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What is it?

The distinctive, fragrant, purple flowers of Lavender, the wonderful little shrub that grows all over the world with its woody, crooked, flaky branches that give off straight, four-sided stems producing narrow, pale leaves and copious amounts of flowers.

How has it been used?

Medicinally speaking Lavender as a herb that has comparatively little usage as in internal treatment these days but historically it was frequently used for depression and exhaustion, and for sleeplessness and irritability.

Lavender oil is prized by all people who work with essential oils having multiple uses and indications.

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Personal experiences

The founder of modern Aromatherapy, the French chemist Jean Valnet, was working in his laboratory late one night and badly burnt his hand on the flame of a Bunsen Burner. He had a beaker of Lavender oil that he had been working with and, knowing that the herb had a folk reputation for burns, scalds etc, he put the burnt part of his hand into the oil and kept it there for a time. The consequent healing and lack of damage to his hand was so remarkable that he went on to devote his life to exploring the virtues of essential oils and later wrote one of the great seminal books on the subject.

I had a chance to put that story to the test some years ago when I was making pizza for my family and had just taken a metal tray preheated to 200 degrees Celsius out of the oven. At that moment my children started telling about something and when I turned back from them I forgot that I had a scorchingly hot piece of metal in front of me. I picked It up with one hand and began carrying it across the kitchen before my brain finally got the message from my fingers…

My hand should have been quite badly burned by this but copious amounts of lavender oil not only stopped them getting damaged, it was also remarkably good at taking away away the pain of the burn.

I have used Lavender oil for my own family for everything; insect bites, little cuts, sun-burn, acne spots, scrapes and grazes (I have 5 children; we have gone through a lot of Lavender).

I mostly use Lavender as the essential oil. This is the one oil that is quite safe to put directly on the skin without it being too strong and potentially doing some damage. Only people with very delicate skin need worry about diluting Lavender oil with water and even then they will probably be fine everywhere but the face. I also use Lavender as a dried herb and in tincture form but I think that small internal doses are much better tolerated than large ones. When combining with other herbs the amount should be such that the Lavender can be detected but does not overpower the other smells or tastes. There are some people who seem particularly responsive to the smell of Lavender. A small amount of the herb in tea or tinture form can be a very effective aid for anxiety or sleeplessness for such folks.

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Lavender in history

The history of lavender has over 2500 years of recorded use. The plant was sold by Greek traders around 600 bc to the Hyeres Islands off of France. Then it spread to France, Italy, and Spain. Lavender's first recorded arrival on the North American continent was by the English Pilgrims in the 1600s. The Egyptians used lavender for mummification. They even made stills to extract the oil. The Phoenicians used lavender in bathing, perfumed oils, cooking and to freshen the air. The word lavender comes from the latin word 'lavare', which means to wash. Romans would use lavender oil on their hair, bodies, and in the public baths. Roman soldiers used lavender for healing wounds and to fight infections.

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