Lavender

Overview

Lavender, with its beautiful blue-violet or deep-purple blossoms resembling tiny pine cones, grows on a woody evergreen shrub about three to four feet tall. It features abundant branches with long, narrow, pale silvery-green leaves. Known for its clean, fresh scent, lavender simultaneously stimulates and relaxes the senses. The essential oil, distilled from flower tops and stalks, is colourless to pale-yellow with a sweet, floral, herbaceous aroma and woody undertones. Producing superior oil requires distilling only the blossoms, with an acre of lavender yielding about fifteen to twenty pounds of oil. Key species include Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, and Lavandula vera, with French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) also popular in aromatherapy. Lavender thrives in sun-drenched, rocky slopes in France, Iran, the Mediterranean, and Tasmania, and is commercially grown in Bulgaria, England, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.

Emotional Effects

Lavender oil is widely recommended for emotional difficulties like depression, fear, insomnia, irritability, and stress. It strengthens the nervous system, clears thinking, reduces anger, and alleviates worry. By balancing extremes of emotion, it promotes emotional equilibrium and overall well-being. Lavender oil can neutralise sensory overload and balance a racing or sluggish mind, making it effective for overcoming insomnia when used at bedtime.

Principal Properties

Balancing | Healing | Calming

Aroma

Sweet | Floral