Julie's Aromatherapy Plant Roadshow - French Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)

Everyone's favourite - French Lavender!

Lavender, distilled from the flowers and leaves of the herb, is a widely used Essential Oil which is an effective anti-depressant. It is a good "balancer" so it is useful in helping people to recover from mood "swings.

It is a well known treatment for insomnia and it is equally good for relieving tension headaches. It has a restorative, tonic effect which makes it useful for treating individuals with debilitating fatigue or lethargy. It is an effective pain killer and anti-spasmodic so it is valuable in treating tension related "aches and pains" as well as the pain associated with arthritic or rheumatic conditions.

Also used for insect bites, chilblains, varicose veins and cellulite.

Blends well with:
Lemon, Bergamot, Geranium and Sandalwood

Historical Note:
The name derives from the Roman 'Lavare' which means "to cleanse". In Pagan times it was burnt as sacred protection against harmful spirits. Lavender was popular in the monastic medicinal gardens of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Gerard in his Sixteenth Century
Herbal said that flowers helped to cure "lovesickness" and all pains and "maladies of the head".
The Victorians lined their hats with it to ward off headaches. In the First World War it was used as an antiseptic for wounds and as a drug to ease psychological pain and to induce sleep.