Do not take this essential oil for granted…
The star of today’s show is “the Swiss army knife” of
essential oils, otherwise known as Lavender.
Lavender is an adaptogen, if you are tired it
will perk you up, if anxious, it will calm you down. Anti-biotic (kills
bacteria), antioxidant,anti-septic (kills microorganisms), anti-depressant,
sedative, and detoxifier, it promotes healing and prevents scarring, stimulates
regeneration. Particularly good for burns. Lavender essential oil
is steam distilled from the plant Lavendula Angustifolia. Not only does Lavender smell wonderful, but
it also is good for your health and well-being. The study by Jager, et al (1)
suggested that essential oils are rapidly absorbed through the skin, being
detected in blood plasma within 19 minutes. Look at this list of benefits!!!
In
2014, Tunisian scientists were able to demonstrate that Lavender protects the
body from diabetes. Specifically, increased blood glucose, metabolic disorders,
weight gain, liver and kidney antioxidant depletion, dysfunction, and
lipoperoxidation, (where free radicals steal fat from the cells).
With
so many on antidepressants, it cannot be emphasized enough that Lavender
reduces anxiety and is a mood enhancer. “Anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effect of
lavender was superior to placebo in 221 patients suffering from anxiety
disorder. In addition, lavender improved associated symptoms such as
restlessness, disturbed sleep, and somatic complaints and had a beneficial
influence on general well-being and quality of life”, Kasper et al. I would love to see a study involving our veterans
suffering from PTSD, hopefully calming their anxiety and balancing their emotions. Lavender piped into a work area, had the
workers rating the atmosphere as being significantly better even though no
other changes were made.
As
an esthetician, I must point out that Lavender inhibits the bacteria that cause
acne infection, helps to regulate the over excretion of sebum by hormonal
imbalance, AND can reduce the signs of scarring in the aftermath! In fact, Lavender oil excels at wound
healing, treating minor cuts, bruises, burns and eczema. It has also been found to boost the synthesis
of collagen and heals skin tissues, according to a study published in the BMC
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal.
While
that is amazing, it has been shown that Lavender has cognitive enhancing and
neuroprotective capabilities. It has
been suggested that some neurological disorders with significant EEG changes,
such as epilepsy, may benefit from the use of lavender. (3, 4) According to
several studies, participants exposed to the aroma of Lavender, had significant
improvement in memory, reaction times and reduced the number of errors made in
mathematical and letter tests (2). It was also beneficial in the treatment of
migraines.
What
is not so well known, it that Lavender is useful in treating acute and chronic pain. (5, 6) Something, even I, did not know about until I was
researching this article. Several
studies, demonstrate significant pain reduction when applied to women post
C-section, episiotomy, and post childbirth.
Others showed a reduction in pain and intensity of needle insertion,
post breast biopsy, post gastric banding, etc. (7,8,9,10) Next time you are
having a procedure, take a few whiffs of Lavender before you go!!
As
always, do your own research, to see if this amazing oil has a place in your
life. This article is simply for your
information only and is NOT medical advice.
Happy hunting!!
My favorite source for essential oils is www.anandaapothecary.com, all of
their oils are organic or wildcrafted, the best quality of oils that I have
found.
Trouble sleeping??? Click here!
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If the font size, color and type are different
- this happens when I transfer the article to blogger, not sure why it happens,
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the information!! As always, this article
is for informational purposes only and is NOT intended as medical advice!!!
1.
Jager W, Buchbauer G,
Jirovetz L, Fritzer M. Percutaneous absorbtion of lavender oil from a massage
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Pase MP, Kean J, Sarris J, Neale C, Scholey AB, Stough C. The
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Gorji A, Khaleghi
Ghadiri M. History of epilepsy in Medieval Iranian medicine. Neuroscience
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Gorji A, Ghadiri MK.
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