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Helichrysum Essential Oil comes from a natural medicinal plant that’s used to make a beneficial essential oil that boasts many different full-body benefits due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial properties. (1)

Helichrysum essential oil, typically from the Helichrysum italicum plant, has been established in various experimental studies to have strong abilities to lower inflammation due to several mechanisms: inflammatory enzyme inhibition, free radical scavenging activity and corticoid-like effects. (2)

Some sources report that helichrysum flowers were dried and offered to the Greek gods. Today, it continues to play an important role in the traditional medicine of Mediterranean countries, although its popularity is also spreading around the rest of the world quickly.

What Is Helichrysum Essential Oil?

Helichrysum is a member of the Asteraceae plant family and is native to the Mediterranean region, where it’s been used for its medicinal properties for thousands of years, especially in countries like Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (3)

In order to validate some of the traditional uses of Helichrysum italicum extract and to highlight its other potential applications, numerous several scientific studies have been conducted in the last several decades. The focus of many studies has been to identify just how helichrysum oil acts as a natural antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent.

Modern science now confirms what traditional populations have known for centuries: Helichrysum essential oil contains special properties that make it an antioxidant, an antibacterial, an antifungal and an anti-inflammatory. As such, it can be used in dozens of different ways to boost health and ward off disease. Some of its most popular uses are for treating wounds, infections, digestive problems, supporting the nervous system and heart health, and healing respiratory conditions.

Traditional Helichrysum Essential Oil Benefits

Helichrysum oil comes the Helichrysum italicum plant, which is considered a medicinal plant with many promising pharmacological activities because it operates as a natural antibiotic, antifungal and antimicrobial. The helichrysum italicum plant is also commonly referred to by other names, such as curry plant, immortelle or Italian strawflower.

In traditional Mediterranean medicine practices that have been using helichrysum oil for centuries, its flowers and leaves are the most useful parts of the plant. They are prepared in different ways to treat conditions, including: (4)

• Allergies
• Acne
• Colds
• Cough
• Skin inflammation
• Wound healing
• Constipation
• Indigestion and acid reflux
• Liver diseases
• Gallbladder disorders
• Inflammation of the muscles and joints
• Infections
• Candida
• Insomnia
• Stomachaches
• Bloating

Some websites also recommend helichrysum oil for tinnitus, but this use is not currently backed up by any scientific studies nor does it appear to be a traditional use. While most of its traditionally claimed applications are not yet scientifically proven, research continues to develop and shows promise that this oil will be useful for healing many different conditions without the need for medications that can cause unwanted side effects.

In recent years, researchers have actively been studying the different pharmacological activities of Helichrysum italicum extract to discover more about the science behind its traditional uses, toxicity, drug interactions and safety. As more information is uncovered, pharmacological experts predict that helichyrsum will become an important tool in the treatment of several diseases.

How exactly does helicrysum do so much for the human body? According to studies done so far, scientists believe that part of the reason is the strong antioxidant properties — especially in the form of acetophenones and phloroglucinols — present within helichrysum oil.

In particular, helichrysum plants of the Asteraceae family are prolific producers of a host of different metabolites, including pyrones, triterpenoids and sesquiterpenes, in addition to its flavonoids, acetophenones and phloroglucinol.

Helichyrsum’s protective properties are expressed partly like a corticoid-like steroid, helping lower inflammation by inhibiting action in different pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism. Researchers from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Naples in Italy also found that due to ethanolic compounds present in the extract of helichrysum flowers, it elicits antispasmodic actions inside of an inflamed digestive system, helping reduce the gut from swelling, cramping and digestive pain.