If you’ve never heard of the helichrysum flower and its essential oil, join the club. With over 90 essential oils to choose from, it is inevitable that some will be more popular and well-known than others.
You could argue over the reason behind this inevitability, and you could also argue that each individual and condition have their own way of using essential oils, and that it all comes down to quantities and methods. Well, alright, there is something to that. But you cannot deny that more people know peppermint and rosemary than they do this particular flower. So, let’s learn a but about the helichrysum and its essential oil.
What is Helichrysum Essential Oil? Where Does It Come From?
Helichrysum Italicum
There are hundreds of helichrysum species, but a particular one – Helichrysum italicum(aka H. angustifolium or curry plant) – is steam distilled and made into an essential oil. The oil of helichrysum is made by distilling the blossoms of the plant.
The curry plant is native to dry areas of the Mediterranean, and while it is used as a spice sometimes, it has nothing to do with the curry plant itself or the eponymous mixture of spices.
Helichrysum Essential Oil For Skin: Scarring, Sunburns & More
Helichrysum is designed to soothe the skin
Our skin is one of the most important organs we have. It acts as a protector and barrier between us and the outside world. It keeps our internal organs from harm, and it is a regenerating organ.
On the other hand, the skin is sensitive and fragile in its own way. Time, weather, genetic makeup, diet, lifestyle – these can all contribute a great deal to the premature aging of the skin and to the formulation of blemishes and spots.
Although some of these conditions are considered more naturally-occurring than others, They are not necessarily ones we want to experience. Bags under your eyes, wrinkled and spotty skin, stretch marks, acne – whatever it is, there is a good chance that you to eliminate it.
Helichrysum is designed to soothe the skin, and to help it regenerate through proper nourishment.
It also acts as an analgesic. So, if you happen to get burned by the sun, this is an oil which provides pain relief and quicker skin regeneration. Obviously, it won’t have the exact same effect on each type of skin and the oil is still being studied. But there is definitely something to it, regardless.
Helichrysum Essential Oil For Candida
Candida Albicans
Candida is a type of fungus (aka Candida albicans), and it occurs naturally in the body. If your immune system is functioning properly, then you should not experience any kind of issue. It is a fungus which – in balanced amounts – can help with digestion and proper absorption of nutrients.
If, however, your levels of candida rise beyond what is healthy, it spreads and begins to cause issues in your digestive system. If left unchecked, it can spread beyond that, eventually causing problems in the urinary system and in the lining of the heart and brain. Dangerous condition, to say the least, although it can seem pretty harmless at a glance.
If you feel that the candida fungus may have affected you, go and get yourself checked out. You need to know what you are up against before attempting to treat it. This is true to any kind of medicine, really, not just alternative or herbal.
Helichrysum can be effective as a standalone treatment, but it can work even better when combined with essential oils of lavender or coconut. These two are examples of oils which complement it, and which have the potential to improve. But again, oils are fairly personal, and what works for one may not work for another. It is not a one-size-fits-all kind of situation.
Candida can be stopped and brought down to healthy levels using different methods, and one of those is with helichrysum essential oil.
Helichrysum Essential Oil For Digestion & Liver Health
Consult your herbalist
The liver produces bile, it is filled with blood, and it has one of the most important jobs in the digestive system. It separates good from bad in a very sophisticated way, and while sometimes there are conditions which slow down this process, the liver is one of the most reliable organs we have.
The essential oil of helichrysum is said to help thin the blood. What this achieves, digestion- and liver-wise, is that smaller toxins and negative elements are able to lift out. The same goes for other potentially-harmful elements like heavy metals which are in the blood system. When the blood is thinned, it can be scrutinized with additional ease. In other words, this oil helps the digestive system do its natural job, and provides it with a boost in the right direction. Helichrysum can be added to tea, warm water, and in some cases juice. You should always be careful with ingesting essential oils of any kind.
And, while we are hovering over the subject, a word of caution on essential oils. These are highly potent and very powerful substances. Essential oils can be a wonderful part of your everyday health regimen, but you need to know how to use them. Improperly used, these agents of good health can turn on you and become detrimental ones. You don’t want that.
Do your research, consult your MD, shaman, or herbalist, and make a wise choice, taking different factors into your calculations. Furthermore, there is the issue of women and children. Pregnant or nursing women should stay away from certain essential oils, and the same goes for young children. If you are planning to start using essential oils as a treatment, on a daily basis, get the medical green light before commencing the treatment.
There is such a thing as getting too much of a good thing, so whatever you do, do it right. Take precautions. Use your healthy judgement. This oil is used in different folk remedies pertaining to the digestive system and the liver in particular.
Just like with its other uses, the amount of success it has on the digestive system is directly related to the way in which you are living your life. This goes back to lifestyle, genetics, diet, etc., precisely as I wrote earlier about the effects of the oil on the skin. Sure, it has some tendencies and properties, but it is also a very subjective experience.
Helichrysum Essential Oil Scent Described
Harry Potter’s love potion ‘Amortentia’
This is one of those scents which I find difficult to articulate. It has a sweet yet woody kind of smell, and it is an intense one at that. I can see why it is used in perfumes a lot. Apparently, it is used as a kind of rallying scent, around which others congregate. Isn’t it interesting how some smells operate within their own world?…
So, in all honesty, I cannot give a proper description unfortunately. I feel it may be one of those cases like with Harry Potter’s love potion ‘Amortentia’, which is said to smell different to each person who inhales its scent, according to that which attracts them the most. Well, no, not precisely like that, but I am not sure how to categorize it. Others have possibly done it better.
A quick search at wikipedia told me that some people describe it as the scent of caramalized sugar and ham, of all things. Well, that is certainly not how I would describe it, but to each his own. Maybe they are 100% in the right. Sugar and ham. Go figure.
I love using essential oils. A lot. But there is no denying that there is a right way and a wrong way to treat yourself and your body. It doesn’t matter whether it is preventive or reactive medicine, you need to know what you are doing.
You can’t expect essential oils to do your work for you. There is still a lot that you can do for yourself. Think of essential oils as a kind of booster. What you do – matters. The way you treat yourself? It matters. Seriously, it does.
When you engage in positive change, and make a serious attempt to better yourself and your surroundings, implementing essential oils into your everyday life can be the cherry on top of your very being, your existence. Think of them as existential oils. Boom.
Pure helichrysum essential oil is somewhat rare – hence more expensive, – compared to other oils. It is not necessarily an oil you would use in every situation, and it is best to take the word of your aromatherapist or herbalist regarding its use in your particular condition. Again, this varies on a case by case basis. Helichrysum may not be the most well-known and recognized oil out there, but its use is spreading nowadays, and many proponents of traditional Mediterranean medicine advocate the use of this unique golden substance for a variety of issues.
