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Dr. Elena Voss, PhD

Medical Herbalist · Ethnopharmacologist · NIMH Member

Specialising in Mediterranean medicinal plants with 15 years of field research across Greece, Cyprus, and southern Italy. Bridging traditional phytotherapy knowledge with contemporary clinical evidence.

34Peer-Reviewed Papers
12Monographs Authored
15Years of Research
PhDUniversity of Athens
NIMHMember Since 2014

About

Dr. Elena Voss is a practising medical herbalist and academic researcher based in Berlin, Germany. Her work focuses on the intersection of traditional Mediterranean herbal medicine and modern phytotherapy, with particular emphasis on the Cistaceae family and polyphenol-rich botanicals.

She holds a PhD in Ethnopharmacology from the University of Athens (2011), where her doctoral thesis examined the antimicrobial properties of Cistus species used in traditional Greek mountain medicine. Following her doctorate, she completed clinical training at the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH)in the United Kingdom, earning her membership in 2014.

Since 2016, Dr. Voss has maintained a private clinical practice in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, where she integrates evidence-based herbal medicine with conventional healthcare referrals. She is fluent in German, Greek, English, and Italian, and has conducted extensive fieldwork documenting traditional herbal practices in remote Greek villages.

Qualifications & Affiliations

  • 2011 PhD Ethnopharmacology, University of Athens, Greece
  • 2014 Member, National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), UK
  • 2015 Diploma in Clinical Herbal Medicine, Scottish School of Herbal Medicine
  • 2018 Editorial Board, Journal of Herbal Medicine
  • 2020 Visiting Researcher, Institute of Traditional Medicine, University of Ioannina
  • 2023 Fellow, European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP)

Selected Publications

  • Polyphenolic composition and antimicrobial activity of Cistus incanus L. extracts from wild and cultivated populations
    Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · 2021 · 69(14):4123-4135
  • Traditional use of Cistaceae species in Greek mountain communities: an ethnobotanical survey
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology · 2019 · 238:111-120
  • Comparative analysis of labdane diterpene content in Cistus creticus and C. ladanifer: implications for standardisation
    Phytochemistry · 2018 · 152:89-97
  • Sustainable harvesting practices for wild Cistus populations in the Peloponnese: a five-year monitoring study
    Economic Botany · 2020 · 74(3):245-258
  • Herbal medicine in contemporary Greek primary care: patient attitudes and practitioner integration
    Complementary Therapies in Medicine · 2022 · 68:102-110

Monographs & Articles

Cistus incanus (Rockrose) — The Complete MonographJul 2026 · 18 minCistus creticus — The Cretan CousinJun 2026 · 14 minUnderstanding Polyphenol Bioavailability in Herbal MedicineMay 2026 · 11 minSustainable Sourcing of Mediterranean Medicinal PlantsApr 2026 · 9 minLabdanum Resin: From Ancient Perfumery to Modern PhytotherapyMar 2026 · 16 minThe Pharmacopoeia of the Greek Mountains: A Field StudyFeb 2026 · 22 minComparing Extraction Methods for Polyphenol-Rich HerbsJan 2026 · 13 minThymus vulgaris — Common Thyme MonographDec 2025 · 10 min