About Lavender

Lavender is an herbal, petite evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean, Middle East and India, and has been used for over 2500 years for its numerous useful properties.  Lavender is indigenous in the higher-altitude mountainous areas that surround the western European countries encompassing the Mediterranean.  The lovely shrub produces beautiful greenish-grey needle leaves with spikes of purple flowers, and it imparts a heavenly, refreshing scent on anything that encounters its path.  The coveted potent essential oil of these leaves and flowers has been utilized significantly over the millennia, as lavender has had an impact on many cultures and civilizations in history.  

History of Lavender

Historically, lavender was utilized for its aromatic properties, as it was beloved for imparting its fragrance on linens, clothing, personal hygiene products for hair and body, and it was also used as to flavor certain culinary products as well.  When early adventurers and travelers discovered its addictive aroma, it soon spread quickly to many other parts of the world including the UK and even later to North America.  By the16th century, lavender was already a beloved ubiquitous staple in the gardens of England.  Lavender is well documented in the Bible and many early Christians hung lavender crosses over their doors and made lavender crowns for new brides for protection.  The Romans and Greeks used lavender in bathing and cooking, and even Cleopatra was thought to use its intoxicating scent to seduce her lovers.  The name lavender is derived from the Latin verb lavare which translates to “to wash”.  In Renaissance times, the “washer women” were known as “Lavenders” as they hung the clothes to dry over lavender plants so as to impart its smell on freshly washed linens.

Medicinal Uses of Lavender

Lavender is known for its soothing, sedating qualities, and has been known to be used medicinally to treat everything from headaches and insomnia to burns.  Recent evidence into the scientific properties of lavender oil have established that lavender essential oil has amazing anti-microbial properties, among other things.  Other studies show it to have sedative properties abilities to soothe neuralgia and muscle pain.  It addition to this, lavender is known to ward off insects, and has been used for this reason throughout the centuries.