The Power of Lavender

-

Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist on Nov 29th 2017



It seems that Lavender Lavandula angustifolia is one of the most well known essential oils. Why not show it some love and tell you all what makes it so amazing!!! The healing powers of Lavender essential oil started in July of 1910 when the Gattefosse family, active in the perfume business in France, had a laboratory explosion. Rene-Maurice sustained burns to his hands and scalp. He treated the burns with Lavender Essential oil and noticed that his skin healed quickly and that the pain was eased from this oil. Lavender was also used to protect against the plague in the Middle Ages as well as scenting laundry. In latin 'Lavo' or 'Lavare' means to wash or bathe, appropriately named after it's use for scenting laundry. Mmmmmmm. In Iranian folk medicine it is used for various inflammatory diseases.


Lavender is rich in Monoterpenes and Esters which give it the wonderful properties of: being gentle on the skin, Stress-modulating, immune enhancing, Anti-inflammatory, balancing, antispasmodic, nervous system tonic, and calming and sedating to the central nervous system.
So you see. One could ask, "why don't you use Lavender?" Aromatherapy is about more than the smell. These essential oils all have chemical make ups that determine their ability to provide a multitude of benefits. The quality matters. Low quality essential oils do not have the same make up, therefore do not have the same action. This is why my "Soothing lip balm" is not just soothing to the lips. It is soothing to the mind as well. You will see this essential oil in many different products I make and with the holistic framework, it is always about more than scent ;) In this busy world with so much going on, when in doubt smell the Lavender.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

-
Image
Where did Aromatherapy even begin? The use of plants for human benefit goes way way back. “…… "There is virtually no people known to anthropology – however remote, isolated, or primitive – in which some form of doctoring with plants was not practiced.” Barbara Griggs, The Green Pharmacy Hmm interesting. In our country we seem to downplay nature's abilities. But why? There are written records dating back to the Sumerians at least 5000 years ago, Mesopotamian civilizations dating to the second millennium B.C., and  Egyptians dating to around 3000 B.C. Ancient India was particularly active in medicinal plant recording 290 species. Not to mention the Chinese who we can date back to using plants for medicine to 3000 B.C. (they were already using 350 herbal remedies). I could go on and on. Cool though, right? Then Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans became well known for their aromatic plant and extract use. Egyptians used them for medicine, food preservation, religiou
Read more

Detox Me!

-
Image
This is not a new topic to say the least. People are doing cleanses and looking for ways to "detox" their bodies all the time. This is something our body is designed to do...to an extent. We are always getting rid of pollutants through our bodies, including our skin which excretes 1lb of waste a day! However, these days we are exposed to a plethora of contaminants, toxins and pollutants. Natural remedies have been used for this for ages. Aromatherapy is a great way to assist the body in ridding of these many exposures. Remember, essential oils are not just scents. They are very potent and made up of many chemical constituents that affect our bodies. They are very effective in detoxification.  ​ ​ Our detox aromatherapy salt soak  Detox Soak  is comprised of the following essential oils: Lemon (Citrus limonum)- stimulates white blood cells to defend the body against infection and detoxifies the body through the blood and liver. Grapefruit (Citrus racemosa)- i
Read more

Feet?

-
Image
Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist January 19, 2017 So what's the deal with the soaks? Where did the soaking trend start? It actually was a hit in the Roman times. So way back when. You heard of the famous Roman baths! They would soak for emotional and health benefits in communal tubs....of men! So not just for the ladies. See this painting below: Men would have meetings, massages and more in these communal baths. So the reason these are still great today is for those emotional and health benefits. Our body absorbs these oils through the salts and give us great benefits. Salt soaks don't have to be used in a full bath either. Make yourself a nice foot bath in a large bowl instead! The feet are very porous and effective in absorbing too!
Read more