With their colours, shapes, and above all their essential scents, the medicinal plants have a beneficial effect on human health and provide protection from cold winds and solar radiation.
The island’s vegetation is lush all year, and the plants greatly affect the quality of aerosols and microclimate. In fact, staying in dense coniferous forests if suffering from lung diseases has been strongly recommended since the ancient times. The beneficial effect of the pine-tree on the respiratory system has even been scientifically proven.
Since the time of Babylon and Egypt, pine-tree essential oil has been used for the treatment of lung diseases. The oil is produced from fresh shoots of pine needles by means of water distillation, and its most important ingredients are monocyclic monoterpenes and bicyclic monoterpenes, most notably camphor. Also, back in the 1st century, Pliny the Elder described the healing properties of pine-trees in his book “Naturalis Historia”.
Apart from pines, the footpaths of Lošinj are shrouded by tamarisk, an evergreen tree with light green needles and reddish bark whose juice soothes cough.
There are two protected park-forests on Lošinj – Pod Javori (39 ha) in Veli Lošinj and Čikat (236 ha) in Mali Lošinj, which maintain their appeal thanks to the systemic forestation in the 19th century. Their effect on the local climate is manifold – they emit large amounts of oxygen, prevent soil erosion, add fragrance to the aerosol, protect the footpaths by the sea from excessive solar radiation and winds, and retain a layer of water below the soil surface.
An aesthetically pleasing stroll along the sea is further complemented by the dense dark green pine-trees that crown the promenade in contrast with the blue sea.
Also, thanks to its rich maritime tradition and famous local captains who were highly respected around the world and who brought exotic plants from their voyages and planted them in their gardens, today Lošinj abounds in agave, palm trees, Indian fig trees, magnolias, Mexican cacti, lemon, Japanese medlar, oranges and tangerines, redwood, eucalyptus, bougainvillea, and many other exotic plant species.
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