30 Oct

Lavender: 10 Natural Health Benefits and Healing Uses

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Over the course of the next few weeks we will be highlighting the health benefits of various herbs that offer natural healing properties.

lavender 2 Lavender: 10 Natural Health Benefits and Healing Uses

Lavender: Benefits

10. Scent

Crush fresh lavender between your fingers or rub lavender oil on your temples for a soothing dose of aromatherapy stress relief. Lavender relieves anxiety and tension naturally.

9. Tea

Did you know that steeping a small handful of lavender flowers in boiling water creates a healthful herbal tea? This is just as effective as chamomile for promoting sleep and helping to soothe frazzled nerves.

8. Perfume

Lavender oil makes a nice, chemical-free alternative to perfumes and colognes. Dab a little at the back of your neck or wrists to smell clean and light.

7. Bath

Adding either oil or fresh buds to a hot bath will promote relaxation and ease tired muscles.

6. Sleep accessories

Tie up fresh flowers in a satchel, small pillow case, or reusable eye pillow. Lavender helps you to sleep better.

5. Skin relief

Is your skin burned, chafed or irritated? Add some lavender oil to your moisturizer or a spray water bottle and apply or mist your skin generously.

4. Sweet, fresh-scented laundry

Tie up a bundle of lavender blossoms in a cloth and add them to the dryer cycle when you do laundry. It beats those chemical sheets!

3. Cuts and scrapes

Lavender has natural antiseptic properties. Use lavender oil as a protective salve instead of rubbing alcohol (this is a nice alternative for children).

2. Dandruff

Between vinegar and lavender, who needs those harsh chemical shampoos? Steep lavender as you would to make tea; allow to cool and use as a rinse daily until dandruff is cleared up.

1. Recipes

Lavender makes an unusual, floral accent in many dishes. Reader Sarah C. grills peach halves wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and tops them with a sprinkling of lavender flowers and crushed black pepper. Get creative!

Further reading:

10 Unusual Flavor Combinations for Bored Tastebuds

The Many Uses of Vinegar

13 Simple, Timeless Kitchen Hacks

Easy, Natural Household Cleaners You Can Make Yourself (Chemical-free!)

- via Health Mad

- Flickr Photo (CC) Studio-D

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You want comments? We got comments:

  1. lavender is a truly remarkable tool and that is why i invented the “aromahand”. thanks for the great post….

    aromahand wrote on October 30th, 2007
  2. Who knew that lavender flowers had that many uses?

    mary wrote on October 30th, 2007
  3. We can use lavender for pain relief, relaxation, depression, burns, skin infections, and rheumatism.

    Alternative Medicine Zone wrote on October 31st, 2007
  4. 11. Smell like a girl.

    Lavender is fine for women, but not for the vast majority of men.

    How about sharing some manly substances? ;)

    Oxybeles wrote on October 31st, 2007
  5. There was a blogger who also made lavender ice cream. It looked really good.

    Linh wrote on October 31st, 2007
  6. One word of caution though. Through years of trial and error someone I know has discovered that significant contact with lavender oil for them brings on a UTI. Something as simple as a back massage using lavender oil or a bath in salts infused with essential lavender oil can bring on the symptoms in 24 hours. This was discovered only thought trial and error so a word to the wise….

    Richard wrote on November 2nd, 2007
  7. I agree that lavender is really a gift from nature since it is so versitle and healthy. I love the smell and like to put it in my bath. It’s like a little vacation!

    Lavender wrote on March 18th, 2009

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