On St. Luke’s Day in the 14 and 1500s, young maidens sipped lavender in hopes that they would be granted a dream in which they would see their true love. Lavender tucked under the pillows of young men was thought to encourage them to ask for a lady’s hand in marriage. And completing the circle, lavender was used by wives to ensure their “husband’s marital passion.” — from Our Herb Garden
Lavender (lavandula augustifolia)(true lavender) is a shrubby evergreen bush with flowers of various shades of lavender to purple.
Part used: flowering tops, harvested in midsummer
Where it is grown in the world (altitude, soil, etc.) will have an effect on its properties.
Oil appearance: colorless to yellow-tinged
Therapeutic uses: inflammatory conditions, skin infections, wounds, cuts, grazes, rashes, itching, stress-related eczema, nervous psoriasis, sunburn, burns, muscle spasms and contractions, abdominal cramps, headaches, migraine, insomnia, nervousness, acne, pimples, insect bites, stress, tension, anxiety, panic
Precautions: none known; GRAS
Note: lavendula latifolia (spike lavender) is grown at lower altitudes than true lavender and produces three times as much oil as true lavender. It is often used as a dilutant for true lavender. It has many of the same properties as true lavender.
RECIPES
2 Anxiety Blends
For tense anxiety (body tension, muscle pain, aches, sore body)
Clary sage EO 10 drops
Lavender EO 15 drops
Chamomile EO 5 drops
For apprehensive anxiety (unease, apprehension, worrying, brooding, over-anxiousness, paranoia, sense of foreboding)
Bergamot EO 15 drops
Lavender EO 5 drops
Geranium EO 10 drops
For either one, blend the 3 EOs by rolling in a bottle
For a body oil, add 15-30 drops of the blend in each fluid oz (30 ml) of a carrier oil (eg sweet almond)
For use in bath/shower/diffusers, no carrier oil is used
Hmmm, a bath with lavender… relaxing just thinking about!
L is for Landscapes
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🙂
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That’s a whole lot of information about lavender.
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Hoping you enjoyed the information 🙂
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I love the scent of lavender! The monks in Tihany, the oldest monastery in Hungary grow lavender fields, and sell all kinds of things, including lavender ice cream… 😀 They even have a lavender festival!
The Multicolored Diary
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That festival sounds like a lot of fun. I can’t imagine how good it would smell near a lavender field, and oh my, the hum of the choir of bees!
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Nothing like the scent of lavender…. (K)
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I like Lavender air freshener.
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It helps me relax and takes away minor aches and pains in my feet and legs.
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Great, Sadje. I used a recipe for a foot soak the other night that was awesome. It had sea salt, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and lavender in it.
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I have a foot soak with lavender but the baking soda makes my skin too soft and it breaks easily.
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Ah good to know!
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👍
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Another favourite of mine! Now this one’s easy to grow here – I have English and French varieties in my garden. I dry the flowers for pot pourri.
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Glad to hear it. I know it will grow here in MI as well but for some reason I’ve never had it in the yard.
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I simply adore the fragrance of lavender, and it’s easy to grow in pots on my balcony too!
L is for …
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Another one of nature’s gifts to us!
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I keep lavender seed cushions in my cupboards and in between linen. Love lavender flowers and its scent.
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I’ve used them that way before as well, and it does give the linens a fresh scent. It may be an insect repellent also, not sure.
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I love the fragrance of lavender and also that purple shade. Wonderful to learn about its uses.
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Of the oils I’ve bought since the beginning of my interest (Feb of this year) lavender is one I use more than the others. Geranium is the other one.
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Lavender was the first EO I ever tried. It was in a mist that I sprayed on my pillow and face before bed. Now every night before bed, if I have the Grands I put lavender cream on them. They like the touch and I like the full night’s rest.
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Awwwww that is so wonderful about your Grands. They will think of you every time they encounter it in life ❤
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Awe ❤ I hope so.
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I expected your L to be about Lavender – it had to.
I’m probably the only person who doesn’t like the smell of it, it almost gives me a headache. And it’s too bad, too. I am in need of calm and relaxation!
My L is about Switzerland’s beautiful lakes.
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-z-2020-switzerland-lakes.html
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Tamara, it’s a very strong scent, easy to overpower. There are a LOT of essential oils that can bring calm and relaxation. Do some research and find one to use in the diffuser to help!
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I always have lavender oil on hand. Years ago, I burned the palm of my hand pretty bad. I would say a second degree burn, but it covered several inches. It hurt so bad, but all I had was a bottle of French lavender essential oil. I didn’t have time to dilute it, so I just poured it on. The next day I just went on with business as usual. It wasn’t until quite a while later that I remembered I had burned myself because there was nothing there, not even a scar.
I know they say not to use undiluted oil, but I do it quite a bit (in small quantities). I react very well to natural substances and never had a problem. I would never ingest any though.
Also, if you can’t sleep, dab some lavender eo on your wrists before going to bed.
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Alexandra, I read that about lavender, and it’s good to hear it confirmed by you that it’s a miraculous healer for burns. I have been using it in the diffuser quite a bit for sleep.
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Lavender certainly has wide appeal. As a natural perfumer I’ll attest to the fact that different lavenders have different scent profiles. That makes it fun to experiment and blend with.
I love the folklore about lavender. It’s often used in dream pillows even today.
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The Worwood book has a good section on the art of perfume. It looks like a fun thing to get into.
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Lavender smells heavenly and great to know so many uses of it.
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The lady who gave the talk at the library who got me started on essential oils said lavender is her go-to oil for everything!
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Indeed, it can be used in so many ways.
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We have a lovely lavender farm nearby. Walking in their fields is a dream, and their gift shop contains a little of everything lavendaer.
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You don’t live in Michigan do you?
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Lavender is my all time favorite! Cheers and be well!
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Thanks, Kathe!
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Recently I’ve started using lavender everything. And, I’m quite sure that a relaxing agent is just what we need right now! 🙂
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Uh-huh 🙂 Good for you, Sascha.
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I love lavender 🙂
An A-Z of Faerie: Galno
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It has many uses!
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