Description

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender essential oil is one of the most favorite essential oils, as it has wonderful qualities and also smells great. It is a calming, relaxing oil, which combats stress and crisis, while the antiseptic properties helps with cold, flu and other ailments. Lavender essential oil is excellent for asthma and migraines. Apart from that it supports female health and on the skin it has a healing effect, while preventing scarring and balancing the skin.

Lavender Essential Oil properties

Lavender essential oil has a light fresh aroma, is clear in color and watery in viscosity

Origin of lavender essential oil

It is an evergreen woody shrub about 1 meter high (3 feet), with gray-green narrow linear leaves and the most beautiful purple-blue flowers, perched on a long stem and a few varieties of it grow wild in the Mediterranean region, but the main producer is France.

The name is derived from the Latin word ‘lavera’ which means ‘to wash’ and the Romans used it frequently in their bath routine, and it is said to have been introduced by them into England, where it soon was a firm favorite.

It was a favorite for strewing on the floor, since it released an aroma when walked upon and it is often used these days in toilet water, as an insecticide or in sachets to be placed between linen. It is also used to clean wounds and to treat burns.

Extraction

The leaves and stalks are used for extraction, and the oil is obtained through steam distillation.

Chemical composition

Lavender essential oil is extracted from the flowering tops by steam distillation and yields 1.4 % – 1.6 %.

Precautions

Although lavender essential oil is considered one of the safest essential oils, you should discontinue use is you have any allergic reactions.

Therapeutic properties

The therapeutic properties of lavender essential oil are antiseptic, analgesic, anti-convulsant, anti-depressant, anti-rheumatic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, bactericide, carminative, cholagogue, cicatrisant, cordial, cytophylactic, decongestant, deodorant, diuretic, emmenagogue, hypotensive, nervine, rubefacient, sedative, sudorific and vulnerary.

Uses

Lavender essential oil has a soothing and calming effect on the nerves, relieving tension, depression, panic, hysteria and nervous exhaustion in general and is effective for headaches, migraines and insomnia. Add a few drops in bath water daily.

It is also very beneficial for problems such as bronchitis, asthma, colds, laryngitis, halitosis, throat infections and whooping cough and helps the digestive system deal with colic, nausea, vomiting and flatulence.

Lavender essential oil relieves pain when used for rheumatism, arthritis, lumbago and muscular aches and pains, especially those associated with sport.

On the skin, lavender essential oil tones and revitalizes and it is useful for all types of skin problems such as abscesses, acne, oily skin, boils, burns, sunburn, wounds, psoriasis, lice, insect bites, stings and also acts as an insect repellent.

Lavender essential oil is one of the few essentials oils that can be used neat on the skin, and this is especially useful when treating a minor burn wound.