Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is an invasive plant used for ornamental purposes and from which the Calluna vulgaris flower extract is the extract obtained by drying the leaves and flowers of the small perennial plant of the same name, Calluna vulgaris L. Hull, which belongs to the Ericaceae family and is also called common heather or Scotch heather or Ling plant. 

It is one of the most widespread ornamental plants in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. It can reach one metre in height and flowers from May to October with deep pink or purple flowers distributed in long clusters.

The extract appears as a fine powder with a dark yellow to brown colour.

What it is used for and where

Medical

Calluna vulgaris has long been known and used by traditional medical science for the therapeutic potential of its phenolic compounds in an interesting phytochemical profile (1): 

• phenolic acids: coumarin, caffeic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, chlorogenic acid
• fatty acids: linolenic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid
• flavonoids: kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, luteolin, isoquercetin
• and in addition: tannins, glycosides, terpenoids, triterpenoids, catechins.

which gives this plant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, chemoprotective activity. and the flowers contain the highest nutritional value, so much so that it is used as an integral part of the pastoral resource in Europe. However, all these positive activities depend on a whole range of factors: season, altitude, climate. Entering the specific field of its health activity, it should be noted that scientific literature has shown that the components of this plant also have other important specific activities: against the hepatitis C virus (2), gout (3), excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays (4), urinary tract infections (5).

Cosmetics

The biophenol content and antioxidant capacity of Calluna vulgaris extract respond to the growing need to replace synthetic compounds commonly used in cosmetics to preserve products and prevent their deterioration. On the skin, it has an anti-inflammatory effect on cytokine cells (tiny proteins that act as communication agents of the immune system) by protecting the stratum corneum from UV rays and inhibiting its induced peroxidation.

Calluna vulgaris studies

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Allais, D. P., Simon, A., Bennini, B., Chulia, A. J., Kaouadji, M., & Christiane, D. (1991). Flavone and flavonol glycosides from Calluna vulgaris. Phytochemistry, 30(9), 3099-3101.

Monschein, M., Iglesias Neira, J., Kunert, O., & Bucar, F. (2010). Phytochemistry of heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) and its altitudinal alteration. Phytochemistry Reviews, 9(2), 205-215.

Rodrigues F, Moreira T, Pinto D, Pimentel FB, Costa ASG, Nunes MA, Gonçalves Albuquerque T, S Costaa H, Palmeira-de-Oliveira A, Oliveira AI, Sut S, Dall'Acqua S, Oliveira MBPP. The phytochemical and bioactivity profiles of wild Calluna vulgaris L. flowers. Food Res Int. 2018 Sep;111:724-731. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.06.012. 

(2) García-Risco MR, Vázquez E, Sheldon J, Steinmann E, Riebesehl N, Fornari T, Reglero G. Supercritical fluid extraction of heather (Calluna vulgaris) and evaluation of anti-hepatitis C virus activity of the extracts. Virus Res. 2015 Feb 16;198:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.12.022. 

(3) Vostinaru, O., Dinte, E., Soran, M. L., Lung, I., Opris, O., & Mogosan, C. (2018). Evaluation of the Anti-Gout Potential of Calluna vulgaris L.(Ericaceae) in Rats. Records of Natural Products, 12(5).

(4) Olteanu ED, Filip A, Clichici S, Daicoviciu D, Achim M, Postescu ID, Bolfa P, Bolojan L, Vlase L, Muresan A. Photochemoprotective effect of Calluna vulgaris extract on skin exposed to multiple doses of ultraviolet B in SKH-1 hairless mice. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol. 2012;31(3):233-43. doi: 10.1615/jenvironpatholtoxicoloncol.v31.i3.50.

(5) Vučić DM, Petković MR, Rodić-Grabovac BB, Stefanović OD, Vasić SM, Comić LR. In vitro activity of heather [Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull] extracts on selected urinary tract pathogens. Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2014 Nov 15;14(4):234-8. doi: 10.17305/bjbms.2014.4.40.