continue the work of Asclepius by collecting and trading the herbs.
“The Asclepius pharmacy was discovered 120 years ago by archaeologist Panagiotis Kastriotis (1859-1931). Since 1975, we have celebrated the Asclepieia to honor the birthplace of Asclepius,” the retired teacher explains. “Asclepius prepared his therapeutical medicine here and in a ritual manner carried the preparations to Trikki (Trikala), to the first and most prominent Asclepieion, as Strabo describes it.”
Trikki, the ancient name of Trikala, “is the first and official contender for the origin of Asclepius. There are 130 places that claim the origins of Asclepius,” he continues. “All those assumptions, of course, don’t have the evidence to prove their claim. Here in Pialeia, we don’t have the absolute proof of our claim either, but we have the certainty of the pharmacy discovered here at Palaeocastro. The pharmacy is an indication that Asclepius lived here in Pialeia.”
Birth of Asclepius
Apollo is primarily known as God of the Sun and Light, but he is also a deity of the arts, healing, music, and prophecy. Asclepius was born of Apollo’s love for Coronis, a mortal woman of royal blood with whom Apollo fell in love at first sight. After they had consummated their passion, he left a crow, whose feathers were white at the time, to watch over her.
Soon afterwards, encouraged by her father Phlegyas, king of the Lapiths, Coronis married a mortal man, Ischys. The crow flew to Apollo to deliver the news, but he became furious when he heard of the news and turned the bird’s plumage black to punish it for not keeping Ischys away from Coronis. From that point on, black has symbolized the crow’s descendants.
Apollo was aware Coronis was carrying his child and, in a fit of rage, picked up his bow to punish her for her betrayal. As soon as he had released the arrow, he regretted this, but it was too late, for an arrow fired by a god never misses the target.
Overcome with grief and remorse, Apollo ran to embrace the woman he loved, and she died in his arms. To atone for his guilt, he laid her body on the funeral pyre, as ritual required. However, when he saw the fire, he removed the baby, his son Asclepius, from her womb to save him. Asclepius became the god of medicine through his use of herbs.
The herbs
Making our way along the Path of Asclepius, Pappagiannopoulos pointed out the most popular of these, including a special type of oregano known as tragorigani which one can be consumed as a tea to destroy intestinal worms.
Lathania, thus called because of its oily leaves (“lathi” meaning “oil” in Greek) is yet another herb with therapeutic properties. It produces flowers while its stems are known for their pharmaceutical properties which boost heart function and blood circulation.
Thistle, a miracle-herb that improves liver function, skin health, and the digestive and immune systems, has a purple head that makes for an effective medicinal beverage when boiled. One can also peel the stem and consume the softer part on the inside.
The herb taraxacum, a green chicory that can be used in salads or boiled and enjoyed as a drink several times daily, is an excellent cardiotonic while the fern is known as a decorative plant albeit toxic. Nonetheless, people cautiously use the fern in specified doses, as it contains numerous therapeutic properties and is a laxative. It mostly thrives in dark spots.
Moreover, melissohorto has both pharmaceutical benefits and aromatic qualities. It can be enjoyed as a hot beverage or in salads. One teaspoon boiled has the ability to soothe the stomach and is good for intestinal pain.
Pharmaceutical and aromatic herbs
The god of medicine “chose this blessed place because of Mount Kerketion, a place of biodiversity, full of trees and herbs, mostly herbs, both therapeutical and aromatic,” Papaggiannopoulos stated.
He explained that:
“Asclepius is a name known across the world. His name was deified. Asclepius was a real person in Ancient Greece. He lived between 1200-1100 BCE. His two sons, Machaon and Podalirius, fought in the Trojan War that took place around 1100, so Asclepius lived around that time and in this place, and the proof is in the description by his two sons as written by Homer. The two men departed with triremes via Pineios River.”
“Centaur Chiron is another mythical figure that connects knowledge, wisdom, philosophy, medicine and this is not a coincidence,” he added. “Pelion is the first mountain in Greece that hosts a great amount of herbs, a great variety, equally important, I would say, with that of Mount Kerketion where we are standing now. Asclepius lived along Chiron for many years and when he came of age he returned to his birthplace. His mother, Coronis, had fallen in love with Ischys, a noble young man from Trikki.”
Ancient Pilaeia and the village of Gorgogyri
The ruins of the ancient city of Pialeia are situated in the village of Palaeokastro at an altitude of about 400 meters (1,312 ft) above the plain. The wall was dated to the 4th century BC. In excavations carried out in 1902, critical archaeological findings such as coins and inscriptions were found indicating that Pialeia was a vital ancient city-state.
Historically, Pialeia is also referred to as the homeland of Asclepius or the place of his pharmacy, where he processed the herbs he collected on Mount Kerketion (Koziakas). In the same area, near the community of Prodromos, there are ruins of ancient fortifications.
Gorgogyri is the village of Trikala, where the Path of Asclepius starts off. It is a majestic, picturesque village surrounded by greenery and a river, whose banks are also used for recreational purposes, running through it. According to legend, every night, fairies and nymphs gather and keep the villagers company.
The Asclepius Path is a trail among centuries-old plane trees along the waters of the river, which flows from the heart of Koziakas and passes through the village.
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