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General Description
Lavender Essential Oil has a wealth of uses and is by far the most popular essential oil used in modern day Aromatherapy. Grown throughout Europe, the biggest producer is France. The best Lavender available for aroma and therapeutic purposes is High Altitude Lavender which grows between 700 and 1400 meters above sea level.
History
Of all the Essential Oil Profiles I have written so far it is fair to say that Lavender has the most documented history, my research has enabled me to go back 2,500 years! The name of the plant derives from the Latin 'lavare' which means to wash, evidence suggests that the Romans used it for personal bathing, treating wounds as well as using it to scent the air they breathed. The Egyptians are said to have used Lavender as a perfume and for mummification purposes.
It was the French Rene Maurice Gattefosse's observation of the dramatic healing effect of Lavender Oil when he burnt his hand in a laboratory accident that led him to research essential oils in greater depth, and eventually to coin the word 'aromatherapy'. Dr. Jean Valnet used Lavender Oil to treat serious burns and war injuries when he was a French army surgeon. Lavender is both antiseptic and analgesic, which makes it an ideal choice for treating burns and all kinds of injuries. It also promotes rapid healing, and helps to prevent scarring.
In an apocryphal book of the Bible, the story tells us that Judith anointed herself with perfumes including Lavender before seducing Holofernes, the enemy commander. This allowed Judith to murder him and thus save the City of Jerusalem. The overwhelming power of this seductive scent was also used by Cleopatra to seduce Julius Cesaer and Mark Antony. Its holy reputation may have increased during the Great Plague in London in the 17th century, it was suggested that a bunch of Lavender fastened to each wrist would protect the wearer against the deadly disease. Furthermore, grave-robbers were known to wash in Four Thieves Vinegar, which contained Lavender, rarely contracted the disease.
Another ancient Christian reference to Lavender involves how it got its scent. The plant is believed to have been taken from the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. However, the powerful perfume came later. According to legend, the clothing of baby Jesus bestowed the scent when Mother Mary laid them upon a bush to dry. This may explain why the plant is also regarded as a holy safeguard against evil, many Christian households at this time hung a cross of lavender was over the door for protection.
Extraction
Lavender has a multitude of uses and an incredibly complex chemical structure as well! Lavender Essential Oil is obtained by steam distillation. The active constituents of the oil include the ethers of linalyl and geranyl, geraniol, linalol, cineol, d-borneol, limonene, 1-pinene, caryophyllene, the esters of butyric acid and valerianic acid, and coumarin. The proportion of the various constituents will vary as they are subject to growing conditions. For example, after a dry and hot summer, the oil will have a higher proportion of esters than after a dull one, and Alpine Lavender is always higher in esters than plants grown at lower altitudes.
Aromatherapy Uses of Lavender Essential Oil
There are several varieties of Lavender Essential Oil in cultivation which are of use medicinally, and confusion sometimes arises over the names of the various species. In Aromatherapy it is Lavender with the botanical name ‘lavendula angustifolium’ that is most used.
Analgesic, antiseptic and antibiotic, Lavender Oil is a valuable treatment for colds, coughs, catarrh and sinusitis. The most effective form of treatment being a steam inhalation, steam alone - as hot as you can bear it without risking scalding your throat — is an effective anti-viral agent, and with oil of Lavender added, it can soothe, decongest and attack the bacteria which cause secondary infections, leading to catarrh and sinusitis following colds or flu. Lavender is also an effective sedative, so such an inhalation, used last thing at night, will aid sleep, and this in itself will help recovery. A little oil of Lavender (neat) can be massaged into the throat to relieve a tickly cough. The sedative action of Lavender Essential Oil will calm the tickle, and the warmth of the body will release some of the volatile oil to be breathed in, and this will work on the cause of the cough - the infection in the respiratory tract.
Massaged into the temples, Lavender Oil will relieve many forms of headache. If this alone does not help, a cold compress of Lavender can be placed on the forehead or back of the neck.
One of the most important uses of Lavender Essential Oil is for the relief of muscular pain, whatever the cause. It is best used in a massage oil, either alone or preferably blended with another oil, such as Bergamot or Sweet Marjoram, for Lavender is not only enhanced in its action by being mixed with other essential oils, but also heightens the action of any oil with which it is mixed. If there is nobody available who can give massage, an aromatic bath with Lavender Essential Oil will also give an enormous amount of relief to muscular pain following exercise, or arising from tension. Low back pain can be helped in this way, providing it is first established that the pain is muscular in origin, and does not arise from any spinal irregularity (it is as well to have this checked by in osteopath or chiropractor before undertaking treatment). The same methods can be used to relieve the pain of rheumatism, sciatica, arthritis, because of the multiple action of Lavender Oil in reducing pain locally, lowering the reaction to pain of the central nervous system, reducing inflammation and toning the system generally.
From the aesthetic point of view, Lavender blends well with many other oils, particularly some of the other flower oils, such as Geranium and Rose, and with citrus oils such as Bergamot; and Mandarin as well as some of the other members of its own plant family - the labiatae - such as Marjoram and Rosemary.
Lavender is one of the most valuable oils for the treatment of acne, most often in combination with Bergamot. It inhibits the bacteria which cause the skin infection, while soothing the skin, helping to balance the over-secretion of sebum, which the bacteria thrive on, and helping to reduce scarring. Lavender is one of the two essential oils which most powerfully stimulate the growth of healthy new cells - Neroli is the other, although all essential oils share this property to some extent. Lavender will also help many cases of eczema, although Chamomile or Melissa True may be the first choice of oil in some cases. All three of these oils share the qualities of being calming, soothing and antidepressant, so they act on the emotional factors which so often underlie the physical manifestation of eczema.
The insect repellent and insecticidal properties of Lavender have been used for many centuries to protect clothes and household linens from moth and other small pests, and to delicately perfume the linens at the same time. Lavender Essential Oil (perhaps mixed with Bergamot or Lemon) applied to the skin will help you to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, midges and other insects, but if you should get bitten or stung, a little of the neat oil, applied as soon as possible to the skin, will take the pain out of the sting (even better when blended in Aloe Vera), and help to stop the irritation spreading and infection entering at the puncture point. The oil can also be used to help keep animals free from fleas, and to treat infestations of head-lice. It is also used in treating scabies - once found only in rural areas (where the miniscule parasite is harbored by sheep in their wool) but now occurring increasingly in towns. Lavender is fungicidal, too, and valuable in treating such infections as athlete's foot and ringworm.
On the psychological plane the actions of Lavender can be seen to 'mirror' many of its physical effects. Because of its primarily balancing nature, it is of great value in helping people who are in tin unbalanced emotional state - hysteria, manic depression or widely fluctuating moods. Massage of either side of the spine with Lavender can help profoundly in such situations, and here the physical touch of the therapist is also a very important part of the healing process. Lavender baths are also very useful - both between treatments and as a very valuable and effective form of sell-help. People who are depressed and/or anxious will benefit from using Lavender in the bath, particularly at night. Insomnia is one of the states for which Lavender is the supreme choice of essential oil, whether the causes are physical discomfort or mental stress, anxiety or an over-active brain at night. While an aromatic bath is probably the very best method of use, a few drops of the oil on a hankie, or on the pillow case can also be very effective. One or two drops on a nightie or pyjamas will often soothe a sleepless child.
Safety Data
Very safe when used within the normal therapeutic guidelines. Some people with low blood pressure may feel a bit dull and drowsy after using this oil. It is an emmenagogue too, so best avoided in the early months of pregnancy.
