October
2007
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: 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
13 Simple, Timeless Kitchen Hacks
Easy, Natural Household Cleaners You Can Make Yourself (Chemical-free!)
- via Health Mad
- Flickr Photo (CC) Studio-DÂ
lavender is a truly remarkable tool and that is why i invented the “aromahand”. thanks for the great post….
Who knew that lavender flowers had that many uses?
We can use lavender for pain relief, relaxation, depression, burns, skin infections, and rheumatism.
11. Smell like a girl.
Lavender is fine for women, but not for the vast majority of men.
How about sharing some manly substances?
There was a blogger who also made lavender ice cream. It looked really good.
[...] the burner at MDA: Look out for more interesting, useful articles on herbs this month, and don’t miss Mark’s Holiday Survival Guide, which starts next [...]
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….
[...] As part of our fall series on the healing powers of herbs, check out this week’s focus on oregano! (And don’t miss last week’s tips for lavender.) [...]
[...] the blog this month, you’ve learned all about the nutritional, healing benefits of herbs like lavender and oregano. This week’s focus is the herb sage, a perfect complement to fall flavors and [...]