The Healing Power of Lavender

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From "The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies: The Healing Power of Plant Medicine" by Nicole Apelian, Ph.D & Claude Davis

Several parts of lavender are edible, including the leaves, flowering tips, and petals. They can be used as a condiment in salads and make a nice tea. Fresh lavender flowers can be added to ice creams, jams, and vinegars as a flavoring. Oil from the flowers is also used as a food flavoring.

Medicinal uses are anti-anxiety, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bile-producing, diuretic, nervine, gas reduction, sedative, and stimulant.

Lavender is an important relaxing herb, having a soothing and relaxing effect upon the nervous system. In most cases, all that is required is to breathe in the aroma from the oil. This relaxes the body, relieves stress, calms the nervous system, and eases headaches. The same effects can be achieved by adding whole fresh or dried flowers to the bathwater or placing flowers under the pillowcase at bedtime. It can be added to a first aid salve so that the aroma is calming to anyone injured who is using the salve.

Its relaxing effects extend to the muscular system as well. A massage with lavender oil can calm throbbing muscles, relieve arthritis pain, ease and help heal sprains and strains, and relieve backaches and lumbago pain. The oil also contains analgesic compounds that help ease the pain from muscle related stress and injuries.

The essential oil of lavender nourishes the hair, gives it a nice shine, and makes it smell wonderful. It also helps keep the hair free from lice.

Use of essential oil, diluted with a carrier oil such as coconut oil or olive oil, to coat the scalp and hair completely. Give it an hour to soak in and do its magic. Then wash away the oil and use your nit comb. From this point forward, add a drop or two of lavender oil to your shampoo or rinse water to keep lice away. Lavender oil is also an excellent, good-smelling insect repellent.

Lavender essential oil is an excellent treatment for respiratory problems of all kinds. This can include simple, everyday problems like colds, the flu, sore throats, coughs, and sinus congestion. It can also be used for more difficult and chronic respiratory issues like asthma, laryngitis, bronchitis, whooping cough, and tonsillitis.

The diuretic effects of lavender help it to flush the body from excess fluids and toxins and relieve swellings that may be present. As the fluid is removed, the oil also exerts an antibiotic influence, which kills any underlying infection, and it removes toxins that may also be causing problems.

Removing excess fluids help lower the blood pressure and reduce swellings of all kinds, and the relaxing effects of the lavender help get rid of stresses that may be contributing to the problem.

To make lavender tea, start with one teaspoon of dried lavender flowers or one tablespoon of fresh lavender flowers. Place in a tea pot and cover with one cup of boiling water. Cover the tea pot to keep it warm and allow the tea to steep for 10 to 15 minutes to absorb the medicinal qualities. Strain it and drink warm several times daily.

Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups of chopped lavender flowers, stems, and leaves, 1 pint (500 ml) 100 proof vodka or brandy. Place the lavender in a glass jar and cover with vodka. Seal the jar tightly and place it in a cool dark place to brew. Allow the tincture to steep for four to six weeks, shaking the jar daily. Strain the tincture through a coffee filter. Store it in a cool, dark place for up to three years.