With children now firmly settled back in school, Cyherbia Herb Gardens and Maze has been giving schools, scout groups and clubs the opportunity to learn about plants in a fun, experimental way through its educational visits, as well as offering advice on how herbs can help us fend off the viruses that are around the corner as winter approaches.
Cyherbia park - in the Larnaca village of Avgorou - took 10 years to create by qualified herbalist Miranda Tringis, who wanted to make products with the island’s many abundant herbs - such as lavender and thyme. As she explains, it’s her passion for herbs and their immense benefits that drove her to share this knowledge with others, and thus Cyherbia was born: “We can regain our health and stay strong and free from illnesses if we would just incorporate herbs in our everyday diet. Very often a simple herbal tea taken every day can be all it takes to heal ailments such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, menstrual problems etc. Education is paramount to get healthy and stay healthy.”
The premises consist of a landscaped herb garden (with nine themed gardens), a woodland area (with local trees and shrubs), and the island’s only maze - which totals 2000 square metres. There is also a distillation room where visitors can watch (and smell!) how plant essences are extracted, and a tearoom that offers the opportunity to enjoy a herbal tea whilst gaining advice from Miranda on what to use for natural healing. The tearoom also doubles as a shop which sells the freshly prepared herbal products such as essential oils, soaps and teas, amongst others.
Since its inception, the gardens have grown in popularity and expanded to include public visits in 2012, events, cookery workshops and the educational visits. The visits - approved by the Ministry of Education - have been running for a year now in English and Greek and Miranda is pleased with their success: “The feedback we've had from teachers and children has been very positive. For many kids it was the first time they've ever been in a maze, and they really enjoy it. It is also encouraging to see children discover that herbal tea actually tastes very nice and is good for your health, which we hope will get the new generation opting for natural, healthy drinks and foods”.
The educational programme consists of various assignments where the children are given a clipboard with worksheets and sent out to discover herbs in a hands-on way. An herbal tea break follows and thereafter the children are faced with challenges in the Sanctuary Woodland and a treasure hunt in the maze.
Miranda has also given various talks on how to use herbs medicinally, including a talk on herbs for children’s healthcare that she gave to the Larnaca Parents Network earlier this year. And with children back at school and bringing home all sorts of bugs, Miranda has some good advice on how to deal with less serious illnesses naturally: “It is important to nip a cold in the bud before it becomes an infection. Give your child herbal tea at the very onset of a cold - elder and/or chamomile for sinus colds; peppermint, ginger or ironwort for a sore throat, and add local honey to sweeten. Let your child drink as many teas a day as possible. At bedtime, put a couple of drops of eucalyptus or rosemary essential oil in a burner in the child’s room to aid easy breathing.’’
Cyherbia is open Wednesday-Friday 9.30am-1.00pm and 10.00am-3pm on weekends. Admission is €5 euros for adults, €3 for children and under-fives are free. Contact Miranda Tringis for more details on 99915443, or email: miranda@cyherbia.com.
