Elecampane real

Elecampane (Inula helenium) is a perennial herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family, originally native to Central Asia and now native to almost all of Europe, which grows up to 2.5 m tall and has leaves with tomentose hairs on the underside and yellow flowers up to 7 cm wide. Elecampane is one of the oldest medicinal plants, used by the Greeks and Romans in ancient times. In the past, elecampane was often used as a spice.

As a medicinal plant it is only cultivated as an annual or overwintering annual. The dried and crushed rhizome with roots is used phytotherapeutically. see under Helenii rhizoma.

Commission E: - Negative overall assessment (efficacy not sufficiently proven, high allergy potential)

ESCOP: - no processing

HMPC: - no processing

Elecampane is stem plant of Helenii rhizoma the elecampane rhizome, from dried and crushed rhizome with roots. For this, there is a negative monograph of the Commission E.

About 17 different sesquiterpene lactones including helenalin have been identified so far in the aerial parts of the plant and 6 in the roots.
Alantolactone and isoalactone play an important role as contact allergens.
Epicutaneous test: for this purpose a short ether extract 0.1% is prepared in vaseline. Alantolactone is tested 0.01-0.1% in petrolatum; isoalantolactone 0.1% in petrolatum. The irritation threshold is low. Direct testing of plant parts is not recommended.

Cross-reactions are also found with chrysanthemum, sunflower as well as with nodding two-tooth.

Alant was used as a panacea in the Middle Ages. Both the roots and the leaves were used as a cough remedy, for diseases of the throat and as a vermifuge. The earlier use for skin diseases was largely abandoned. This was mainly due to the contact sensitizing properties of the extracts.

1. Aberer W et al. (1990) Active sensitization to elecampane by patch testing with a crude plant extract. Cont. Derm22:53-55
2. Arberer W (2008) Contact allergy and medicinal plants. JDDG 6: 15-24
3. Hausen BM, Vieluf K (1997) Allergy plants, plant allergens. Ecomed Verlag Landsberg (Munich) 81-82
4. https://pflanzen.fnr.de/industriepflanzen/arzneipflanzen/pflanzen-datenbank
5. Blaschek W (2015) Wichtl-Teedrogens and phytopharmaceuticals. A handbook for practitioners. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft Munich. S 320-321