# _Helichrysum arenarium_: From Cultivation to Application
## 3 Area of Spread, Cultivation Techniques, and Applications
In vitro techniques guarantee high genetic stability and an increased probability to obtain a sterile culture [14]. [PERSON] et al., 2016 have improved the in vitro propagation using sandy everlasting explants of apical buds and have shown the highest number of shoots (24.7) were obtained on Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium with 5 mg/L kinetin and 0.5 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid [12]. Another study that used root explants reported a significant increase in shoot proliferation (25.77 shoots per explant) in a medium with 1 mg/L 6-benzyladenine [13]. Using a different micropropagation method on MS and Gamborg media with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacyacetic acid, primary and secondary calluses were obtained [11]. Compared to other plants, the \(H\). _arenarium_ in vitro propagation techniques have not received considerable attention. Therefore, more studies are required, particularly in countries where this plant is no longer available in the wild or is subject to legal limitations. For instance, the commercial cultivation of \(H\). _arenarium_ using traditional methods is illegal in Poland and only plant tissue and cell culture techniques are allowed to obtain clonal propagation material [8; 13]. French researchers [11] took the same strategy that encouraged the use of biotechnologies to save this species from extinction. Accimatization techniques are another issue for the growth of sandy everlasting under ex vitro conditions. [PERSON] et al., 2016 increased the efficiency of plant acclimatization from 56 to 75% using MS water solution (25%) for irrigation which enables a higher survival rate for plantlets transferred to the greenhouse environment and later to field conditions [12]. [PERSON] et al. [35] performed a large experiment during growing seasons (from 2003 to 2005) to evaluate the response capacity of \(H\). _arenarium_ cultures in the conditions of a fallow field on barren soil. They concluded that several factors associated with the presence of fungi mycorrhiza decisively influence potential and actual fertility as well as the development of the amount of biomass. In addition, it was proved that pluviothermal conditions during the blooming period influence the reproduction processes, and they are more important than population age and the level of fungi root colonization [35]. The former Soviet Union countries, Poland, and Turkey are the market's primary suppliers of \"sandy plants\" [43]. Plants of this species are used as flower industry ornaments, particularly in natural gardens or for fresh and dry bouquet arrangements because the flowers retain their natural colors for a long time after drying. The plant was previously used as a home remedy against moths due to its distinct, insect-repellent odor [44]. However, the most important applications of the sandy everlasting plants are in the pharmaceutical industry and that is related to the main constituents of the plant inflorescance--polyphenols, especially flavonoids in the form of glycosides. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties are linked to the phenolic content. Other studies have focused on volatile compounds, such as the essential oil of \(H\). _arenarium_, which has antimicrobialproperties. Because of the high concentration of active organic compounds in _Helichrysi arenarii flos_ (_Helichrysum arenarium_ inflorescence), the plant is used in phytotherapy. [PERSON] and collaborators [45] have highlighted that various plant compounds, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, are important in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries.