A workshop on medicinal plants delighted the young nature guards of the Krka National Park by introducing them to the characteristic wild plants of our homeland and their medicinal properties
A workshop on medicinal plants delighted the young nature guards of the Krka National Park by introducing them to the characteristic wild plants of our homeland and their medicinal properties.
The benefits of wild medicinal herbs have been known since ancient times. The Dalmatian karst region is known for its diversity of plant species whose medicinal properties are true allies of human health. In order to make the most of their benefits, we need to know these medicinal herbs well and also how to use them. We need to know when to harvest them, how to dry them, which types are prepared as tea, and which ones are suitable for making essential oils, macerates, creams, balms, etc. Medicinal herbs have a wide range of applications: they are used in cooking, cosmetics, for pharmacy use, and for the household.
Due to their active compounds and therapeutic properties, wild medicinal herbs are an indispensable part of every home, so that both the internal and external use of medicinal herbs is widespread.
The young nature guardians learned to recognize the characteristic wild plants of our region: sage, rosemary, lavender, mint, thyme, immortelle, yarrow, St. John's wort, marigold, pomegranate, and others. They were further introduced to terms such as cold-pressed vegetable oil, hydrosol, tincture, oil macerate, salve, St. John's wort oil, essential oil, distillation, water bath, etc.
After the theoretical part, it was time to get to work. The Junior Rangers were given the necessary materials and a recipe according to which they were to prepare their own balm. The skill they had to master was the precise measurement of ingredients and adjusting the scale for measurement of a container. They were particularly interested in the basic ingredients, which they carefully prepared for further heating in a steam bath by separating and precisely weighing them. The prepared homogeneous mixture, to which they added the intoxicating essential oils by stirring, was then carefully poured into small containers. The result was a perfect homemade balm.
They then dedicated themselves to making macerates, or steeping fresh herbs in a base of cold-pressed oil. To make their macerates, they could choose between St. John's wort, immortelle, and yarrow. Over a period of forty days, the medicinal and aromatic ingredients of the plant will be transformed into a basic oil, which as a medicinal preparation has an extremely beneficial effect on the skin. Finally, the young nature guardians, the Junior Rangers of the Krka National Park, made labels for their homemade products.
We believe that getting to know the local wild plants will encourage some of these young nature conservationists to learn more about the medicinal properties of these miraculous plants, and that among them there may be those who would make local medicinal preparations and natural cosmetics in the future.