Lavender Essence
Description
© Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
LAVENDER (Lavandula augustifolia/officinalis)
Family: Labiatae (mint)
Source: The Essential oil is obtained from flowers.
Fragrance:: Highly-scented, sweet, camphor (English lavender), fruity (French).
Volatility: Middle note.
General description and habitat:
This well-known, garden favorite, is an evergreen, fragrant shrub which tolerates quite sparse conditions; it can reach up to 3 feet in height; it is woody with narrow gray leaves and blue-gray flowers on long stems. There are numerous varieties.
Mostly grown commercially in France, Spain, Bulgaria, former USSR and England - not to be confused with lavandin, a cross.
Principal constituents:
Borneol, geraneol, linalool, geranyle, linalyl, pinene, limonene, phenol.
History
History and folk use:
The Ancients used lavender for medicine as well as perfume - adding it to bathwater, hence its name, derived from the Latin lavare. In the twelfth century Hildegarde of Bingen wrote a whole chapter on it in her book and it was grown in monastery gardens in Europe in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Properties & Uses
General properties:
Stimulant, tonic, stomachic, carminative, antispasmodic, antiseptic, diuretic, vulnerary, circulatory, anti-inflammatory, balancing, detoxifying, uplifting, relaxing.
Primary Uses:
| Burns, | Circulatory, |
| Emotional, | Genito-urinary conditions, |
| Headaches, | Heartburn / Indigestion, |
| Skin problems, | Strained muscle. |
Secondary Uses:
| Aches & Pains, | Acne, | Aging, |
| Allergy, | Anal Fistula, | Anorexia, |
| Arthritis, | Athlete’s Foot, | Boils & Carbuncles, |
| Bronchitis, | Bruises, | Catarrh, |
| Chilblains, | Childbirth, | Colds, |
| Colic, | Colitis, | Coughs, |
| Cystitis, | Depression, | Dermatitis, |
| Diarrhea, | Earache, | Eczema, |
| Enuresis, | Exhaustion, | Fainting, |
| Fast Breath, | Fever, | Fibromyalgia, |
| Flatulence, | Hair Loss, | Herpes, |
| High Blood Pressure, | Hysteria, | Immune System, |
| Inflammation, | Influenza, | Insomnia, |
| Irritability, | Liver, | Mature Skin, |
| Menopause, | Menstrual Problems, | Migraine, |
| Mononucleosis, | Mood Swings, | Motion Sickness, |
| Nausea, | Oily And Open Pores, | Oversensitivity, |
| Palpitations, | Panic, | PMS, |
| Psoriasis, | Rejuvenation, | Rheumatism, |
| Rhinitis, | Scabies, | Shortness Of Breath, |
| Sinusitis, | Sprains, | Stiffness, |
| Stomach Pains, | Strains, | Sunburn, |
| Throat Infection, | Thrush, | Tonsillitis, |
| Ulcers, | Urination(Difficulty), | Vertigo, |
| Vomiting, | Water Retention, | Whooping Cough. |
Recommended daily dosages in Germany are as follows:
1 - 4 drops of Lavender oil on a sugar cube.
20 - 100 g of the herb for a 5 gallon bath.
References:
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Contraindications
If serious risk of miscarriage, not to be used during first four months of pregnancy. Not to be used with chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer.
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