engleski

Helichrysum: The Current State of Cultivation, Production and Uses.

The genus Helichrysum consists of 600 species, among which the most significant are dwarf everlast (Helichrysum arenarium) and curry plant (Helichrysum italicum). The H. arenarium spreads from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, while H. italicum grows exclusively in the Mediterranean countries. Only H. italicum is cultivated for the production of essential oil. As a perennial plant, H. italicum is cultivated on the same location for 5-8 years. Therefore, a lot of care should be taken when choosing the plot because this plant thrives on sandy and rocky soil with a lot of sunshine. Alkaline soil (with a lot of calcium) that retains water well is the best type of soil for this plant. H. italicum can reproduce generative, by seed through seedlings, and vegetative, by cuttings. Regardless of the way crops are formed, full yield is expected in the third year of cultivation. During the first two years, it is necessary to prune the plants in order to enhance vigor. In this way it is possible to obtain a yield of 7-8 t/ha of fresh flowers, which are distilled or dried then distilled. Essential oil yield varies from 8 to 12 kg/ha. The dwarf everlast inflorescence has been used in folk medicine most frequently as antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, digestive and choleretic agents (Litvinenko et al., 1992) and in cosmetics for their fragrance (Lawrence, 1998). This herb has been recognized as a plant with cholagogic, hepatoprotective and detoxifying activities. The results of study of Szadowska (1962) support the use of infusions and decoctions of dwarf everlast flower as a mild cholagogue and weak spasmolytic in bile ducts. After intravenous and intraduodenal administration the flavonoids: apigenin, kempferol-3-glycoside and naringenin-5- glycoside exhibited one third of deoxycholic acid activity. Antispasmodic activity has been shown for apigenin and an ethyl ether extract containing apigenin and other non-polar aglycones. Also, it is used in the treatment of gall bladder disorders and lumbago (Czinner et al., 2001). The essential oil derived from Helichrysi flos in Europe is usually small in amount, 0.05% (Blashek et al., 2013). The main components in H. arenarium oil are diepi-α- cedrene (17.9%), α-ylangene (13.9%), cyclosativene (11.9%) and limonene (11.4%) (Rancic et al., 2005). Twenty-four components were identified in the oil obtained by hydrodistillation. The characteristic volatile constituents were: linalool (1.7%), anethole (3.2%), carvacrol (3.6%) and α-muurolol (1.3%). It was established that the oil contained aliphatic acids (34.6%) and their esters (28.5 %), further aromatic compounds (10.2%) in significant quantity, beside the typical volatile terpene components with respect of composition of other Helichrysum species (Czinner et al., 2000). Traditionally, dwarf everlast flower has been used in Europe in the form of water extracts, infusions and decoctions. Lemberkovics et al. (2002) analysed polyphenolic content of herbal teas prepared from commercial samples of Helichrysi flos. This book chapter will be focused on:  Current practise, problems and affecting factors in the field of Helichrysum cultivation ;  Main constituents, their properties, possibilities for isolation and potential application.

Helichrysum ; active compounds ; extraction ; uses

nije evidentirano