A protected herb used for spiceSourced
This wild herb is protected.
People still gather it for food.
Aromatic Thymbra spicata grows around the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia and can be used in zaatar spice blends. It is protected under Israeli law, yet local people have also been recorded gathering its leaves in spring for seasoning.
One plant sits between
conservation and food tradition.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Thymbra spicata · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01