Unlocking the Benefits of Lavender: August's Essential Herbal Ally
- Jeannine Love
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Lavender is the herb I use more than any other – in tea blends, extracts, solar-infused oils to make lotions and salves for skincare, as well as its essential oil for aromatherapy. Lavender Festivals are held throughout the summer month's in many states, as well as in Europe, to celebrate this wonderful plant. So, Lavender is our herbal ally for August.
Lavender – August’s Herbal Ally
Botanical Information
Lavender comprises around 30 plant species within the mint family (Lamiaceae). It originates from countries along the Mediterranean but is cultivated globally in gardens. Lavender species are popular in herb gardens for their aromatic leaves and appealing flowers. These plants are small evergreen shrubs with gray-green, hoary, linear leaves. Their purple flowers are sparsely arranged on spikes at the ends of long, bare stalks, producing small nutlet fruits. The plant's fragrance is due to shining oil glands embedded among tiny star-shaped trichomes (plant hairs) that cover the flowers, leaves, and stems. In cultivation, these plants typically do not produce seeds, so propagation is achieved by cuttings or by dividing the roots.
Lavender’s History
Lavender first originated from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and India, around 2500 years ago.
Lavender was used in ancient Egypt for mummification, because of its powerful scent, which was used to mask odors; its antiseptic properties for preservation; and spiritually to purify the body for the afterlife. Lavender was often used as fragrant oils or infused into linen wrappings, with traces found in royal tombs like Tutankhamun's, signifying its high value for the elite. In fact, when King Tut’s tomb was opened, they found traces of lavender, and its scent could still be detected. The Egyptians also made perfumes with lavender.
The Romans had many uses for Lavender; they used it to help repel insects, for cooking, and in their baths for washing. As a matter of fact, they scented their public bathhouses with Lavender; the word “lavender” is derived from the Latin verb lavare, which means “to wash”.
It’s believed that Lavender was introduced to the United Kingdom several thousand years ago by the Romans. Because it’s an antiseptic, it was used to dress battle wounds. Lavender is one of the oldest perfumes used in England. In the 1500’s, Queen Elizabeth I used it both as a perfume and in her tea to treat migraines. By the time of The Great Plague in 1665, it was even thought to help protect people from becoming infected and to cure those with it.
Over the coming centuries, the use of perfume became increasingly popular, and so lavender has remained favored for its fragrance, as well as its natural healing properties, ever since.
Lavender was frequently used to aid sleep and relaxation; because it has anti-convulsive and anti-depressant properties.
The essential oil of Lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used in WWII to disinfect floors and walls.
Lavender essential oil was also used to restore hair growth.
Lavender’s Health Benefits
Lavender offers many benefits from physical to mental and emotional, as well as in skin care and aromatherapy.
Lavender is an antispasmodic and analgesic, so it's useful for pain relief, such as with tension headaches, migraines, and menstrual cramps. These properties also make it helpful as a digestive aid in relieving gas, nausea, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Lavender can be used as a natural cleaner, fighting bacteria and viruses. I make a cleaner by adding Lavender essential oil to a spray bottle with water and white vinegar.
In skincare, Lavender is used to help soothe the skin, treat acne, and promote wound healing. Caution: Lavender oil increases photosensitivity so be mindful when using the essential oil on the skin and then going out in the sun.
Lavender contains linalool, a compound known for soothing the nervous system, making it a nervine, anxiolytic, and sedative. It can assist in reducing anxiety and stress, as well as promoting restful sleep. Its calming aroma helps decrease adrenaline levels, lower heart rate, and enhance mood.
Lavender Recipes
There are many ways to use Lavender. You can take it orally as in tea form; add 1 cup of almost boiling water to a mug with 1 tablespoon of fresh lavender or 1 teaspoon of dried lavender. Let it steep for 15 minutes, strain and drink. You could also take Lavender in an herbal extract form, such as a tincture or a non-alcoholic extract. Lavender's essential oil can be inhaled directly or put into a diffuser to help relax the nervous system.
For skincare, apply the diluted oil to the skin, or make a lotion or salve with an infused oil. To make a lotion with your lavender infused oil, follow the directions for making a calendula lotion but substitute lavender oil for the calendula oil. Or make a whipped body butter or salve. I sell a rich, nourishing Calendula and Lavender Skin Cream in my shop.
You can also cook with Lavender. Try Blueberry Lavender Jam, Lavender Shortbread Cookies, or Lavender Moon Milk (recipe below).
Lavender Moon Milk
Ingredients
1 cup milk or milk alternative
1 teaspoon of dried lavender or 1 tablespoon of fresh lavender flowers
1 teaspoon of sweetener of your choice, such as honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg (a sedative)
Directions
Warm milk in a saucepan with lavender flowers until warm, not boiling.
Remove from heat, place cover on pan, and let steep for 10 minutes.
Strain milk to remove lavender flowers (line a small strainer with a piece of cheese cloth over a mug and strain the flowers from the milk). Toss the flowers or add to your compost.
Add in sweetener, vanilla, and cinnamon and nutmeg if using. Stir, sip, and enjoy a good night's sleep.
Enjoy this amazing plant!
Comments