We are not surprised by the fact that many plants growing in Crete have healing properties. In the pages of our site we have written many times about the unusual properties of malotiry, dictamus, purge or oregano. This time, we read that the scientists took another Cretan endemic plant under the microscope. Stamnagathi is a chicory variety growing in the wilderness of the Omalos plateau and the White Mountains. Currently, it is also grown by some garden farms.
The University of Sheffield and the Cretan Institute of Nutrition, which studied the properties of this wild plant, have come to interesting conclusions. One of the most important is that it lowers the level of glucose in the blood. Thanks to its hypoglycemic properties, it can be used to treat and prevent the development of diabetes. Researchers also noted the beneficial effects of this plant on human cognitive mechanisms such as memory or attention. Interestingly, this plant was an important part of the diet during the German occupation.
Researchers decided to use the health-related features of stamnagathi and to create a medicine based on it that contains all its properties. This pill, already known as Glucospin, has not yet been marketed due to the ongoing drug registration procedure. The Glucospin manufacturing company must comply with the international regulations governing the production of medicines, so a number of bureaucratic requirements are still met.
As we wrote above, this plant occurs mainly in the mountainous regions of Crete located above 1000 m above sea level. Due to the atmospheric conditions there, stamnagathi is therefore very resistant to low temperatures and snow. Its healing properties have been known since ancient times, for example, Aristophanes, Theophrastus and Dioscoridess.
A slightly bitter taste, which some people may disturb slightly, is rewarded by the valuable properties of this plant. Modern analysis of its composition shows the content of polyphenols, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and many other valuable micronutrients. Their occurrence has a direct impact on the stimulation of the immune system, antioxidant, disinfectant, prevention of rheumatism, heart disease. This plant also has properties that support digestion and also, as described above, has hypoglycaemic properties. Earlier studies conducted at the University of Lancaster also indicate that eating stamnagathi can reduce the negative effects of stress.
Stamnagathi is still a component of the modern diet of the Cretans. It is usually cooked with a little olive oil and lemon juice. It can be found in taverns where it appears as so-called. horta. It is worth remembering that under this name also other green edible plants are served. Depending on the time of year and the place where you order this dish, horta can be cooked on the basis of various plants.
Anyway, research, research and for the inhabitants of the island boiled stamnagathi leaves are, among others, a remedy for abdominal pain, kidneys or liver, as well as a condition for long life and well-being.
Since 2007, the name Feta is protected by international regulations and reserved exclusively for cheeses produced in specific regions of Greece using strictly defined ingredients based on the traditional method of production. Thanks to the regulations introduced in the EU, this name can no longer be used by producers from other EU countries producing "salted cheese in brine". Therefore, since then we can be sure that when buying feta we will reach for the original Greek product that will contain nothing but sheep's milk and possibly goat's, rennet and salt. In the composition of feta, we will not find preservatives or other "enriching" additives because the EU provisions clearly define the characteristics of feta. In addition, the Greeks themselves scrupulously and often control the companies that produce this cheese.
About how beneficial for health is the consumption of large amounts of olive oil on a daily basis and the use of the Mediterranean diet we have written many times. The latest research carried out this time by Spanish scientists from the University of Navarra in Pamplona again confirms these health properties.
During our culinary experiments and during the preparation of our everyday meals, we try to reach for unique products from Crete or Greece as often as possible. Many of them permanently fit into our menu and systematically reach our shopping lists. For some time, dried plums and black olives from the Greek company Atrapos have joined the group of this type of products. At the outset, it is worth emphasizing that both products are virtually in the permanent offer of the online store kreta24.pl.
Komentarze
komentarz z
niestety wszystko zmienia się na niekorzyść konsumenta, nawet na Krecie- stamnagathi w większości juz pochodzi z uprawy, a dzikorosnace to naprawde rzadkosc i rarytas. Poniewaz jest to droga "chorta" i uwazana za menu z wyzszej półki, dlatego tak chetnie sie ja uprawia w taki oto sposob, gdzie jak widac az roi się od materialow z plastiku i pewnie tez od nawozow sztucznych.... pozdrawiam :-)
komentarz z
Stamnagathi to cichorium spinosum, a cykoria podróżnik to cichorium intybus. Są prawie identyczne.
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