The Medicinal Uses of Lavender

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Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.

Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, has been used medicinally for thousands of years.  The ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of it's antiseptic and healing properties and used it as a wound wash, especially in treating war wounds.  The ancient Egyptians used it for embalming and in cosmetics.   A little more recently, Queen Elizabeth I reportedly inhaled the fragrance to relieve her frequent migraines.  People of every generation have hung sachets of dried lavender in closets or put them in drawers to repel wool moths. 

Lavender is an extremely aromatic evergreen that is easy to grow and makes a beautiful addition to the medicinal herb garden, or to any landscaping really.  It thrives full sun and warm, well-drained soil.  Harvest lavender just before the buds are first beginning to open and hang them upside down to dry in a warm place with good air circulation.

When I research and write about using herbs for medicine, I try to find everything I can that is not related to using an essential oil.  For one, I think essential oils are really over-hyped and some of these companies are nothing more than MLM schemes.  On the other hand, you never know exactly what is going into some of these oils.  How do you know they aren't being cut with something?  And, while the technology for producing your own oils isn't too difficult to master and use post-collapse, growing and harvesting the amount of any particular herb to distill into an essential oil is pretty labor intensive right now.  Later it could be nigh unto impossible.

Unfortunately for us, with lavender it's almost entirely all about the essential oil.  Because it is used so widely in alternative treatments, you may want to get a good supply of it.  

Essential oil.  Lavender is one of the very few essential oils that can be applied topically without being diluted in a carrier oil.

• Topically:  
• Migraines and headaches, especially stress headaches.  Rub a few drops on the back of the neck or the temples and forehead.
• Sunburn.  Put a few drops in a spray bottle of water and spray to relieve sunburn pain. 
• Canker sores.  Apply two drops to a canker sore three times per day to speed healing.
• Hair regrowth.  Rub into scalp to stimulate hair regrowth.  This takes several months.
• Pain and inflammation.  Rub a few drops into the skin to reduce pain and inflammation.  
• Wounds.  Studies show that lavender essential oil speeds healing of wounds and is effective against MRSA and Candida albicans.  Dilute 3-5 drops with 1/2 teaspoon carrier oil and apply to wounds.  
• Burns.  Apply a drop or two to a first or second degree burn for immediate relief.  (This is one treatment I have personal experience with.  I burned my finger on the stove or a pan--just a small burn--and immediately went for the burn-gel packet.  And it didn't help much at all.  So I remembered about lavender oil and tried that.  One drop was all it took and all pain was completely gone.)
• Lice.  Add several drops to 1/2 teaspoon of essential oil to a tablespoon of carrier oil and massage into the scalp and hair. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for several hours.  
• Aromatherapy:  
• Reduce falls in elderly.  One study showed that a pad with a few drops of lavender essential oil on it attached to the neckline of elderly patients reduced the number of falls they experienced in nursing homes.  
• Post-partum depression.  Inhalation before bed and during sleep significantly improved symptoms of post-partum depression.  
• Pre-menstrual syndrome.  Lavender aroma reduces cramps and irritability.
• Alzheimer's.  The aroma of lavender slowed progression of the disease.
• Stroke.  When used within first 24 hours after a stroke, it helps to protect the brain cells.
• Pain relief.  A study with tonsillectomy patients showed that they needed less pain medication than those without lavender oil aromatherapy.
• Migraines.  Fifteen minutes of aromatherapy provided significant relief.
• Capsules:  A special preparation of lavender essential oil in Germany, marketed under the name Silexan, has been shown effective in treating depression and PTSD.

Infusion.  Pour one cup of boiling water over one tablespoon fresh or one teaspoon dried herb and steep in a covered container for ten minutes.  This may be taken up to three times per day.  Use the infusion to alleviate vomiting, nausea, upset stomach, and gas. 

Caution:  Lavender may increase the sedative effects of narcotics or other sedatives.  It may also increase bleeding risk when used with anti-coagulants (blood thinners).  It may cause contact dermatitis when used topically.  Do not use in pregnant women or pre-pubertal boys.

Links to related posts:
Lice  
Peppermint-Lavender-Rosemary Headache Balm  
Peppermint 
Oregano  
Thyme  

For further reading:
https://healthyrxforlife.com/medicinal-uses-of-lavender/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265922.php
https://jmm.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.027748-0 (fungal infections)
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/361832/ (lavender essential oil for wound healing)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23737850 (infection)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4843973/ (hair regrowth)
https://bpsmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1751-0759-7-12 (alleviate PMS)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325408/ (PMS)
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-838/lavender
https://draxe.com/lavender-oil-benefits/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880178/ (diabetes)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22789792 (post-partum depression)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22475718 (PTSD)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23351960 (Alzheimer's)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22895026 (stroke)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22517298 (migraines)

27 may 2019

6 december 2020