Immortelle sandy (tsmin)

The sand immortelle, a perennial herbaceous plant, has many other names. It is also called cumin, dried flower, sandy golden flower or straw color.

It got its name due to the fact that the scales around the inflorescence of this plant do not fade and do not change their color after cutting. The name "solar gold" is also common among the people. The plant belongs to the Aster family, the genus Immortelle.

Titles in other languages:

• lat. Helichrusum italicum;
• fr. Italienische Strohblume.

• The immortelle has a straight single stem up to 60 centimeters high. Since the plant is completely hairy, this gives it a silvery hue.
• Its rhizome is short and thick, with a small number of branches, black-brown in color. If the plant grows on light soil that drains well, the rhizome is thinner - up to 4 mm.
• The leaves are pubescent, arranged alternately. Below and near the root they are narrowed, and in the middle and above the plants are linear or lanceolate. Their edges are often wrapped down.
• Flowers appear at the tops of the stems. Baskets collected in shields have a spherical shape and a diameter of up to 6 mm. They consist of several dozen small orange or yellow flowers.
• The fruit of the sand immortelle is a small oblong achene weighing up to 0.06 grams. Its color is brown or brown. On the achene there is a tuft of soft yellow hairs.
• The plant blooms in summer, and ripening begins in August. Sometimes you can observe a secondary flowering in late summer or September. It can also be when the inflorescences are plucked. First, baskets bloom in the center, each of them blooms for about 10-15 days.

There are approximately 600 plant species. There are also subspecies.

Immortelle can be found almost throughout Europe. It also grows in Central Asia. On the territory of Russia, immortelle grows in the Caucasus, in the European part of the country, as well as in Western Siberia.

The plant "loves" sandy dry soils. It also grows well on rocky soil, in the field, in the steppes, in the dunes, in semi-deserts, on hillsides, in meadows, chalk outcrops or salt marshes. Tsmin does not withstand complete shading.

Immortelle flowers are harvested to obtain medicinal raw materials. You need to cut them in June / July until the moment when the side baskets bloom. If the cutting time is later, the baskets will open and the flowers will fall off. In one place, the inflorescences are collected several times - as they bloom every 5-7 days.

The collected flowers must be dried in a shady room that is ventilated. They are laid out in a layer up to three centimeters. You can also put the raw materials in the dryer, setting the temperature to +40 degrees. Do not dry cumin flowers in the sun or they will discolor. Dry flowers should be stored in a dark place for up to 3 years.

• Choleretic
• Anesthesia
• Antibacterial action
• Antispasmodic
• diuretic property
• Expectorant action

• Hypertension (due to taking cumin preparations, blood pressure rises).
• Liver disease (immortelle can cause congestion).
• Cumin is not recommended to take longer than 3-4 months due to some toxicity of the plant and the ability to accumulate in the body.

The source of the aromatic oil of immortelle is the species Helichrysum italicum (Italian immortelle). To obtain EO, the flowers are steam distilled (only their upper part is cut off). From 100 kilograms of fresh flowers, one kilogram of oil is obtained.

• Strengthening immunity.
• Normalization of the female reproductive system.
• Getting rid of insomnia.
• Elimination of depression and fatigue.
• Normalization of blood pressure.
• Pain relief for sciatica and rheumatism.
• Normalization of the digestive system.

• Eliminate sweaty feet.
• Care for sensitive skin.
• Improvement of healing of injuries and irritations on the skin.
• Improvement of microcirculation in the skin.
• Reducing the appearance of bruises under the eyes.
• Rejuvenating effect by stimulating the growth of skin cells.
• Elimination of acne and pimples.
• Help in the fight against rosacea.

• To enrich a cosmetic product (serum, lotion, cream), add three to five drops of immortelle essential oil.
• Add five to seven drops to anti-cellulite and massage mixtures.
• In an aroma lamp, use up to 5 drops per 15 m2.
• For compresses, 5-6 drops are enough.
• Add eight drops to the base for rubbing.
• Massage is performed with a base oil, for every 15 g of which six drops of cumin EO are added.
• Add 4-6 drops to the bath, dissolving them in vegetable oil or sea salt.

• Immortelle leaves have a bitter-spicy taste. In small quantities, they are added to vegetable salads to give fresh vegetables a piquant taste.
• Cumin also imparts a curry flavor to dishes, which is why it is used as a seasoning for pork and beef.
• The plant is also seasoned with vegetable and fish stews.

The following medicinal properties of immortelle are distinguished:

• Traditional medicine uses immortelle for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, to influence the formation and secretion of bile. Preparations of this plant are effective at the beginning of the formation of gallstones, as they reduce the lithogenicity of bile. This action is due to the content of galenic substances that stimulate the formation of bile acids, improve the separation of bile and increase the content of bilirubin and cholates in it.
• Cymina preparations are prescribed after gallbladder surgery to prevent the recurrence of stones.
• The plant is used for colitis and gastritis.
• A decoction of immortelle flowers is used externally for leucorrhoea, lichen, diathesis, purulent skin diseases, wounds.

Pour dry immortelle (3 tablespoons) with boiling water (one glass), heat in a water bath and hold for half an hour, stirring regularly. Strain the slightly cooled broth and dilute with boiled water (250 ml). Consume 1/2 cup before meals (15 minutes in advance) three times a day.

Dried or fresh cumin flowers (1 1/2 tablespoons) steeped in boiling water for at least three hours.After filtering the infusion, take half a glass before meals 4 times a day.

Pour a tablespoon of immortelle with 500 ml of boiling water. After insisting for one hour, drink the liquid three times a day, drinking half a glass of this tincture 30 minutes before meals.

• Immortelle is an ornamental plant. It is included in dry bouquets.
• In all parts of the plant there is a resinous substance with the antibiotic arenarin. Due to this, cumin inhibits the development of bacteria in cultivated plants.
• Since the immortelle has an insecticidal effect, it can be used to protect clothing from moths.
• With the help of immortelle aromatic oil, perfumers enhance the bouquet of the composition and fix natural and synthetic essential oils.
• Cumin is used as a flavoring agent for tobacco products.

petiolate: decorative annual, which is often decorated with patios and terraces. He has long shoots, densely covered with light leaves, as well as yellow-golden flowers. The cut flowers of this variety are often dried for use in dry arrangements. The branches have a pleasant smell.

selago: perennial with creeping or ascending stems, glossy dense dark green foliage and small whitish-yellow flowers.

Coral: is a plant up to 25 cm high with highly branched branches, small pubescent leaves, white or yellowish flowers.

Although the immortelle does not bloom for long, the leaves of the plant are green all season, so it is used as a decoration for alpine slides and borders.

Grow cumin on sandy soils in a sunny place. It can be propagated both by seeds and vegetatively. Immortelle seeds are sown in early May. They must be fresh.They are mixed with sand so that the seeds are evenly distributed in the soil. The beds are placed at a distance of up to 40 cm. Embedding is performed to a depth of 5 mm. The earth should be covered with a film until the first green sprouts appear.

If a vegetative propagation method is chosen, rosettes of leaflets with roots are used. They need to be buried a little in moist soil. Plants are planted at a distance of 15-20 cm between them. The first time they should be watered. So that the immortelle does not shrink, it is seated every 3-4 years.