If you have ever wondered why superfoods with miraculous properties only grow in distant places, then you have not heard of the immortelle. But before we get to know this unusual plant that grows like a weed here, let's start at the beginning of the story.

A few decades ago, a French doctor and aromatherapist Daiel Penoel was picking mountain flowers in the French part of the Alps during his vacation. He did this as a hobby. One day, he was attacked by a stray dog and bitten hard on the leg. Since it was late, and the village where he could call for help was too far away, he used a sample of essential oil he had received a few days earlier from local farmers. They all assured him that it was an effective remedy for all diseases, and this was an opportunity to test the rumors.

The next morning, he was greeted by a miracle.

Although the bite wounds were quite deep (as a doctor, he could assess this accurately), and Penoel had no disinfectant on hand, the surprise was even greater. After just a few hours of applying a little of the mysterious oil to the wound, there was not even a trace of the bite left. If he weren't a doctor himself, he wouldn't have believed this story.

He quickly realized that the oil from the sample bottle was helichrysum oil. Helichrysum is a very aromatic plant that never withers, its golden-yellow flowers never fall off but rather dry up, even though the plant continues to live. It is practically immortal. The most famous types here are the helichrysum and curry plant. They grow on the rocky Karst from Corsica to Korčula. By scent, they resemble Indian curry and are often used as ornamental plants in cemeteries.

But the main surprise was yet to come for Penoel. When he did a chemical analysis of the helichrysum oil, he could not believe his eyes. He had never seen such a combination of extremely rare and effective ingredients in his entire career. Although almost half a century has passed since the unfortunate incident in the Alps, the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have been studying the healing effects of helichrysum oil continuously. The main components of helichrysum essential oil are nerol, pinene, eugenol, and linalool.

In folk medicine, it was used to calm coughs and facilitate expectoration. It works against inflammation of the gallbladder and opens the bile ducts. It affects all glands of the digestive tract, especially the pancreas. When used externally, it helps in the treatment of psoriasis, eczema, burns, frostbite, and swellings due to poor circulation. In modern medicine, it is used to treat skin problems, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, asthma, and colds. Because it accelerates skin renewal, moisturizes, and makes it elastic, it is an almost miraculous remedy against wrinkles. It is used to remove stretch marks and scars. However, we must not overlook the metabolites found in helichrysum, which are incredibly diverse and play a key role in photosynthesis, respiration, growth, and development ...

Official medicine has also confirmed that helichrysum prevents the formation of blood clots - both external and internal, for example, bone hematomas are almost always accompanied by hematomas in surrounding tissues. Hematomas are also common in the skull and are the result of head injuries; by exerting pressure on the brain, they can cause unconsciousness and even paralysis.

The price of helichrysum oil may seem unbelievable: 1,800 euros per liter! However, the matter is not as simple, or else we would have long had only plants with small yellow flowers that smell like curry planted in our gardens. Helichrysum flowers contain extremely little essential oils. More than one ton of flowers is needed for a liter of oil. Can you imagine how much that is?!

Fortunately, helichrysum can also be used as a tea. Its effectiveness is slightly lower, but its use is simpler and, above all, cheaper.

If someone asks you now about a miraculous plant that grows in our regions, you can confidently tell them about helichrysum. In the US, helichrysum oil is also called immortelle, which means immortal. Just like the plant itself - it never withers, and not even the ravages of time affect it.

We will surely hear much more about helichrysum in the future.

If you want to learn more about helichrysum (or maybe plant it in your kitchen garden), you can also search for it under the Latin name Helichrysum italicum.