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Lavender
Text by Rosalee de la Forêt.
Illustrations by Tatiana Rusakova
Ebook designed by Tudor Maier
©2019 Rosalee de la Foret, LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission of the author.
The herbal and plant information in this Workbook is for educational purposes only. The information
within the Workbook is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other
medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact
your health care provider. Always consult with a health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy
or food, especially if pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.
Published by Rosalee de la Forêt, LLC, Carlton, WA
First digital edition, July 2019. Published in the U.S.A.
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Table of Contents
Lavender Summary.....................................................................................4
Lavender to Relieve Stress, Lift Moods, and Promote Sleep.......................5
Lavender to Heal Wounds and Combat Infections......................................6
Lavender to Decrease Pain........................................................................6
For Healthy Digestion.................................................................................7
Botanically Speaking...................................................................................7
Plant Preparations.......................................................................................7
Special Considerations................................................................................8
References...................................................................................................9
Looking for Lavender?...............................................................................11
About Rosalee............................................................................................12
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Lavender Summary
Botanical name: Lavandula angustifolia, other Lavandula
spp. and cultivars
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)
Parts Used: flower buds, aerial parts
Energetics: warming
Taste: pungent, bitter
Plant Properties: aromatic, antimicrobial, analgesic, relaxing
nervine, carminative, cholagogue
Plant Uses: bacterial and fungal infections, tension, poor
sleep, anxiety, pain, wounds, burns, depression, headaches,
dyspepsia, bug bites, insect repellant
Plant Preparations: tea, tincture, essential oil, culinary
Lavender’s delightful scent and beautiful bloom spikes have
made it a favorite herb for centuries. Wild lavender grows
throughout the Mediterranean and northeast Africa, while
garden varieties are found all over the world. Lavender is cherished for its scent, being widely used
in perfumes, beauty products, disinfectants, and household cleaners. Herbalists and aromatherapists
rely on it for everything from relieving stress and promoting sleep to healing wounds and encouraging
healthy digestion.
If you step in to any large plant nursery you’ll soon find there are a dizzying number different lavenders
out there. Some have been bred for large flowers, while others are hardier for surviving harsher winters.
In the aromatherapy world, the different lavenders are prized for their variations in chemical content.
Just dipping your toe into the world of lavenders will show you how complex this common herb can be.
The best way to get to know lavender is to enjoy it often. When walking by lavender plants, rub your
hands along the leaves, stems, and flowers, and then cup your hands to your nose and mouth and
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breath deeply. Pay special attention to the plants that are potently aromatic. If you do this over time,
you’ll get a sense of the many nuances of lavender. Lavender, like most herbs, thrives with neglect. A
coddled plant that is watered regularly won’t be nearly as strong as a plant striving to survive in harsher
conditions.
Lavender to Relieve Stress, Lift Moods,
and Promote Sleep
Lavender’s lovely scent is a balm to a stressed-out mind. Simply smelling the lavender plant or essential
oil soothes anxiety and decreases stress.
Herbalists have long recommended lavender pillows and sachets as a bedtime aid to promote deeper
sleep. Some interesting studies have confirmed this use.
One study looked at how “sleep hygiene” (improved habits) combined with lavender essential oil,
could help college students who reported having sleep issues. Seventy-nine students were split into
two groups. Both groups were given guidelines to improve their sleep hygiene, including maintaining a
regular sleep schedule, avoiding fluid intake before bedtime, avoiding caffeine and alcohol late in the
day, creating a good sleeping environment (e.g., darkness, avoiding screens/texting), having a relaxing
bedtime routine, and exercising regularly. One group was given a lavender essential oil patch to place on
their chest at night. The other group was given an identical patch without lavender essential oil. While
both groups showed improvements in sleep quality, those using the lavender patches had significant
improvements over those solely using sleep hygiene practices.1
Another study showed that smelling lavender helped to improve the sleep of women who had recently
given birth.2 Lavender can go beyond helping women to get their necessary ZZZZs: a small pilot study
has shown that it can also improve post-partum anxiety and depression for high risk women.3
Lavender’s ability to soothe nerves and relieve stress can be a gift in countless situations. Herbalist
Thomas Easley and I were recently going through a very stressful time together. One of our daily
practices was what we called “our garden ritual,” which involved breathing in the sweet aromas of a
huge lavender plant in a garden near our rooms.
Numerous clinical studies have looked at lavender’s ability to relieve stress and anxiety in many different
ways. Several studies have shown that breathing lavender prior to surgery or a dental appointment
can be positively relaxing.4,5,6 It has also been shown to relieve the agitation that often accompanies
dementia.7 Lavender essential oil in nursing homes has been shown to decrease falls in elderly people.8
Silexan, a patented German lavender product, has been shown to be as effective as lorazepam (Ativan)
for helping adults diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.9
Herbalist David Winston uses lavender for people who feel they are in a fog and for those experiencing
stagnant depression, which he defines as a fixation on a specific traumatic event. For these purposes,
he recommends using it internally as a tea or a tincture, and he likes to combine it with lemon balm.
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Lavender to Heal Wounds
and Combat Infections
Lavender has many actions that make it a wonderful herb to consider for wounds, infections, and bug
bites. It can promote the healing of wounds and is antiseptic and antimicrobial, helping to address
infection while also decreasing pain.
It’s been shown to relieve excessive inflammation and relieve pain after an episiotomy.10,11
One clinical study showed that a formula containing lavender, clove (Syzygium aromaticum), and herb
Robert (Geranium robertianum), can be effective for relieving ear infections.12 I surmise that it works by
decreasing pain and fighting infection.
Lavender is antimicrobial. It’s been shown to be effective against vaginal Candida yeast overgrowth.13
An in vitro study showed it to be effective against several parasites, including Giardia duodenalis,
Trichomonas vaginalis, and Hexamita inflata.14
Lavender essential oil is widely used on minor burns to decrease pain and promote tissue healing. I like
to use it on bug bites to relieve the itching and inflammation.
Lavender to Decrease Pain
Whether it’s the severe pain of kidney stones or labor, a sharp post-surgical pain, or the pain of uterine
cramps, lavender has been shown to be a powerful ally in decreasing our discomfort.15,16,17,18
Many studies have shown lavender to have a powerful effect on reducing our sense of pain and it could
be a helpful adjunct therapy to stronger pain medications. Here’s a great example of this. One study
showed that children who had had their tonsils removed took less acetaminophen (Tylenol) when
inhaling lavender essential oil as part of their post-surgical practice.19
Two studies have shown that lavender essential oil can be helpful for women who experience pain with
menstruation (dysmenorrhea). One study showed that inhaling lavender essential oil was effective,
while another used it as an abdominal massage oil to good effect.20, 21
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For Healthy Digestion
While not often thought of for digestion, lavender proves to be a wonderful culinary and medicinal herb
to promote digestion. It’s slightly warming and aromatic, making it a lovely carminative herb. It can be
enjoyed in food, as a tea, or even added to bitters blends.
Botanically Speaking
There are 47 species in the Lavandula genus. Lavandula angustifolia is the most well-known and used
within herbal medicine. There are many different cultivars of this species as well.
Lavandula angustifolia originally hails from the rocky dry soils of the Mediterranean. It prefers to grow
in well-drained soils and thrives in wet winters and dry summers. Hot humid summers are the most
difficult climate for cultivation of lavender.
It grows as a small shrub growing to about 3-4 feet (1 meter) in height.
The narrow evergreen leaves are strongly aromatic.
The flowers range from pink to blue to purple and they grow as spikes on the end of leafless stems.
When harvesting lavender for medicine it is best to cut the plant after the flower buds have formed,
but before they have fully bloomed. As an ornamental plant, lavender prefers to be cut back to a round
mound every year otherwise it can become overly woody.
Plant Preparations
Lavender can be used internally in food, as a tea, and as alcohol extract (tincture). I like to infuse the
fresh flowers and leaves in water for a couple hours for a light tasting floral water.
The plant can be infused into oil for use as a lotion or salve.
Lavender essential oil is commonly added to all-purpose salves. Lavender essential oil is used both
externally and internally (with caution).
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When using lavender in food or tea, it is best used in small amounts. Too much lavender gives an
unpleasant, bitter taste to the food.
The therapeutic doses for lavender are:
As tea: 1 to 3 grams per day
As tincture (dried flowers): 1:5, 70% alcohol dosed at 1.5-2 mL (1/3 to ½ teaspoon), 3 to 4 times per day
As essential oil: inhaled or diluted in a carrier oil for external use
Special Considerations
Lavender essential oil is best used externally when diluted with a carrier oil.
Lavender from florist shops may have been sprayed or grown with harmful chemicals.
There have been some unsubstantiated reports that lavender-scented products have adversely affected
young boys due to estrogenic effects. These isolated cases have been questioned. Currently, the
Botanical Safety Handbook gives lavender its highest safety rating.
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References
1. Lillehei, Angela Smith, Linda L Halcón, Kay Savik, and Reilly Reis. “Effect of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene on Self-
Reported Sleep Issues: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York,
N.Y.) 21, no. 7 (2015): doi:10.1089/acm.2014.0327.
2. Keshavarz Afshar, Mahnaz, Zahra Behboodi Moghadam, Ziba Taghizadeh, Reza Bekhradi, Ali Montazeri, and Pouran
Mokhtari. “Lavender Fragrance Essential Oil and the Quality of Sleep in Postpartum Women.” Iranian Red Crescent medical
journal 17, no. 4 (2015): doi:10.5812/ircmj.17(4)2015.25880.
3. Conrad, Pam, and Cindy Adams. “The Effects of Clinical Aromatherapy for Anxiety and Depression in the High Risk
Postpartum Woman - a Pilot Study.” Complementary therapies in clinical practice 18, no. 3 (2012): doi:10.1016/j.
ctcp.2012.05.002.
4. Kritsidima, Metaxia, Tim Newton, and Koula Asimakopoulou. “The Effects of Lavender Scent on Dental Patient Anxiety
Levels: A Cluster Randomised-controlled Trial.” Community dentistry and oral epidemiology 38, no. 1 (2010): doi:10.1111/
j.1600-0528.2009.00511.x.
5. Lehrner, J, G Marwinski, S Lehr, P Johren, and L Deecke. “Ambient Odors of Orange and Lavender Reduce Anxiety and
Improve Mood in a Dental Office.” Physiology & behavior 86, no. 1-2 (2005): doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.06.031.
6. Franco, Lola, Thomas J J Blanck, Kimberly Dugan, Richard Kline, Geetha Shanmugam, Angela Galotti, Annelise von Bergen
Granell, and Michael Wajda. “Both Lavender Fleur Oil and Unscented Oil Aromatherapy Reduce Preoperative Anxiety in
Breast Surgery Patients: A Randomized Trial.” Journal of clinical anesthesia 33 (2016): doi:10.1016/j.jclinane.2016.02.032.
7. Lin, Pamela Wan-ki, Wai-chi Chan, Bacon Fung-leung Ng, and Linda Chiu-wa Lam. “Efficacy of Aromatherapy (Lavandula
angustifolia) As An Intervention for Agitated Behaviours in Chinese Older Persons with Dementia: A Cross-over Randomized
Trial.” International journal of geriatric psychiatry 22, no. 5 (2007): doi:10.1002/gps.1688.
8. Sakamoto, Yuko, Satoru Ebihara, Takae Ebihara, Naoki Tomita, Kenji Toba, Shannon Freeman, Hiroyuki Arai, and Masahiro
Kohzuki. “Fall Prevention Using Olfactory Stimulation with Lavender Odor in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized
Controlled Trial.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 60, no. 6 (2012): doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03977.x.
9. Woelk, H, and S Schläfke. “A Multi-center, Double-blind, Randomised Study of the Lavender Oil Preparation Silexan in
Comparison to Lorazepam for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” Phytomedicine: international journal of phytotherapy and
phytopharmacology 17, no. 2 (2010): doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2009.10.006.
10. Vakilian, Katayon, Mahtab Atarha, Reza Bekhradi, and Reza Chaman. “Healing Advantages of Lavender Essential Oil
During Episiotomy Recovery: A Clinical Trial.” Complementary therapies in clinical practice 17, no. 1 (2011): doi:10.1016/j.
ctcp.2010.05.006.
11. Sheikhan, Fatemeh, Fereshteh Jahdi, Effat Merghati Khoei, Neda Shamsalizadeh, Masoumeh Sheikhan, and Hamid
Haghani. “Episiotomy Pain Relief: Use of Lavender Oil Essence in Primiparous Iranian Women.” Complementary therapies
in clinical practice 18, no. 1 (2012): doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2011.02.003.
12. Panahi, Yunes, Asghar Akhavan, Amirhossein Sahebkar, Seied Mohammad Hosseini, Mohsen Taghizadeh, Hossein Akbari,
Mohammad Reza Sharif, and Saber Imani. “Investigation of the Effectiveness of Syzygium Aromaticum, Lavandula
Angustifolia and Geranium Robertianum Essential Oils in the Treatment of Acute External Otitis: A Comparative Trial
with Ciprofloxacin.” Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi 47, no. 3 (2014):
doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2012.10.002.
13. Behmanesh, Fereshteh, Hajar Pasha, Ali Asghar Sefidgar, Mohsen Taghizadeh, Ali Akbar Moghadamnia, Hajar Adib Rad,
and Leyla Shirkhani. “Antifungal Effect of Lavender Essential Oil (Lavandula Angustifolia) and Clotrimazole on Candida
albicans: An in Vitro Study.” Scientifica 2015 (2015): doi:10.1155/2015/261397.
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14. Moon, Therese, Jenny M Wilkinson, and Heather M A Cavanagh. “Antiparasitic Activity of Two Lavandula Essential
Oils Against Giardia Duodenalis, Trichomonas Vaginalis and Hexamita Inflata.” Parasitology research 99, no. 6 (2006):
doi:10.1007/s00436-006-0234-8.
15. Irmak Sapmaz, Hilal, Murat Uysal, Ufuk Taş, Mehmet Esen, Mustafa Barut, Battal Tahsin Somuk, Tufan Alatlı, and Safiye
Ayan. “The Effect of Lavender Oil in Patients with Renal Colic: A Prospective Controlled Study Using Objective and
Subjective Outcome Measurements.” Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) 21, no. 10
(2015): doi:10.1089/acm.2015.0112.
16. Yazdkhasti, Mansoreh, and Arezoo Pirak. “The Effect of Aromatherapy with Lavender Essence on Severity of Labor Pain
and Duration of Labor in Primiparous Women.” Complementary therapies in clinical practice 25 (2016): doi:10.1016/j.
ctcp.2016.08.008.
17. Raisi Dehkordi, Ziba, Fatemeh Sadat Hosseini Baharanchi, and Reza Bekhradi. “Effect of Lavender Inhalation on the
Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea and the Amount of Menstrual Bleeding: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Complementary
therapies in medicine 22, no. 2 (2014): doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.011.
18. Hadi, Niaz, and Ali Akbar Hanid. “Lavender Essence for Post-cesarean Pain.” Pakistan journal of biological sciences : PJBS
14, no. 11 (2011): 664-7.
19. Soltani, Rasool, Saeed Soheilipour, Valiollah Hajhashemi, Gholamreza Asghari, Mahdi Bagheri, and Mahdi Molavi.
“Evaluation of the Effect of Aromatherapy with Lavender Essential Oil on Post-tonsillectomy Pain in Pediatric Patients:
A Randomized Controlled Trial.” International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 77, no. 9 (2013): doi:10.1016/j.
ijporl.2013.07.014.
20. Ou, Ming-Chiu, Tsung-Fu Hsu, Andrew C Lai, Yu-Ting Lin, and Chia-Ching Lin. “Pain Relief Assessment by Aromatic Essential
Oil Massage on Outpatients with Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized, Double-blind Clinical Trial.” The journal of
obstetrics and gynaecology research 38, no. 5 (2012): doi:10.1111/j.1447-0756.2011.01802.x.
21. Raisi Dehkordi, Ziba, Fatemeh Sadat Hosseini Baharanchi, and Reza Bekhradi. “Effect of Lavender Inhalation on the
Symptoms of Primary Dysmenorrhea and the Amount of Menstrual Bleeding: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Complementary
therapies in medicine 22, no. 2 (2014): doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.12.011.
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Looking for Lavender?
If you aren’t able to harvest lavender near you, here’s some other ways you can find it.
1. Search for herbal apothecaries near you.
2. Visit my listing of herb farms and wildcrafters within the US and Canada to find fresh herbs near you.
3. Visit Mountain Rose Herbs, an online apothecary that sells high quality organic herbs. They are my
first choice for herbs I’m not able to find near me.
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About Rosalee
R
osalee de la Forêt, is passionate about
helping you explore the world of herbalism
and nature connection. She is the Education
Director at LearningHerbs, a registered herbalist
with the American Herbalist Guild, and the author
of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform
Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies
that Heal as well as the online courses The Taste
of Herbs, Herbal Cold Care, and Apothecary: The
Alchemy of Herbs Video Companion.
Get more herbal recipes and and exclusive herbal
trainings at: HerbsWithRosalee.com.
