LAVENDER

Constituents

• Lavender has over 100 constituents including

• tannins

• 0.5-1/5% volatile oil

• coumarins

• flavonoids

• 0.7% ursolic acid

• The essential oil contains borneol, geranoil, lavandulol, linalool (alcohols), aeranyl acetate, lavandulyl acetate, linalyl acetate (Ester), cineole (ketone), caryophyllene (sesquiterpene), limonene, pinene (terpenes)

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Energetics/ Organoleptics

• SMELL:  floral, sweet, herbal notes with balsamic undertones

• TASTE: bitter, pungent, spicy, and sweet

• COLOR: clear

• FEEL: oily, slick, evaporates quickly

• NOTE:  top note

• ENERGETICS:  Cooling or slightly warming.

• It is both stimulating and relaxing at the same time.

• Used for cooling to hot conditions, such as inflammation, spasm, pain, and infection.

• Cools an overheated liver and stabilizes the heart.

• It can help Qi descend to the center of the body while dispersing it to the extremities. 

• Lavender is both restoring and astringent.

• Affinity for digestive system, lymphatic system, cardiovascular system, reproductive system, genito-urinary system, immune system, nerves, brain, solar plexus, all heart meridians, base chakra

• Lavender can help us move from judgement to kindness and generosity.

• One of the great emotional gifts of lavender is the feeling of total and unchanging support around us. It leaves us with no room for doubt that we are loved and will be supported in life's challenges and in the process of healing. Lavender promotes faith, even in the hard times. Lavender brings balance between masculine and feminine energy and traits.

Contradictions

• None known, although its tonic use may be constitutionally inappropriate. For example, if you have very dry skin and dry mucus membranes the long-term internal use of lavender may be too drying.

• Lavender is wonderfully calming in small amounts, but can be stimulating if used in too large a quantity or too often. This is especially true with babies and small children.

• When taken by mouth, lavender can cause constipation, headache, and increased appetite.

• When applied to the skin, lavender can sometimes cause irritation.

• There is not enough reliable information to know if lavender is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding.

• Lavender might slow down the central nervous system. If used in combination with anesthesia and other medications given during and after surgery, it might slow down the central nervous system too much. Stop using lavender at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

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History

• Lavender’s association with love extends from Cleopatra to modern times. Tutankhamun’s tomb contained traces of still-fragrant lavender, and it’s said Cleopatra used lavender to seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

• Not so long ago, ladies wore small lavender pouches in their cleavage to lure suitors.

• Beyond scenting bed linen and clothing, lavender was hung above doors to protect against evil spirits.

• Sixteenth-century glove makers who perfumed their ware with the herb were said to not catch cholera. Seventh-century thieves who washed in lavender after robbing graves were believed to escape the plague.

• In the 19th century, gypsy travelers sold bunches of lavender on the streets of London to bring people good luck and protect against ill fortune.

• In Spain and Portugal, lavender was traditionally strewn on the floor of churches or thrown into bonfires to avert evil spirits on St. John’s Day.

• In Tuscany, pinning a sprig of lavender to your shirt was a traditional way to ward against the evil eye.

• Queen Elizabeth I of England had fresh lavender in vases at her table every day.

• The Greek physician to the Roman army, Dioscorides, wrote that lavender taken internally would relieve indigestion, sore throats, headaches, and externally cleaned wounds. 

• The Romans named the plant after its use in their bathing rituals (“lava” is to wash), realizing lavender isn’t only relaxing, but also antiseptic.

• Sixteenth-century English herbalist John Parkinson wrote that lavender was especially good use for "all griefs and pains of the head and brain,” and Charles VI of France insisted his pillow always contain lavender so he could get a good night’s sleep.

• In Asian traditional medicine, lavender has long been used for its “cooling” effect and for helping the “Shen,” or mind, by cooling the heart, helping people relax and find relief from troubles in the mind that give rise to tension in the body.