The autumn weather recently was a welcome change from all of the heat and humidity of the last few months. It has brought a change in the air, change of color in the leaves are starting, and a feeling of winter approaching. It makes me think of comfort food and snuggles by the fire. How have you felt about the weather change? Does it make you think of hearty soups and stews, maple syrup and candied apples, or maybe curry dishes heavy with spices? I suppose that might depend on what you grew up with and what triggers memories of comfort.
I like thicker soups that are almost a stew….we call them “stoups” which really sets my autocorrect off! I remember Saturdays with pancakes for breakfast and grilled cheese for dinner as a child. Not exactly healthy foods but definitely comfort food.
The herb that I want to talk to you about today makes me think of both Maple Syrup and Curry. I know…weird, right? Helichrysum Italicum smells like either earthy sweet maple syrup or green Mediterranean curry and herbs. Everyone’s nose is different. But I think whatever you were raised with eating as a common thing influences this particular herb’s smell perception. I smell maple syrup first and the curry second. Charlie smells curry first. Haha!
Common names for Helichrysum is Everlasting or Curry Plant. It is in the strawflower family. Like most “medicinal” herbs, it is not the most flashy or pretty flower in the family. But it is the most powerful and healing in the strawflower family. It is not the plant that the spice curry comes from even though it smells like a sweet curry. Walking out in the garden, particularly after a rain or when there is a heavy dew, the smell will waft up and catch you by surprise. It is a very fragrant herb.
Traditionally it has been used for skin repair, scar work, wounds and injuries (even old ones not fully healed). Pain and skin repair is what I use it for. I used it as a face oil when I fell and hit my face on the rocks. Helped ease the headache that lavender was not managing. It really showed it’s super power in how well and quickly my face healed up with no scarring. Of course I smacked it on sandstone, which is a rough and gritty stone. So my face looked like it had road rash. Four days later my road rash was gone. It is an amazing oil to work with and beyond precious to me.
It grows in zones 7 and above. I am zone 6a. I covered the 42 plants that I planted 2 years ago during winter but had only 16 that survived. Ordered another 80 and lost 40 of them in the pots before I could even plant them. I am not giving up. I adore this plant and it’s medicinal uses. Last winter, I had replanted all the ones that died late in early winter. Than I covered each one with a heavy duty plastic cloche that has a vent at the top which can be opened or closed. This spring as weather started to warm, I cracked open that top vent and left the cloches on for another month or more. It was a hard winter with some pretty cold temperatures with a lot of wind. I lost only about 5 or 6 plants out of 42!! This will be a yearly thing to cover these precious plants with a cloche….but well worth it to grow it here in zone 6a.
Helichrysum Infused Herbal Oil
Because of how difficult it can be to grow this plant here in this zone, my supply is limited as I get the plants established. Essential oil of this plant is insanely expensive generally around $175 or more for a 15 ml bottle. This is why I am so thrilled to be able to grow it and make an Infused Herbal Oil using the whole plant steeped in organic olive oil. I do not plan to distill it for essential oil. I would need so many plants because it does seem to be a low yielding oil plant on top of the difficulties to grow it here in Michigan.
I just decanted the first batch from this year’s harvest of an Infused Helichrysum Oil. It has been added to the shop in two sizes and is a limited supply this year. I am happy to have Helichrysum back in my apothecary to use myself since I sold out of last year’s.
It is one of my favorite oils to use on my face. I use it even without any injuries because of its skin repair uses. It helps keep my face hydrated. It helps reduce fine lines and blemishes. It helps heal scars and marks which I know from my injury recovery. My face always just looks healthier and more glowy when I use my Helichrysum Oil. Who doesn’t want a healthy glowy looking face?
Helichrysum Infused Herbal Oil
I will be continuing to use this wonderful plant in infused oils and balms each year as I cherish my small hand grown harvest.
