Everlasting Flower

Botanical Name: Helichrysum arenarium

Common Name:

• English: Common Shrubby Everlasting, Eternal Flower
• Also, known as: Gnaphale des Sables, Goldilocks, Helichrysum arenarium, Herbe à Curry, Immortelle des Dunes, Immortelle des Sables, Perlière des Sables, Pluma de Príncipe, Siempreviva del Monte, Yellow Chaste Weed.  

Origin: Poland/Ukraine

Harvested: Cultivated

Parts Used: Flower

General Information:

Helichrysum arenarium, as its name suggests (the scientific name of the plant is a contraction of two Greek words: helios, meaning “sun” and chrysos, meaning“gold), is a flower that represents the golden sun of Italy. Widespread across the Mediterranean, Helichrysum, also known as Immortelle or Everlasting Flower, is a key constituent of the Mediterranean scentscape – a glorious and fragile yellow flower, heavily scented and vaunted throughout history for its use in beauty and adorning the crowns of gods – woven into the laurel worn by the mighty Apollo. This herb with slim leaves and tiny yellow flowers is a hardy shrub, found clinging to barren hills surviving and thriving, in sunbaked landscapes, resisting drought and high temperatures inhospitable to the less robust. In Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Galatea was a sea-nymph who frequented the coasts of Sicily and attracted the attention of a Cyclops, Polyphemus. In jealousy, the Cyclops murdered her lover Acis, who Galatea turned into the river Acis. As she mourned and cried, her tears grew into Helichrysum – explaining its abundance where rivers meet the sea.

The common immortal, also called immortal of the sands or dunes, is a small shrub. It produces bright yellow flowers. It grows wild in the Mediterranean basin, in the south of France and mainly in Corsica. In summer, the flowers warmed by the sun’s rays give off a warm, spicy smell reminiscent of curry, coffee and sugar. The perfumer uses immortal absolute, obtained by extracting the flowers with volatile solvents. The perfumer may also use helichrysum essence, which is obtained by steam distilling the dried flowers of various species of immortal. In addition to curry, the flower evokes the scent of rose and camomile. Sweet and salty notes with honeyed and spicy nuances stand out and bring character to chypre or oriental fragrances. 

How to use:

Precautions: 

You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.

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