Lavender not only smells good, but it can also help
you look and feel great! This fragrant herb has been
used to treat skin lesions, calm anxiety and support
your immune system.

Lavender is as old as humankind. Traced back 2,500
years, this beautifully-scented herb has been used in
many ways.

Did you know lavender was also used in ancient times
to tame lions and tigers? Perhaps ancient peoples
intuitively knew what researchers are now finding out
about lavender...it calms anxiety and provides
natural stress relief. And that's not all -- lavender
has a long list of medicinal properties, making it a
natural health wonder!

These days, lavender is enjoying renewed popularity as
an alternative to conventional drug treatments.

Lavender and Relaxation

Lavender is known as a calming and relaxing herb,
bringing about balance (physically and emotionally)
and has frequently been used for insomnia, anxiety,
depression, and natural stress relief.

One recent study discovered that the scent of lavender
increases the time you spend in deep (slow wave)
sleep, though the effects were stronger for women than
for men. Other findings suggest that lavender reduces
the severity of depression when taken concurrently
with an antidepressant.

Lavender diffused into the air at the office or home,
can increase accuracy and concentration. During
intense concentration, diffusing lavender into the air
can cause a 20% decrease in errors. Diffused during
testing, test scores increased by as much as 50%. It
has been found to reduce mental stress and increase
alertness.

While lavender aromatherapy can help with your sleep
and mood, it also has a wide range of health benefits.

Lavender and Your Health

Throughout history, people have turned to lavender for
all kinds of ailments including acne treatment, skin
disorders, digestive complaints, pain relief, and to
prevent and treat infections.

While much of the evidence that supports the medicinal
use of lavender is anecdotal, scientists are starting
to research the effects of lavender on the body and
have discovered that lavender has antiseptic,
analgesic, antitumoral, anticonvulsant, vasodilating,
anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory
properties.

Lavender has also been shown to reduce the progression
of candida albicans and may be an effective treatment
for other infections.

In combination with other oils, lavender was found to
slow the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice.

Aromatherapists feel that lavender essential oil
(Essential Oils are also known as EO's)is the most
versatile because of its many healing properties and
considers it one of the best essential oils to have on
hand.

Lavender has been used for:

Pain relief
Headaches and migraines
Muscle aches and sprains
Menstrual cramps
Allergies
Asthma
Relaxation
Anxiety
Depression
Inducing sleep
Digestive distress, gas and colic
Inflammation
Burns
Insect bites
Chicken Pox
Acne treatment
Dermatitis
Insect repellent
Dry skin
Muscle relaxant

Sources of Lavender

Lavender grows naturally in dry, sunny, rocky areas
and is native to the Mediterranean. France is the
world leader in lavender trade, but it can be grown
anywhere if you select the right variety and provide
ideal growing conditions. Here in the states, Utah and
Idaho are the main growers of Lavender.

Commercially, lavender is already in many personal
care products, although most of the time, it is in
trace amounts and combined with chemicals that are not
ideal for your skin or your health. If you want to
experiment with the many uses of lavender, it is
available
fresh, dried and powdered, and as an essential oil.

Essential oils are concentrated extracts from the
plant, making them 70 times more potent than the plant
itself!

Using lavender essential oil brings you all of the
benefits of lavender in its most concentrated form.
However, not all essential oils are considered equal.
In fact, the labeling laws for essential oils allow
companies to say 100% pure, even if they are extended
with up to 50% chemicals (some of the extenders are
even cancer-causing). This is why it is very important
to use Unadulterated Essential Oils! Today much of the
Lavender oil sold in America is the hybrid called
Lavandin. It is cut with synthetic linalyl acetate to
enhance fragrance then added with propylene glycol,
DEP or DOP (solvents that have no smell and increase
the volume)and sold as pure Lavender Oil. Most
consumers don't know the difference. This is one of
the reasons why it is very important to know the
integrity of the company you are purchasing your oils
from.

How to Use Lavender Essential Oil

Some options for using lavender essential oil are:

Mix 5 to 6 drops of Lavender essential oil to your
bath water if you have dry skin.

Diffuse 10 to 12 drops of Lavender into the air during
your workday for natural stress relief.

Add 2 to 3 drops of Lavender oil to your pillow case
or a handkerchief under your pillow to help induce
sleep.

Add 2 drops of Lavender per ounce of your favorite
lightly scented, unrefined organic oil (like almond,
olive, or grape-seed oil) for a body oil with all the
benefits of lavender for improving your skin.

The unrefined organic oil you choose acts as a
"carrier oil" (also known as CO's) for lavender (or
any essential oil, for that matter), which dilutes the
oil and carries the beneficial properties into your
skin. Grape-seed oil is absorbed by your skin more
quickly than other oils and generally creates faster
results of the benefits of the Essential Oils you are
cutting it with.

You may want to use this oil to replace your lotion,
especially if it contains chemicals or other
additives. When you put something on your skin, it is
absorbed into your body. It's just as important to
choose
healthy oils to put ON your skin as it is to add them
to your foods.

You can also use the fragrant dried flowers of
lavender to make wonderful scented sachets. For a
natural alternative to mothballs, add the sachets to
your drawers and closets. Of course, this provides
an added benefit of relaxing lavender aromatherapy to
your clothing as well!

If you only have one essential oil, then make sure it
is lavender. Try locating a store or website that
sells Essential Oils from "Young Living", a reputable
company for Essential Oils, as a good choice to
purchase from.

Lavender as Estrogen

There has been some speculation that lavender and tea
tree oils in shampoos and lotions could create an
estrogen-like affect in pre- pubescent boys, causing
them to develop breast tissue. There were 3 reported
cases that went away after the products were
discontinued, so while laboratory research is still
inconclusive, it's important to be aware of how any
product can affect children.

Benefit from Versatile Lavender

Before you reach for over the counter drugs for your
next headache, skin eruption or muscle ache, do what
ancient Egyptians did and look to nature first! After
all, if lavender could tame tigers, imagine
what it could do for Monday mornings at the office?

* EO's from bath shops and natural foods stores are
often perfume grade and thus may not yield therapeutic
results. Perfume grade oils have been rendered toxic
by the distillation method, fillers, chemical
extractants, etc. and may cause adverse reactions.
PLEASE make sure your oils are Therapeutic Grade.

DO NOT use Lavender, in any form, if you have an
allergic reaction (of any kind) to the plant.

DISCLAIMER: Any products mentioned, techniques,
personal usage tips or other information provided here
is for informational purposes only and is not intended
to diagnose, treat, prescribe for, or cure any
disease, ailment or injury to the body and no
responsibility is accepted for such usage. Statements
made herein have not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration. The decision to use or not to use
any of this information is the sole responsibility of
the reader.