Helichrysum

Introduction:
There are over 600 species of Helichrysum occurring worldwide, with 245 found in southern Africa. The word Helichrysum is derived from the Greek "helios" meaning sun and "chrysos" meaning gold, referring to the colour of many of the flowers of species in this genus.

Seldom is so much offered by such an easy-to-grow plant. African, European, Eastern and North American cultures use Helichrysums for their medicinal value. Its uses include food, medicinal, ornamental and spiritual.

Recorded medicinal history:
For Europeans, the Helichrysum ranks as one of the most ancient and valuable healing substances. Helichrysum is said to be more anti-inflammatory than German Chamomile, have more tissue regenerating than Lavender and more cicatrisant (helping the formation of scar tissue) than Frankincense.

The oil of Helichrysum has been found by European researchers to generate tissue, reduce tissue pain, helps improve skin conditions, circulatory function, prevents phlebitis, helps regulate cholesterol, stimulates liver cell function, reduces scarring and discoloration. It is anticoagulant, anticatarrhal, mucolytic, expectorant, and antispasmodic. It has been known to help in improving certain types of hearing loss.

The Helichrysum plants are widely distributed and used medicinally in East and West Africa by indigenous cultures and Europeans alike. Helichrysums are well-known and very popular as traditional medicine in southern Africa and their use is often linked to their distribution.

Helichrysums are often used for food; the leaves are cooked and eaten. Medicinally the roots, leaves, stems and flowers are used as traditional medicine for chest complaints, colic in children, coughs, colds, internal sores, fever, headaches, and for dressing wounds amongst others.

Helichrysum pedunculatum is commonly used by the Xhosa to treat circumcision wounds and is known as isicwe. The Zulu and Xhosa burn the leaves of Helichrysum as incense in ritual ceremonial occasions.

Helichrysum splendidum has been used to treat rheumatism and is a good fuel plant in the mountains of Lesotho. It is also used in potpourri and lasts well in a vase as a cut flower.

The Afrikaans people name Helichrysum umbraculigerum as kerriekruie and use it for medicinal purposes. They also use other helichrysums such as helichrysums nudifolium for their wound-healing and antifungal properties.

The leaf of Helichrysum sp. is a Zulu love philter. As a result the desired lady finds the man irresistible. The dried leaf is used to make an ointment, which is applied to the body.

Although no information is available in literature, Shangaan traditional doctors, use the leaf of the Helichrysum sp. to boost woman's libido.

A decoction of the root of Helichrysum psilolepis Harv. is a Southern Sotho remedy for painful menstruation. A decoction of the root of Helichrysum platypterum DC. is drunk by the Southern Sotho to renew virility.

In Angola, the aromatic fruiting head of the Helichrysum benguellense Hiern is used for cosmetic purposes.
Helichrysum crispum Less. is used in the Western Cape for heart trouble, for backache and kidney diseases. The Europeans also uses it as a remedy for "heart weakness" in both man and animal. An infusion has a reputation for the treatment of hyperpiesia, coronary thrombosis and of bladder conditions.

The root of Helichrysum gerberaefolium Sch. Bip. ex A. Rich. is used in East Africa for coughs and colds and the leaf as a wound dressing. Both root and leaf are said to contain helichrysin.

Helichrysum nudifolium Less. var. quinquenerve Moes. has been used as a tea, that has a "green" insipid flavour. Tests have shown that the plant is non-toxic, contains neither alkaloid nor glucoside, yields a trace of tannins and 0.036 per cent of a pungent volatile oil.

The Helichrysum orbiculare Druce is known as Hottentot tea and vaaltee.

Pubmed Extracts:
Helichrysum aureonitens, a southern African medicinal plant reported to have antibacterial properties, was evaluated for antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in vitro. The crude aqueous extract from shoots of Helichrysum aureonitens at a concentration of 1.35 mg/ml (w/v) showed significant antiviral activity on HSV-1 in human lung fibroblasts as demonstrated by the absence of a cytopathic effect. (Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, South Africa).

Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of 39 plants used in traditional Zulu medicine to treat headache or inflammatory diseases were screened for prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitors. Two-thirds of the plants screened had high inhibitory activity. The highest inhibition was obtained with ethanolic extracts of Bidens pilosa, Eucomis autumnalis, Harpephyllum caffrum, Helichrysum nudifolium, Leonotis intermedia, L. leonorus, Ocotea bullata, Rumex saggitatus, Solanum mauritianum, Synadenium cupulare and Trichilia dregeana. (Department of Botany, University of Natal Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville, South Africa).

Antibacterial assays of Helichrysum pedunculatum (a plant used during circumcision rites) showed that dichloromethane extracts are active against all the gram positive bacteria tested, as well as two gram negative bacteria, Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens. A water extract was effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus kristinae. (Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, South Africa).

Twenty South African medicinal plants used to treat pulmonary diseases were screened for activity against drug-resistant and drug-sensitive strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A preliminary screening of acetone and water plant extracts against a drug-sensitive strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv, was done by the agar plate method. Acetone as well as water extracts of Cryptocarya latifolia, Euclea natalensis, Helichrysum melanacme, Nidorella anomala and Thymus vulgaris inhibited the growth of M. tuberculosis. Given the activity, a further study was done to confirm the inhibitory activity. These active acetone extracts were screened against the H37Rv strain as well as a strain resistant to the drugs isoniazid and rifampin. Extracts of Chenopodium ambrosioides, Ekebergia capensis, Euclea natalensis, Helichrysum melanacme, Nidorella anomala and Polygala myrtifolia were active against the resistant strain at 0.1 mg/ml. (Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, South Africa).

Extracts from Helichrysum aureonitens are used topically by the indigenous people of South Africa against infections. The antimicrobial activity-guided fractionation by bioautography of the acetone extract from the aerial parts of Helichrysum aureonitens led to the isolation of 3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone (galangin). Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the compound against ten randomly selected bacteria indicated significant activity against all the Gram-positive bacteria tested with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/ml. Galangin indicated considerable activity against the fungi tested with the exception of Cladosporium herbarum. Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum appeared to be particularly susceptible at a concentration of 0.01 mg/ml. (Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, South Africa)

A new acylated form of a phloroglucinol with significant antimicrobial properties was isolated by bioactivity guided fractionation from Helichrysum caespititium (Asteraceae). The compound inhibited growth of Bacillus cereus, B. pumilus, B. subtilis and Micrococcus kristinae at the very low concentration of 0.5 microg/ml and Staphylococcus aureus at 5.0 microg/ml. Six fungi tested were similarly inhibited at low MICs, Aspergillus flavus and A. niger (1.0 microg/ml), Cladosporium chladosporioides (5 microg/ml), C. cucumerinum and C. sphaerospermum (0.5 microg/ml) and Phylophthora capsici at 1.0 microg/ml. (Department of Botany, University of Pretoria, South Africa).

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