J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild 21 MATERIA MEDICA MATERIA Immortelle Essential Oil and Extract: Are Two Preparations Better than One? Dorene Petersen, RH (AHG) he plant commonly called is also a popular and highly effective essential Dorene Petersen is the “immortelle” has another, oil—especially when used for its antibacterial, Founder, President, CEO, and Principal of the American more historic and enchanting anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. College of Healthcare 1 name: helichrysum . The Combining both the essential oil and herbal Sciences (ACHS). She is a word “helichrysum” draws its extracts provides an even more powerful and Registered Herbalist with roots from the Greek helios, effective remedy, and this is primarily what this AHG with over 35 years’ T meaning “sun,” and chryos, article about the healing “sun gold” plant will clinical teaching and lecturing meaning “gold.” So the “sun gold” plant was address. experience in aromatherapy, herbal medicine, and other named for its vibrant golden flower, but also holistic health subjects. She because the ball-shaped blossoms do not wither. Botanical Sources for Immortelle has presented papers on First-century Roman naturalist Pliny the Several varieties of Helichrysum spp. are essential oils and clinical Elder said the small golden flower was used for commercially available. Some estimate as many as aromatherapy at the crowning the gods: 600 species worldwide, with more than 20 of those International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma It has small white branches, with leaves of a species native to the Mediterranean area (eight of Trades Annual Conference whitish colour, and the flowers, which grow in these species belong to the Italian flora)(Pignatti (IFEAT) in Rome; the Aroma clusters, glisten like the gold in the rays of the 1982). Some of the most common species of Environment Association of sun. They are never known to fade, hence it is immortelle used for aromatherapy essential oils Japan (AEAJ) in Tokyo; the that they make chaplets of it for the gods, a include: H. angustifolium, H. italicum, H. stoechas2, Asian Aroma Ingredients Congress (AAIC) and Expo in custom which is most faithfully observed by H. gymnocephalum, H. plicatum, H. arenarium, H. Bali; the International Center Ptolemy, the King of Egypt (Newberry 430-431). decumbens, and H. graveolens. of Advanced Aromatherapy A member of the Asteraceae family, (ICAA) at the WonGwang In the language of flowers, Helichrysum spp. immortelle is a perennial plant that grows Digital University in Seoul; (immortelle) symbolizes eternal or endless approximately eight inches high. It has whitish and the AAIC Expo in love (Seaton 180). Both ethereal uses speak to lanceolate leaves covered with short, dense, Kunming, Yunnan, China. Dorene currently serves as the power and prestige of this plant, which has matted hairs. The “sun gold” flowers are small and Chair of the Aromatherapy also been praised by herbalists for centuries. grow in clusters called cymes appearing at the Registration Council (ARC), Historically, immortelle was used for all pinnacle of the plant (Davis 1997, Wichtl 2004). and she is also active with scrofula ailments, especially those dealing with the Immortelle is native to central and southern the Distance Education skin. Traditionally, herbalists have used the herb as Europe, the Mediterranean region, North Africa, Accrediting Commission a tincture or fluid extract for its anti-inflammatory Poland, Turkey, and the former U.S.S.R. It is (DEAC). and antibacterial properties, specifically for cultivated in Italy, Croatia, Corsica, in the wounds, cuts, abrasions, and scars, which remain Carmargue and Provence areas of France, and some of its most common applications today. But it most recently farmed in Serbia. 22 J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild flowers begin to ferment 24 hours after being harvested, which can impact the constituent profile and reduce the therapeutic efficacy MATERIA MEDICA MATERIA of the essential oil. Since the yield is low, H. angustifolium is often distilled with other varieties, like H. orientale. While this typically will improve the quantity of the yield, it will also impact the constituent profile and create a very different end product. Ideally, immortelle essential oil that is used for clinical therapeutic aromatherapy is distilled from a single species. Immortelle absolute, which is solvent- extracted, is also available commercially. Helichrysum italicum ssp. But as previously mentioned, Helichrysum is a The solvent extraction method is frequently italicum in its natural large, widespread genus, aided by its xerophyte used to extract volatiles from flowers habitat, the Adriatic coastal nature (adaptation to survive in a dry particularly if the aromatic molecules within region. Image reproduced with permission from Ana environment). Much like fellow Asteraceae family the flower cannot be extracted via steam. Rangus’ Essential oil and member Helianthus annuus (sunflower), In solvent extraction, the flower petals are Flavour/Fragrance Sector in immortelle will grow in poor-quality soil so long as first mixed into a volatile solvent (such as Western Balkan Countries, it receives enough sun, though the plant prefers petroleum, ether, benzene, or hexane) until the a PowerPoint presentation delivered at the 2014 sandy soil. In fact, Helichrysum spp. are dispersed volatile components are completely dissolved. The International Federation of from the lower-intermediate Mediterranean, solution is then filtered and the solvent is Essential Oils and Aroma growing at a wide range of altitudes from sea level evaporated out at reduced pressure. Trades (IFEAT) Conference in up to 1,700 meters (approximately 5,570 feet) The initial result of solvent extraction is called Rome. above sea level, preferably in sandy or loamy soils a “concrete.” The concrete still contains insoluble (Perrini, Morone-Fortunato et al, 2009). vegetable wax and pigments, so it is further processed by solvents and freezing to separate out Immortelle Essential Oil Background the waxes. The final product is the absolute. Most Immortelle essential oil is distilled from the of the solvent is removed from the absolute by flowering tops of the plant. The plants should vacuum pressure without using heat. However, be distilled when the flowers are fresh, as the there is usually a small amount of solvent Dorene Petersen distilling immortelle essential oil in Greece. Image by American College of Healthcare Sciences. © 2012 J A H G Volume 13 | Number 1 Journal of the American Herbalists Guild 23 MATERIA MEDICA MATERIA remaining in an absolute (up to 1-2%). For this pyranone derivatives) present in the flowers are reason, many aromatherapists prefer not to use not carried over into the distilled essential oil. absolutes for essential oil therapy. They are, however, found in the tincture or fluid For clinical therapeutic aromatherapy, the extract. Even though the distilled essential oil preferred material is a wildcrafted or organic does not contain flavonoids, the essential oil is steam-distilled essential oil sourced from a single chemically complex and powerful. In general, species. Essential oils in this “family” will range in it contains the following active constituents: color from pale yellow to red. (A slightly reddish • Terpenes (including limonene, pinene, and color is preferred, but most oil is usually a pale gamma-curcumene) yellow color.) The color of the oil is said to indicate • Alcohols (including nerol, geraniol, linalool, the region in which it was grown and gathered. and furfurol) Italian oil is emerald due to micro traces of • An ester (neryl acetate) azulene, Corsican oil is light yellow, and the oil • A phenol (eugenol) from Eastern Europe, formerly Yugoslavia, is • Ketones orange-red. It is important to note, however, that the specific Active Constituents in Immortelle active constituents will vary depending on the Preparations plant variety and where it is grown. Table 1 The “sun gold” yellow flowers of immortelle get represents the current data (Mastelic, Politeo et al their vibrant color from arenol and homoarenol, 2008; Morone-Fortunatto, Montemurro et al 2010). unique flavonoid constituents known as pyranone derivatives (Wichtl 2004). The flowers from the Two Preparations are Better immortelle varieties H. decumbens, H. stoechas, than One: The Magnifying Effect and H. italicum also have a group of complex of Immortelle Essential Oil and constituents (phloroglucinol and acetophenone Extract Used Simultaneously derivatives) related to arenol in the flowers. Using different forms of one botanical These constituents have shown activity against simultaneously—such as the herbal extract Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus and the essential oil—can magnify the overall aureus, and to a lesser extent, Gram-negative effectiveness of both. As herbalists, we know Table 1: bacteria such as Escherichia coli, and fungi different solvents result in extraction of different Active Constituents by (Tomas-Barberan, Iniesta-Sanmartin et al constituents. Thus, administering an essential Helichrysum Variety 1990). Note, the flavonoid constituents (i.e., the oil and tincture or fluid extract simultaneously and Source Predominant Constituents Latin Name Origin Nerol, neryl acetate H. italicum ssp. italicum and Corsica (France), North America, South Croatia H. italicum ssp. microphylluym Alpha-pinene, best-caryophyllene, H.