Helichrysum italicum/Immortelle/Everlasting

pH 3.5–3.8

Aroma and Taste Unusual. For some it is like honey on warm toast, for others, dusty old clothes! I would say dry, warm, herbaceous, and haylike, with an edge of hot summer and dusty hilltops, and decidedly Mediterranean. The flavor is strongly bitter, almost soapy, with no hint of the sweetness evident in the scent.

Stability and Shelf Life Stable. Usually lasts for two years, although it is so effective for so many things it gets used before it fades.

Properties and Applications A strong anti-hematoma, although less dramatically analgesic than the oil. Applied in a compress to bangs and bumps or old aches, it can even bring subcutaneous bruises to the surface, exposing hidden damage. Wonderful as a sports rub after a workout or physical labor because of its powerful anti-inflammatory and mild analgesic properties. Used in synergy with the rather expensive immortelle essential oil, it can reduce the amount of essential oil needed during a long-term healing, such as for broken bones, where there is a lot of bruising and swelling. Significantly antiinflammatory and cicatrisant for all wound and tissue damage.

Combine immortelle with rock rose in a douche for endometriosis, fibroids, and painful periods. Regular use, especially in combination with essential-oil treatments, can significantly ameliorate these conditions, and in some cases fibroids can be cured altogether (see the recipes in chapter 6). Immortelle is a must for aftercare in any surgery, speeding the healing of incisions and needle wounds, reducing swelling and bruising, and also detoxifying the liver of anesthetic. It is also a wonder for cleaning and healing tattoos or body piercings.

Use as a mouthwash after dental work. For gingivitis or receding gums, use one tablespoon neat or mixed 50:50 with water as a mouthwash two times daily every day for six months and watch your dentist be amazed. It is also of use in combination with herbal treatments supporting the liver, such as milk thistle, black radish, and artichoke, yet another bitter. Internal use of the hydrosol in a three-week protocol can speed recovery after a long illness, particularly if combined with Greenland moss, another liver supporter. Use two parts immortelle to one part Greenland moss and drink thirty milliliters diluted in a liter of water daily.

In skin care it can help heal scar tissue and is good in synergy with the essential oil and with rose hip seed oil and other hydrosols like carrot seed, sage, and frankincense. One client used it constantly throughout the day in light mists after a car accident, and her quite severe bruising disappeared in a matter of days. It is good for sensitive, mature, or congested skin and helps heal ingrown hairs.

Hypericum perforatum/Saint John’s Wort

pH 4.5–4.6

Aroma and Taste The odor is very dry, green, strongly herbaceous, and slightly flat. The taste undiluted is much sweeter than one would think, but the aftertaste is more like the aroma and very dry, almost tannic. Diluted, it tastes like a curious herb tea, something familiar and yet mysterious.

Stability and Shelf Life Unknown. Seems fairly stable at twelve months.

Properties and Applications Experimental. Saint John’s wort is now the subject of much study and research since the confirmation of its antidepressant properties. However, plants never do just one thing, and Saint John’s wort is no exception. The hydrosol has shown some antidepressant or, perhaps more precisely, mild euphoriant properties and is worthy of clinical trials. It is very effective in cases of asthenia and seasonal affective disorder (SAD); try keeping a glass of water with Saint John’s wort hydrosol beside the bed and drink it upon rising in the morning in winter; by the time you’ve had your shower you’ll feel great.

Quite astringent and possibly tannic, it acts on the digestive system, cleansing, calming, and reducing colicky spasms and in some cases having a laxative effect. There are still doubts about whether tannins actually make their way into hydrosols, but this subject is being researched. Saint John’s wort is wonderfully healing on the skin and softens and clarifies the complexion, giving a dewy glow after a week or two of daily use. It is also effective as a toner and can be combined with numerous other hydrosols for skin care. I recommend it in combination with immortelle as a compress for scar treatments, since herbal preparations of Hypericum are extremely healing and regenerative.

The infused oil of Saint John’s wort (in a base of extra-virgin olive oil) has been shown to plump up the intervertebral discs of the spine, helping relieve some back problems. In holistic health, back problems are emotionally linked to issues of support, and Saint John’s wort is extremely comforting and supportive in all its forms, including the hydrosol. Internal consumption of the hydrosol has also shown some effect in reducing back pain or at least in improving the overall well-being of those with back-pain issues.

The macerated oil has also shown profound benefit in cases of multiple sclerosis, especially the early stages. Daily ingestion of one-fourth to one-half teaspoon of the infused oil and topical applications to any areas of pain or weakness bring great relief and reduction of symptoms. One client took it daily for three months and thought it had “some effect”; then she ran out and within three days could barely get out of bed. Within forty-eight hours of resuming the macerated-oil routine, her symptoms had faded to almost nothing. We are now trying the hydrosol both alone and in combination with the macerated oil to test its synergistic and solo effects on MS.

The hydrosol does not seem to cause any photosensitivity either from internal or external use.