Oleum helanthi annui

Oleum Helanthi annui, the officinal sunflower (seed) oil (DAC) is a light yellow fatty oil obtained from the ripe fruits by half pressing or extraction. Sunflower oil is poorly soluble in ethanol, but easily soluble in ether, benzene and chloroform.

39% oleic acid, 34% alpha linolenic acid, 13% beta linolenic acid, 4% glycerol, 9% saturated fatty acids(palmitic, stearic, arachidic, linoceric acid). Furthermore carotenoids and lecithin.

The oil is considered an excellent and valuable edible oil.

It is still widely used in cosmetics under the INCI designation "sunflower see oil". The sunflower oil is produced by means of various methods. The sunflower oil is also used in cosmetic formulations and soaps:

Helianthus annuus seed acid, the extract from the flowers and seeds of the sunflower.

Helianthus annuus seed extract, the extract from the seeds of the sunflower.

Helianthus annuus seed oil is the oil extracted from the seeds of the sunflower by cold pressing.

Helianthus annuus seed oil unsaponifiables is the residue left over from the saponification of sunflower oil as "unsaponifiable".

1. Burger A et al (1993) Hunnius Pharmaceutical Dictionary 7th Edition Walter de Gruyter Berlin-New York p. 664