Lavender Heals

Lavender, well-known in the worlds of gardening, baking, and  essential oils, has now amassed substantial research and is taking the  scientific world by storm. 

Ancient Medicine - Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, syn. L. officinalis — no other types) is often introduced as a queen of medicinal plants:

• calms
• helps sleep
• boosts moods and memory
• relieves pain
• heals skin 
• acts as a protective agent

From the Mediterranean and Middle East, this evergreen perennial  woody shrub looks very similar to rosemary. And like rosemary, it likes  well-drained soil and plenty of sun. 

Bushes grow up to a meter (3 1/4 feet) tall and look spectacular grown in expanses of dazzling blue, blooming in midsummer. 

The Romans named the  plant after its use in their bathing rituals (“lava” is to wash),  realizing lavender isn’t only relaxing, but also antiseptic. Sixteenth-century  English herbalist John Parkinson wrote that lavender was “especially  good use for all griefes and paines of the head and brain,” and Charles  VI of France insisted his pillow always contain lavender so he could get  a good night’s sleep. People still use lavender in pillows today. 

In  Asian traditional medicine, lavender has long been used for its  “cooling” effect and for helping the “Shen,” or mind, by cooling the  heart, helping people relax and find relief from troubles in the mind  that give rise to tension in the body. 

Lavender was used by  doctors during WWII to heal wounds. 

At the same time, a French  biochemist, Marguerite Maury, developed a unique method of applying  these oils to the skin with massage — hence the practice of aromatherapy  massage — now used all over the world.

(Source: healthline.com)