The ancient use of this plant was an insecticide, insect repellent, and pediculicide (lice eradicator). Extracts of plant have been used as a fragrance in soaps and perfumes, and to flavor liqueurs, sauces, puddings, and candies.

The plant has been used in herbal medicine for the treatment of sore throats, colds, hoarseness, and as an expectorant. Some herbalists also believe that hyssop has beneficial effects for asthma, urinary tract inflammation, and appetite stimulation. Its effectiveness in relieving gas and colic also are listed under its medicinal uses. None of these uses have been studied clinically.

Although an extract of the leaves has been suggested for the treatment of wounds, there does not appear to be strong evidence for its effectiveness as an antibacterial.

Still used today by herbalists for its beneficial effects, hyssop's volatile oil represents the most important fraction of this plant. It may have some small beneficial effect in the treatment of sore throats and as an expectorant. However, clinical studies are lacking for any medicinal use of hyssop.

Τhe plant contains the chemicals thujone and phenol, to which antiseptic properties are attributed.  High concentrations of thujone and chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system can cause epileptic reactions when taken at quite high doses.

The decoction of flesh also helps women with menstrual problems. Tea can help a woman with an irregular cycle return to her normal cycle. Also, hypos may help to reduce some symptoms of menstruation.

For a region that takes its name from the sea it surrounds, the Mediterranean is surprisingly hilly. It includes high mountains and rocky shores, thick scrub and semi-arid steppes, coastal wetlands and sandy beaches as well as a myriad of islands dotted across the sea.

Man has left its mark across much of the landscape. The Mediterranean scrub, with its many flowers and aromatic plants, is a direct result of centuries of human activities (livestock grazing, cultivation forest fires and clearances). This scrub has evolved into a complex and intricate mobile patchwork of habitats, home to an exceptionally rich biodiversity.

At least during the warmer months, evapotranspiration is limited by the availability of water, as solar radiation is abundant and water scarce. A good knowledge of soil moisture is thus very important because it determines the availability of water for evapotranspiration. At the same time, vegetation is well adapted to this situation, with strategies to obtain water from deeper soil layers (long roots) along with strategies to better tolerate water stress.
With climate change, an increase in temperature, in the length of the summer dry period and in its extension is expected. This will exacerbate the impacts of drought, as a very dry soil stimulates the sensible heat flux, which can interact with the atmosphere, intensifying heat waves. The vegetation will be water stressed for longer periods too.
_{(source:https://books.openedition.org/irdeditions/23157)}

 

In addition, Zea is two times richer in protein and features a high content of the amino acid lysine and vitamins A, B, C and E. Lysine is that particular component of proteins that increases their digestibility, boosts the immune system and it’s a key element for the brain’s biochemical functioning.

Another key advantage of Zea is its high content in magnesium, up to 40% higher in comparison with other cereals. Zea is also very low in gluten, a fact that makes it highly digestible.

_{(source:http://www.mylittlegreekfoodbook.com/zea-the-emmer-wheat/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmer)}

The Greek word fáva (φάβα) does not refer to broad beans, but to the yellow split pea and also to another legume, known as Lathyrus sativus. Broad beans are known instead as koukiá (Greek: κουκιά), and are eaten in a stew combined with artichokes, while they are still fresh in their pods. Dried broad beans are eaten boiled, sometimes combined with garlic sauce (skordalia). In Crete, fresh broad beans are shelled and eaten as a companion to tsikoudia, the local alcoholic drink. Favism is quite common in Greece because of malaria endemicity in previous centuries, and people afflicted by it do not eat broad beans.

_{(source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba,https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9A%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BA%CE%B9%CE%AC)}

Forest vegetation reflects the climate and topography of the country as well as the soil condition, which is generally quite poor. The influence of man, active in the area for more than three thousand years, is also reflected in the distribution and usually degraded condition of the forests. Drought-resistant evergreen broadleaved species (Quercus ilex, Laurus nobilis, Ceratonia siliqua, Olea europaea, Arbutus spp., Cistus spp., Erica spp., Pistacia spp. etc.), mostly forming shrublands, and pine trees (Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia, Pinus pinea, etc.) occupy the lower elevations in the country (up to 300 m above sea level in northern Greece and 800 m in the south). Next, there is a zone of deciduous broadleaved species (Quercus spp., Fagus orientalis, Castanea vesca, etc.) and conifers (Pinus nigra, Pinus maritima, Cupressus sempervirens, Abies cephalonica, etc.) that reaches 900 m in the north and 1 200 m in the south. At higher elevations, up to 1 800 m, vegetation includes cold-tolerant broadleaved tree species (such as Fagus silvatica, Fagus moesiaca, Quercus sessiliflora, Quercus pedunculata, Populus tremula, Betula pendula, Fraxinus excelsior, Acer spp., etc.) and conifers (Pinus nigra, Pinus silvestris, Abies alba, etc.). Finally, at elevations up to 2 200 m, vegetation mostly includes cold tolerant conifers and a few broadleaved species (Picea excelsa, Abies alba, Pinus peuce, Pinus silvestris, Pinus heldreichii, Populus tremula, Sorbus aucuparia).

Forest flammability is generally high. The most flammable types are the pine forests (Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia) and the shrublands at the lower elevations, by the sea, in the middle and southern part of the country. This vegetation is also adapted to fire either through cone serotiny (pines) or re-sprouting (shrubs).

 Since the beginning of the new millennium, the Mediterranean region has been fighting a new phenomenon called megafires. Extreme weather conditions help create firestorms raging with such ferocity and spreading so quickly that they become uncontrollable. They only end with changing weather conditions or when they run out of fuel. Especially in the wildland-urban interface, which has significantly increased due to urban sprawl, these megafires cause serious damage and even loss of human lives. Megafires can also occur in an average forest fire year. In 2009 for example, the area affected by forest fires was not particularly large either in Greece or in Italy.
 In Greece, forest fires in Athens’ surroundings during the secondhalf of August were responsible for aroundhalf of the country’s forest cover losses in 2009.
 Climate change further exacerbates the risk of forest fires in the Mediterranean region. Expected effects include longer drought periods during the summer and also the occurrence of droughts at other times of the year. This will considerably extend the wildfire season on the Iberian Peninsula and in northern Italy. In the southern Mediterranean region, wildfire risk will remain high year-round. With a global warming of 2 °C by 2050, the wildfire season in Spain will extend by two to four weeks. Even today, climate conditions in the Mediterranean region – long summers with practically no rain and with average temperatures far above 30 °C – dry the litter layer to lower than 5 % humidity, making one spark sufficient to ignite a huge conflagration.  Climate change also increasingly triggers extreme weather conditions such as long hot spells with low humidity and strong winds, which permitted the fires in Greece in 2007 to assume devastating proportions. The incidence of sudden storms with strong rains reaching average annual rainfall levels within hours may also increase. Strong rains wash the unprotected soil off burned surfaces, and soil erosion further leads to desertification. Even today, 300,000km2 are affected by desertification, jeopardizing the livelihoods of 16.5 million people.

https://www.wwf.de/fileadmin/fm-wwf/Publikationen-PDF/WWF-Study-Forests-Ablaze.pdf

Legally : Internationally, this species is included in three legal documents: Appendix I of the Bern Convention, Annexes II and IV of the 92/43 EC Directive, where it is listed as a priority species and the Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981 “about the protection of the native flora and fauna…” (Greek Off.J. F.E.K.A’ 23/30.1.1981, corrected by F.E.K.A’ 43/18.2.1981). The islet populations enjoy indirect protection as they fall within the Natura 2000 site GR4340001 ‘Imeri kai Agria Gramvousa - Tigani kai Falasarna - Pontikonisi, Ormos Livadi - Viglia’.

In situ : A plant microreserve of 4.4 ha for a large part of one of the two subpopulations of the species (in the northern part of the islet of Agria Gramvousa) has already been established in the framework of the Cretaplant project (LIFE04NAT_GR_000104, 2004-2007). The area of the Microreserve is designated as a Wildlife Refuge and is protected by Greek Law. Moreover, the setting up of microreserves ensures long-term monitoring activities on the local plant population and the effective protection of its habitat. Furthermore, the project itself improves the awareness of local people, land-owners and users on the importance of nature conservation.

Ex situ: Seeds are stored in the seed bank of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania in Crete and in the Seed Bank of the Faculty of Biology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Few individuals are also cultivated in the botanical garden of the Institute of Chania.


What conservation actions are needed ?

Given the high number of endemic plants which occur on Agria Gramvousa, a management plan should be put in place to prevent the introduction of alien invasive plants. In fact, special attention should be given to the demographic trend of the local goat population, which might threaten the precious botanic heritage of the islet by disrupting the natural balance of local vegetation. Seeds of A. glaberrima should also be stored in other seed banks and plant cultivation should be carried out in several botanical gardens.

Legally: The species is not included in any international convention nor protected by any national law and the subpopulations do not fall within any Natura 2000 site.

In situ: There are no current measures in place.

Ex situ: Cultivation from seeds and attempts to transplant this species from the wild into the Botanical Garden of the University of Patras (Greece) have both failed.

Given that to date ex situ conservation efforts have been unsuccessful, the best option to conserve this species appears to be the enhancement of extensive and sustainable agricultural practices. Since the species seems to avoid either undisturbed or too disturbed habitats, maintaining a patchwork of old fields and moderately grazed surfaces could provide suitable habitats for the survival and spread of the remnant subpopulations.

_{(source:https://top50.iucn-mpsg.org/species/44)}