Botany
South Europe is the home of the cistus incanus bush which has a pink-red blossom. Its aromatic and resinous scent lies over the typical macchia countryside with its low and dense expanses of bushes at harvesting time in the spring. Here, in one of the sunniest regions of Europe, the bush which loves heat and light prefers to grow on ground which is uncultivated and rich in magnesium. As a true survival expert, the grey-haired Cistus – or Rockrose - with its fireproof roots, ensures quick rejuvenation after the forest fires which frequently rage in the macchia: a very resistant early settler, robust and energetic, with high ecological significance.

History
The use of cistus incanus can be traced back to the 4th century B.C. In the form of laboriously gained resin – so-called ladanum – the plant was brought to Egypt and the Sudan. There it developed quickly into a popular cure against bacteria and fungi. Since this time, the grey-haired cistus has also been used as a tea to be drunk for pleasure and relaxation. From today’s point of view the method of gaining resin at that time causes some amusement. The shepherds drove their goats through the cistus thicket so that the sticky substance of the plant remained in their hair. Subsequently, the sticky coats were shorn off the animals and boiled in water. The valuable resin then remained on the surface of the water. The Christian churches still know resin from cistus incanus today as an important component of incense. The aromatic plant made international headlines in the year 1999: an  expert jury awarded cistus incanus ssp. tauricus the title "European plant 1999".

Cistus incanus in Greece
The grey-haired cistus played a central role in Greece until the 1960’s: in summer and winter alike, the bitter tea was for breakfast and indeed right through the day until the evening meal. It was held in high regard as a thirst quencher and as a drink for relaxing after a strenuous day. When guests came it was natural to offer them a freshly boiled pot of tea made of cistus incanus. Dr. Georgios Pandalis remembers his childhood in Greece over a glass of Cystus® tea. At that time he was sent by his grandmother to harvest the tea herbs which she needed as a midwife for washing young mothers who had just given birth. Today cistus incanus has largely been replaced by more "fashionable“ drinks.
The sun-soaked leaves are collected in spring and summer and laid in the shade. Here the fresh sea  breezes waft over the scented harvest and ensure a gentle drying process.

Polymorphism

Pink Rockrose, the Cistus plant, is a change artist. Plants, which completely look identical, vary in their biochemical structure exceedingly, that is, they possibly have quite different attributes. In this context, location is very important. Institute of Phytogeography, University of Hannover, has got the following explanation: Under the influence of climate and soil Pink Rockrose has developed in polymorphic ways over the course of evolution. In doing so it passed through the process of adaptive radiation, which is the reason for their morphologic and biochemic diversity. Pink Rockrose is a world champion of polymorphism, its morphologic variability is significant, which is expressed in its complex taxonomic naming in literature. Furthermore, numerous eco-species of this sort are differentiated in biochemic variations.