Potpourri. Tea. Bath salts. Burn ointment. So much more.
If there is one Essential Oil to have in your Aromatherapy kit, it is Lavender. Often referred to as the ‘Mother of Essential Oils’, the uses for Lavender are varied and vast.
I recall as a child, the smell of Lavender worn by my mother. A powder puff in a container of Lavender talcum powder or a bottle of Lavender eau de cologne sitting on her dresser was a common sight. I thought Lavender was just a perfume. I had no idea how surprisingly versatile and complex Lavender could be.
The history of Lavender is long and storied. Around 2500 years ago, Lavender originated in the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. In ancient Egypt, Lavender was used in perfume and to preserve in their mummification process. In fact, Lavender was even found in King Tut’s tomb and still bore traces of the aroma.
Prior to World War I, Lavender was typically grown wild in the fields of France and Italy and distilled exclusively from those naturally growing plants. Today, Lavender and hybrids of it are grown in many countries, including here in North America. Lavender farms abound and the sight of fields of purple flowers and the scent in the air is a sensory experience to behold.
Lavender, a perennial, aromatic herb, is likely the one Essential Oil that anyone could name, and most people have used in some manner. Often grown in home gardens, its floral scent is used in sachets, potpourris, soaps, perfumes, and body lotions. It makes its way into teas, culinary recipes of syrups, marinades, and baked goods.
Lavender rose to prominence in the early 1900’s when a French chemist named René-Maurice Gattefossé confirmed his suspicions that Lavender possessed both antiseptic and healing properties. Owner of a perfume factory, Gattefossé was asked by the South-East Agricultural Union to promote and cultivate Lavender, and as a result brought Lavender to the forefront advocating its therapeutic benefits. Unfortunately, for Gattefossé, he discovered through personal experience just how beneficial Lavender could be in the healing process. After an explosion in the lab, he suffered serious burns and when nothing else could ease his pain and discomfort, he turned to Lavender. The results were astounding and as a result, Gattefossé continued to promote the benefits of Essential Oils, wrote many papers and books, and was the first to coin the term ‘aromatherapie’ in 1928. In the world of Aromatherapy, he is considered one of the forefathers of contemporary Aromatherapy.
The flowering tops of Lavandula angustifolia, the botanical name of Lavender, are the part of the plant used to extract the oils from during a process known as steam distillation. Steam is injected into a still of flowers, passes through the plant material releasing vapours through a condenser, which then cools it back to liquid. The Lavender oil remains on top, while the Lavender water remaining below the oil, is known as a ‘hydrolat’. Hydrolats, sometimes referred to as Hydrosols, are byproducts of the distillation process and beneficial in Aromatherapy.
Hydrolats contain the same benefits as the oil but are much gentler. For the very young, elderly or health-comprised individuals, Hydrolats are often all that is required to achieve desired results.
It is not surprising that Lavender finds its way into so many homes, residing both in our medical supplies and in our beauty products. It seems to work for everything. Well, not everything but it certainly is versatile and can offer relief of both physical and emotional aspects simultaneously.
Generally considered safe, Lavender Oil is non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing and has no known contraindications with medications or other supplements. This makes Lavender an ideal solution for so many physical and emotional conditions.
Lavender, in a topical or inhalation application is:
- A gentle option for children, suitable for baths or massage to soothe and calm for restful sleep. Also helpful for colic, diaper rash, cradle cap and other childhood issues.
- Helpful for the elderly or those in long-term and palliative care settings providing sedative and relaxing properties, analgesic properties to ease pain, and soothing for skin conditions and bruises.
- Effective as an insecticide and for treating insect bites and stings.
- Nourishing in body butter, relaxing in a bath, cleansing in facial cleansers, soaps and more.
- Analgesic in nature for easing pain.
- Supportive of skin health providing relief to burns, skin infections and skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.
Decades of positive results using Lavender has successfully surfaced it as an Essential Oil that has been involved in many pharmacological studies as the medical and scientific community seek to test the many properties of Lavender. Studies in the efficacy of Lavender for treating pain, anxiety, headaches, dementia, inflammation, menstrual issues, wounds and sleep or relaxation have been undertaken and continue to be researched. This is good news for Lavender and other Essential Oils.
The popularity of Lavender does have one negative downside though in that not all Lavender is pure. In fact, Lavender is one of the most commonly adulterated Essential Oils, whereby addition of or substitution of similar oils, most notably Lavandin, are combined with true Lavender to create a diluted product. While this is difficult to curb, purchasing Lavender Essential Oil from a reputable supplier to the industry, working with your Aromatherapist, and reading labels looking for authenticity does help.
Lavender Oil can be utilized in so many ways for the betterment of our holistic selves that it is the one Essential Oil you should include in your health and beauty regimen. It is certainly one of my favourite and most trusted, oils. Maybe it’s yours too.
Join me next time for ‘The Nose Knows’, understanding our association with smell.
Until then, be well, be beautiful.
Elaine