Helichrysum italicum: back to medicine from the tinsel of luxury

Abstract

Helichrysum italicum (Roth.) Don. (Asteraceae), an iconic plant of the Mediterranean area, has now become also an icon of luxury because of its use in glamorous perfumes and personal care products [1]. H. italicum is, however, also an important medicinal plant, and recent studies have provided the basis for a veritable Helichrysum Renaissance, rationalizing the fascinating ethnopharmacology of the plant in the light of molecular investigations on its constituents and their pharmacological targets [2]. Extracts from H. italicum have the potential to be developed as a novel ingredient for medicinal and healthfood products just like its essential oil has been in perfumery and aromatherapy, but awakening this sleeping giant of the Mediterranean herbal medicine will required a multidisciplinary joint effort. One of the major challenges to be addressed is the establishment a reliable supply chain to overcome the plight of spontaneous harvest that is threatening the wild population of the plant in Sardinia and Corsica, where the most valuable chemotype of the plant grows. A second issue that needs to be addressed is the high variability of the phytochemical profile of the plant, where the concentration of heterodimeric pyrones, the major bioactive constituents of the plant, can range from undetectable to almost 1%.