Lavender

Mariah Emerson
Sep 10, 2020
2 min read

Updated: Nov 18, 2020

Lavender is an elongated stem budding with purple flowers that is most commonly used in aromatherapy and herbal formulas for its relaxant and cleansing properties.

Nomenclature

� What's this mean? Naming system

Latin name: Lavandula angustifolia

Family: Lamiacae

Other names: English lavender, French lavender, garden lavender, Spanish lavender, true lavender, elf leaf

Energetics

Relaxing

Balancing

Warming & Cooling

Description

Lavender is an elongated herb with purple petals and a fragrant scent. It is floral, aromatic, pungent, and slightly bitter. It is most commonly utilized for its sedative (relaxing) and its analgesic (anti-pain) properties.

Common Uses

Lavender has been used in a variety of ways. It is a nervine sedative that has shown positive results for pain, anxiety, insomnia, and more. Topically, lavender’s analgesic and antibacterial properties have shown positive effects in wound care. It is most often used in aromatherapy, as an extract in topical products, and ingested as an herbal ingredient in drinks and dishes.

Ritual and Spiritual Uses

Lavender stems and flowers can be utilized to invite calming and cleansing energy into a space by smudging the plant in a wand or over a burning charcoal disk. Historically, lavender has been used to cleanse spaces and is found in many natural cleaning products to this date. This property can be used to clean the body and spirit through bath and shower rituals in addition to smoking and smudging the herb.

Lavender is a key ingredient in both the Sacred Smoke blend and the Sacred Soak bath tea offered in our apothecary.

Active Constituents

Lavender has over 100 active constituents including the following: linalool, 1,9-cineole B-ocimene, perillyl alcohol, linalyl acetate, camphor, limonene, tannins, triterpenes, coumarins3,4,5, cineole, and flavonoids.

Indications

� What’s this mean? Actions and applications

Analgesic (anti-pain), anti-anxiety, antibacterial, topical antibiotic, spasmolytic

Contraindications

� What’s this mean? Potentially harmful effects

None found.

Ethnobotanical Information

Lavender’s ethnobotanical roots are often attributed to the Mediterranean region although there is evidence that shows Kemetic tradition using lavender for mummification of transitioned ancestors in ancient Egypt.