Lavender Oil - 13 Health Benefits
13 Potential health benefits of lavender
- Refreshes and tones the skin, and soothes the nerves.
- Reduce or heal depression, especially when they are related to stress.
- Improves sleep quality.
- Promotes relaxation.
- Lifts mood in people suffering from sleep disorders.
- Natural antiseptic and astringent.
- Soothe and heals insect bites using an infusion.
- Antiseptic for common bacteria such as typhoid, diphtheria, streptococcus, and pneumococcus.
- Soothe and protect sunburned skin.
- Helps prevent infection in blisters that often accompany more severe sunburns and other burns.
- Healing on open wounds to speed healing. It can be applied undiluted.
- Gently calms the nerves and helps reduce trapped gas.
- Reduces stress headaches when rubbed on the temples, or sniffed like smelling salts.
- Reduce oily skin by taking and mixing one - three drops into one cup of white vinegar.
- Promotes healing of rashes, bruises, minor cuts and sores.
For applications as aromatherapy, add two to four drops of lavender oil to two to three cups of boiling water, and inhale the steam once per day. When used bath additive, six drops of lavender oil or 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dried lavender flowers may be added to bath water. A massage oil is made by adding a little essential oil to a carrier oil and massaging into painful muscles or the temples and nape of the neck for tension headaches or the first hint of a migraine. For nervous tension and mild depression, drink a cup of lavender tea three or four times a day as needed.
Side effects, precautions, interactions
Although side effects are rare, some individuals may develop an allergic reaction to lavender. Excessive intake (several times more than listed above) may cause drowsiness. Nausea, vomiting, headache, and chills have also been reported in some individuals following inhalation or absorption of lavender through the skin. Pregnant and breast feeding women should avoid using lavender, as it is a uterine stimulant. Lavender contains limonene which can cause photo sensitivity, especially when perfumes and cosmetics are used containing lavender oil.
A July 1, 2006 article in Science News stated that lavender oil had been implicated in abnormal development of the breasts in young boys. Boys and girls are particularly sensitive to estrogenic and androgenic compounds because their sex hormone levels are low prior to puberty.There are identified hormonally active compounds in lavender oil which may be contributing to the increase incidence of early breast development in girls and enlarged breasts in boys.