Inula helenium
FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)
SYNONYMS: Helenium grandiflorum, Aster officinalis, A. helenium, inula, scabwort, alant, horseheal, yellow starwort, elf dock, wild sunflower, velvet dock, ‘essence d’aunée’.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A handsome perennial herb up to 1.5 metres high, with a stout stem covered in soft hairs. It has oval pointed leaves which are velvety underneath, large, yellow, daisy-like flowers and large, fleshy rhizome roots.
DISTRIBUTION: Native to Europe and Asia, naturalized in North America. Cultivated in Europe (Belgium, France, Germany) and Asia (China, India). The oil is mainly produced from imported roots in southern France.
OTHER SPECIES: There are several varieties of Inula; the European and Asian species are slightly different having a harsher scent. Other varieties include golden samphire (I. crithmoides) and sweet inula (I. graveolens or I. odora), which share similar properties.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: A herb of ancient medical repute, which used to be candied and sold as a sweetmeat. It is used as an important spice, incense and medicine in the east. It is used in both western and eastern herbalism, mainly in the form of a tea for respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and whooping cough, disorders of the digestion, intestines and gall bladder and for skin disorders.
Current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for irritating cough or bronchitis. Elecampane root is the richest source of inulin.
ACTIONS: Alterative, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitussive, astringent, bactericidal, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, fungicidal, hyperglycaemic, hypotensive, stomachic, tonic.
EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the dried roots and rhizomes. (An absolute and concrete are also produced in small quantities.)
CHARACTERISTICS: A semi-solid or viscous dark yellow or brownish liquid with a dry, soft, woody, honey-like odour, often containing crystals. It blends well with cananga, cinnamon, labdanum, lavender, mimosa, frankincense, orris, tuberose, violet, cedarwood, patchouli, sandalwood, cypress, bergamot and oriental fragrances.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Mainly sesquiterpene lactones, including alantolactone (or helenin), isolactone, dihydroisalantolactone, dihydralantolactone, alantic acid and azulene.
SAFETY DATA: Non-toxic, non-irritant; however it is a severe dermal sensitizer. In clinical tests it caused ‘extremely severe allergic reactions’ in twenty-three out of twenty-five volunteers. On the basis of these results it is recommended that the oil ‘should not be used on the skin at all’..
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE None.
NB In Phytoguide I, sweet inula (I. odora or I. graveolens), a deep green oil, is described as ‘queen of mucolytic essential oils’, having properties as diverse as: ‘anti-inflammatory, hyperthermic, sedative, cardia-regulative, diuretic and depurative’.. It is described as being an excellent oil for the cardiopulmonary zone including asthma, chronic bronchitis and unproductive coughs. This variety of Inula seems to avoid the sensitization problems of elecampane, at least when it is used as an inhalation or by aerosol treatment.
OTHER USES: Alantolactone is used as an anthelmintic in Europe (it is also an excellent bactericide). The oil and absolute are used as fixatives and fragrance components in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and perfumes. Used as a flavour ingredient in alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and foodstuffs, especially desserts.... elecampane
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