ヘリクリサム
Hoa bất tử
Helichrysum italicum
Immortelle, Everlasting, Curry plant, Helichrysum angustifolium, Helichrysum stoechas
Absolute: moderate risk of skin irritation. The distilled essential oil is safer than the absolute.
Maximum dermal use level 0.5 percent for the absolute, based on Bouhlal et al (1988b) research, concentration-dependent irritation seen at 1 to 100 percent but not at 0.5 percent.
GRAS status.
Essential oils distilled from subsp. italicum and subsp. microphyllum are commonly harvested and processed together.
Italidione (characteristic of helichrysum) is a beta-diketone rare in plants, gives the distinctive curry-immortelle aroma.
| Neryl acetate | 34.5 – 39.9 % (subsp. italicum) |
| α-Pinene | 21.7 % (essential oil) |
| Linalool | 17.3 % (subsp. microphyllum) |
| Nerol | 14.6 % (subsp. microphyllum) |
| γ-Curcumene | 5.1 – 12.9 % |
| (+)-Limonene | 5.1 – 10.7 % |
| Neryl propionate | 4.8 – 6.7 % |
| Italidione I | 3.5 – 4.5 % |
| Italicene | 2.4 – 3.4 % |
| Italidione II | 0.6 – 2.6 % |
Helichrysum italicum is a small Mediterranean shrub, particularly common in Corsica, Sardinia, Croatia. The small bright yellow flowers do not wilt even when dried, the names 'immortelle' (immortal) and 'everlasting' reflect this character.
The distinctive aroma evokes curry (hence 'curry plant') due to italidione, a beta-diketone rare in plants.
Family Asteraceae. Two main subspecies: subsp. italicum and subsp. microphyllum, usually harvested and processed together.
This oil is listed under 'Immortelle' rather than 'Helichrysum' in alphabetical order.