Garden Plants - Helichrysum

The average herbal tells us that 'The composite flowers of Helichrysums are surrounded by desiccated, coloured, membranous sepals, remaining unchanged when the plant is dried - whence the name everlasting.' Fine - but less than informative.

What the name actually means is helios = sun and khrysos = gold, referring to the bright yellow colour of the flowers. Nothing to do with everlasting at all, but they are. The oddest thing about the dried flowers is not just that they do seem to last forever, nor even that they hold their original pastel shade (and they come in many colours other than yellow) but their scent. The dried flower has more fragrance than the live one.

Many cultures, including African, European, Eastern and North American cultures use Helichrysums in food and medicine. For Europeans, the Helichrysum ranks as one of the most ancient and valuable healing substances - it said to be more anti-inflammatory than German Chamomile, have more tissue regenerating power than Lavender and more cicatrisant (helping the formation of scar tissue) than Frankincense. So there!

Furthermore, oil of Helichrysum has been found by European researchers to generate tissue, reduce tissue pain, helps improve skin conditions, circulatory function, prevents phlebitis, helps regulate cholesterol, stimulates liver cell function, reduces scarring and discoloration. It is anticoagulant, anticatarrhal, expectorant, and antispasmodic. In Africa, Helichrysums are often used for food - the leaves are cooked and eaten. Medicinally the roots, leaves, stems and flowers are used as traditional medicine for chest complaints, colic in children, coughs, colds, internal sores, fever, headaches, and for dressing wounds.

You may not wish to know this, but Helichrysum pedunculatum is commonly used by the Xhosa to treat circumcision wounds - ouch! And the Zulu and Xhosa burn the leaves of Helichrysum as incense in ritual ceremonial occasions

Garden Helichrysum photograph by basykes, used under a creative commons attribution licence