Lavender is a hardy fragrant shrub, with narrow, lanceolate leaves and grey-blue flowers in terminal spikes, borne on slender stalks. While the fine aroma of lavender is found throughout the plant, essential oils can only be extracted from it’s flowers.

There are many benefits that derive from this aromatic herb, for example, in terms of Oriental medicine, the cool, dispersing and relaxing qualities of lavender aids heat, inflammation, spasm, pain and general unrest. The antiseptic qualities of the oil also make it suitable for a wide range of infections. Like German chamomile, the oil also works to regulate and cool an overheated liver, which can be caused, for example, when the liver is working constantly trying to process alchohol, drugs, fatty foods, while at the sametime manufacturing immune proteins, the processing of natural body steroids and other chemicals.

The psychological uses of lavender oil stem from its ability to calm and stabilise the Qi of the heart. The home of the mind (Shen), the heart is is responsible for maintaining our overall mental-emotional equilibrium. The lavender oil can ease nervous tension and relieve feelings of panic and hysteria. The feeling of calmness and composure that the oils instills is evoked by the closed-in, appearance of lavender’s radiant blue flowers.

The essential oils are available from most high street stores and online, I recommend Amazon.

To sum it up, the advantages of lavender,

• aids inflammation, pains and spasms (including headaches and migraines)
• treats nervous tensions, isomnia and hyper-tension
• antiseptic, also being able to soothe burns
• aroma therrapy, calms the mind
• smells great !

Thats it for now folks, soon I’ll be coming up with some homemade herbal rememdies,  using all natural products.