Sideritis ** Greek/Turkish Mountain Tea

[Guest guest]

Hey Michele,

 

In the previous post .. you asked me:

 

> BTW…have you ever heard of a tea by the name of Flamorie'? I don't

> know the English word for it neither dose my hubby. It is a long

> light to medium green leaf (almost like a elongated bay but not

> thick) very thin leaf with little clusters of blossoms (almost like

> chamomile). The tea is a deep reddish brown when steeped.

 

Not by that name I don't. But talked a good bit with John Kercher (RIP)

about what I think it is a few years back. John was running an outfit

in Greece and buying a good bit of Turkish Oregano and other oils from

me .. they were experimenting on some products. He wanted an oil from

this plant .. John once wrote .. back in August 2000.

 

> Today, it is widely used in Greece as a specific traditional tea

> endowed with a number of beneficial properties. In addition to its

> pleasant taste, it has a distinguished aroma and yellow or brown

> color-yellow color.

>

> People drink it a lot and is known in traditional medicine as

> anti-inflammatory, anti-microbal and cytostatic agent. It is applied

> for curing bronchitis, bronc asthma, stenocardy, angina etc.

>

> The Greek Mountain Tea, (Sideritis L.) belongs to the genus Sideritis

> (Lamiaceae). Its scientific name is a derative of the Greek word

> sideros that means Iron. Sideritis is known in Greece from ancient

> times, when Dioskorides (AD first century) described it.

>

> The important role as traditional Greek tea has imposed the need of

> its cultivation to meet the market increased requirements, as the

> production from wild selfsown plantations was insufficient to cover

> the demand of it.

 

> Nowedays, Sideritis is cultivated in low fertility hilly and

> mountainous area over 1000 m altitude.

 

> Because of its importance for Greek people and interspecific hybrid by

> using indigenous species of Greek mountain tea was produced. From

> the hybrids 15 superior were selected on the basis of their yield and

> quality of the essential oils. The interspecific hybrids had higher

> fresh and dry weight, as well as essential oils than control. Also,

> they exceeded their parents in yield and fresh and dry weight as well

> as the inferior parent in essential oil content.

>

> Sideritis is sold in small bunches of about 200 grams each from which

> the flowery tops are taken and a tea (brew) made. On several Greek

> food list on Internet they offer, also in the USA, tins with the

> ground flower, mainly to the American Greek community. According to

> herbalist here it is sold for the taste in that manner, if you need

> the therapeutic working, you better buy a small bunch.

 

Then later I wrote back .. on his list:

 

I have maybe a kilos of Sideritis fronds/heads in the kitchen of my

office - the ladies here drink it from time to time. It only takes one

head to make a relatively strong cup of tea - and it's very aromatic.

 

And someone later replied:

> Thanks for this information! I too have been having quite a bout with

> allergies and asthma lately. I have been very congested, wheezing,

> and very tired feeling from not being able to breath well. I will have

> to get some of the honey and Sidirita!

> It is good to hear from someone who has tried it for these problems!

> Maybe there is some hope for us wheezers yet!

 

And I continued:

Sideritis is a genus of maybe 100 species of annuals. Needs long, hot

DRY, summers. It's commonly found in Greece and Turkey. It's used as a

herbal tea here in both countries. It's called Mountain Tea in Greece

and Mountain Tea here (Dag cayi.) We use instantly infuse the flowering

spikes or heads - as we do with sage. It's dipped for half a minute in

hot water and then removed - the longer it stays in the water, the more

bitter it will become. For this reason, it's sold in small bags whole -

never is it crushed and in bulk as we find Linden and other aromatic

plants here.

 

As John and I have discussed before, one of THE experts on Sideritis is

my good friend and a man who has the respect of scientists world-wide,

Professor Dr. K. Husnu Can Baser ... a grand researcher and gentleman he

is and one who has his own namesake Oregano - Origanum husnucan-baserii.

He has authored or co-authored a large number of papers on Sideritis-

here's just a few:

 

Composition of the Essential Oils of Sideritis germanicopolitana Bornm.,

N. Kyrymer, T. Özek, H. Tanryverdi, F. Koca, A. Kaya, K.H.C. Baser,

J.Essent. Oil Res., 4, 533-534 (1992).

 

Characterization of the Essential Oil of Sideritis dichotoma, N.

Kirimer, K.H.C. Baser, G. Tumen, E. Sezik, J. Ess ent. Oil Res., 4(6)

641-642 (1992).

 

The Essential Oil of Sideritis athoa Papanikolaou et Kokkini, T. Ozek,

K.H.C. Baser, G.Tumen, J. Essent. Oil Res., 5 (6) 669-670 (1993).

 

The Essential Oil of Sideritis hispida P.H. Davis , An Endemic Species

from Turkey, N. Kirimer, T. Ozek, K.H.C. Baser, G. Tumen, J. Essent. Oil

Res.. 6 (4) 435-436 (1994).

 

The Essential Oil of Sideritis amasiaca Bornm., G. Tumen, K.H.C. Baser,

N. Kirimer, N. Ermin, J.Essent. Oil Res. , 7, 699-700 (1995).

 

Effects of Extracts from Certain Sideritis species on Swimming

Performance in Mice, Y. Ozturk, S. Aydin, N. Ozturk, K.H.C. Baser,

Phytother. Res., 10, 70-73 (1996).

 

Ivestigation of Origanum onites, Sideritis congesta and Satureja

cuneifolia Essential Oils for Analgesic Activity, S. Aydin, Y. Ozturk,

R. Beis, K.H.C. Baser, Phytother. Res., 10, 342-344 (1996).

 

A New Kaurane Diterpene from Sideritis huber-morathii, K.H.C. Baser,

M.L. Bondi, M. Bruno, N. Kirimer, F. Piozzi, G.T umen, N. Vassallo,

Phytochemistry, 43 (6), 1293-1295 (1996).

 

The Essential Oil of Sideritis scardica Griseb. subsp. scardica, K.H.C.

Baser, N.Kirimer, G.Tumen, J.Essent. Oil Res., 9, 205-207 (1997)

 

Essential Oil Composition of three Labiatae endemic to Turkey

(Micromeria fruticosa (L.) Druce subsp. giresunica P.H. Davis.,

Sideritis lycia Boiss. et Heldr. and Sideritis arguta Boiss. et Heldr.)

K.H.C. Baser, N. Kirimer, T. Ozek, G. Tumen, F. Karaer, J.Essent. Oil

Res.

 

------------------

(BUTCH'S NOTE: The Micromeria fruticosa mentioned above is the THIRD

species of Pennyroyal. It's only found in Turkey ... ask 99.9% of the

experts what it is and they'll give you a humma-humma story, but we sell

one helluva lot of it as it's much lower in pulegone than the others.

 

And while we're on trivia, did y'all know that that area twixt the

Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers in Kentucky - now called the Land

Between the Lakes, was once called Mint Meadows because it was the main

source of acquisition of native American Pennyroyal for the Eastern

Indians. And that Pennyroyal was a sought-after item of trade ...

 

------------------

 

Composition of the Essential Oil of Sideritis condensata Boiss. et

Heldr., N. Kirimer, M. Kurkcuoglu, T. Ozek, K.H.C. Baser, Flav.Fragr. J

 

Composition of Essential Oils from Two New Sideritis Species, N.Kirimer,

H.Duman, N.Tabanca, K.H.C.Baser, Flavour Fragr. J.

 

Essential Oils of Annual Sideritis Species Growing in Turkey, N.

Kirimer, N. Tabanca, T. Ozek, G. Tumen, K.H.C. Baser, Pharmaceutical

Biology

 

And I'm gonna stop here - though there are many, many more I think I'm

starting to bore you .. :-(

 

In " The Essential Oils of Sideritis Species: A Review, " by N. Kirimer,

" M. Kurkcuoglu, K.H.C. Baser and G. Tumen, printed in the Flavours,

Fragrances and Essential Oils, Proceedings of the 13th International

Congress of Flavours, Fragrances and Essential Oils, held in Istanbul,

Turkey, 15-19 October 1995, AREP Publ., Istanbul, Ed. K.H.C.Baser, Vol.

1, 70 (1995), Professor Baser wrote (in part):

 

" Most of the Sideritis species growing in Turkey are used as herbal tea.

The genus is represented by 43 species and 50 taxa in Turkey. The

essential oils of these taxa have been screened by our group using GC

and GC/MS techniques. " He then presented some GCs in the briefing.

 

AND

 

" The dried flowering spikes of Sideritis species are also used as herbal

tea, as mentioned before, under the name adacayi (Island Tea) or dagcayi

(Mountain Tea), especially in the western and southeastern coastal

regions of Turkey. The tea is instantly prepared by dipping one spike

in a cup of hot water for 1/2 minute or so. Some find the taste of its

tea more palatable than that of sage. Our group has investigated the

essential oil composition of thirty-nine out of forty-three Sideritis

species of Turkey. During our investigations, two Sideritis species new

for science (S. akmanii and S. gulendamii) named after a Turkish plant

taxonomist - Professor Dr. Yildirim Akman and an essential oil

researcher Associate Professor Dr. (Ms.) Gulendam Tumen, respectively,

have been discovered. Furthermore, Sideritis scardica has been recorded

by our group as a new species for Turkey. Sideritis species are not

rich in essential oil. However, due to their pleasant smell and aroma,

several Sideritis species are used as herbal teas. The useful species

are locally known by their specific Turkish names (Table 3) (MY NOTE:

It lists them all - such as adacayi, cayota (tea herb), balbasi

(honeyhead), yaylacayi (pasture tea), etc.

 

In Table 4 (MY NOTE - SAME HERE) Sideritis species are classified

according to the main components in their essential oils as pinene-rich,

myrcene-rich or sesquiterpene-rich. " UNQUOTE

 

A bit of trivia: Professor Kurkcuoglu (a lady) is Professor Baser's

assistant ... Professor K. Husnu Can Baser is Dean of Pharmacy Faculty,

Anadolu University and Director, Medicinal and Aromatic Plant and Drug

Research Center, Eskisehir, Turkey. Professor Tumen works in Izmir at

the Ege University.

 

-------------------

 

John and I have discussed distillation of Sideritis and we know it's not

one to yield a lot of oil - it will be an expensive oil. I've been

trying to get some cooked for some time but it's not a high demand oil

so my good cooks weren't making it. Today, I spoke with a distiller of

superior talent and questionable ethics about this oil. He assured me

he had access to two tons of the plants and he expected he could get 6-7

kilos of oil per ton. I told him to cook it and send the entire yield

to me. When it arrives, I will personally dip the sample that I'll send

to Professor Baser for testing. This is my routine even when dealing

with distillers who have unquestionable ethics because even honest folks

make mistakes ... well, except for me ... ;-) and their workers could

send a barrel from a different batch from that I had tested - so I get

the whole danged barrel. I don't pay until it passes and they accept

this - don't like it but they accept it.

 

So ... who knows what is coming down the road? We'll see - it'll all

depend on the test and if Professor Baser says it's good, you can bet

your bippy it's good ..... ;-)

 

NOTE: The above was old info .. we never got to distilling the oil.

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com