Lavender Brings Calmness

Lavender is a native to the Canaries, India, Egypt, Mediterranean, Nigeria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Ethiopia.

Lavender thrives in heat and dust; therefore, it is surprising that lavender has done so well in England. One of the reasons that lavender is so successful in different climates is that it hybridizes easily.

Lavender comes in colors from white to pink to deep purple. The leaf varies from flat and pointed to a lacy fern type. It’s been used since the time of ancient Rome for healing, to deter insects, in the wash and for cleaning wounds.

The first record of lavender’s medical uses dates back to 77AD when the Greek physician Dioscorides wrote about the healing properties of lavender. About the same time, the Roman Pliny the Elder wrote that lavender helped with pain, kidney disorders, menstrual problems, jaundice, and dropsy and decreased the pain of insect bites.

During WW1, when there was a shortage of antiseptics, lavender oil was used with sphagnum moss to dress war wounds.

Oil of lavender has been used since Roman times as an effective treatment for head lice. Queen Elizabeth drank lavender tea for her migraine headaches. Her favorite dish was roast lamb with lavender jelly.

Theophrastus, a Greek physician during the third century B.C. wrote about the healing properties of the lavender scent in his book “Concerning Odors”. The scent of lavender was mentioned as being good for bringing calmness to a person. Lavender has been used as a strewing herb, as incense and to fumigate sick rooms for centuries. Lavender oil earned its reputation as a healer when Gottefosse treated a gangrenous burn on his hand with pure lavender oil. The burn healed very quickly and irritated the medical people of the time as they had said that he could possibly lose his hand.

Lavender oil is one of the only two essential oils that can be used neat, meaning it can be placed directly on the skin without burning the skin. Before using any essential oil in healing, place a tiny amount on your arm to see if you get an allergic reaction. If you do, wash the area immediately with warm soapy water and do not use that oil again.

You can use lavender oil neat as an antiseptic on minor burns, cuts and scrapes, and insect bites to relieve pain and aid healing.

By Laura (Laura has been an herbalist and wild food gatherer for 35 years. She is also a Green Witch and a Hedge Witch and has been for 15 years.)

Here are a few recipes and spells to try lavender with.  Let us know how you like them.