Lavender – The Natural Sleep Aid

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is considered the most universal of all essential oils. With its fresh, floral scent, therapeutic-grade lavender oil is highly regarded as a skin and beauty tonic. Lavender promotes natural relaxation and is helpful for facial blemishes and can also be used to soothe and cleanse common cuts, bruises, and skin irritations.

Lavender helps the body relax and helps you to sleep when rubbed on the bottoms of the feet or inhaled at bedtime. It can also help relieve sore muscles and muscle spasms. Perhaps ancient peoples intuitively knew what researchers are finding out about lavender, that it calms anxiety and provides natural stress relief. Lavender has a long list of medicinal properties, making it a natural health superstar.

Lavender and Natural Relaxation

Using pure therapeutic-grade lavender oil may help with your sleep and mood, and it also may have a wide range of additional health benefits. In fact, one recent study discovered that the scent of lavender increases the time you spend in deep (slow wave) sleep, though the effects were stronger for women than for men.

One study done at Britain’s University of Southampton where researchers tracked the sleep patterns of ten adults, showed that the participants ranked the quality of their sleep 20% better on average when in a lavender-scented room as opposed to the room with a placebo – sweet almond oil.

Lavender and Your Health

Throughout history, people have turned to lavender for all kinds of ailments including acne treatment, skin disorders, digestive complaints, pain relief, and to prevent and treat infections. Scientists are beginning to understand the synergistic effects of lavender on the body and they have discovered lavender oil has anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Lavender has also been shown to reduce the progression of candida albicans and may be an effective treatment for other infections. In combination with other oils, lavender was found to slow the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice.

Aromatherapists feel that lavender essential oil is the most versatile because of its many healing properties and considers it one of the best essential oils to have on hand.

“My son had problems for years being able to fall asleep. He would lay there for hours it seemed and he had gotten into the habit of taking something over the counter before bedtime each night. My son is 21 yrs old with a mind of his own, and I was really worried. One day, I asked him if I could put Lavender on the bottom of his feet at bedtime and he agreed. He slept like a baby and now he uses it every night. He no longer takes anything else!”

Regina Danley

Common Lavender Uses:

• Pain relief
• Headaches – including migraines – and muscle aches and sprains
• Menstrual cramps
• Natural relaxation and sleep
• Burns
• Acne
• Insect bites, Dry skin, and as a deodorant
• Muscle relaxant
• Rub several drops of Lavender oil into the scalp to help eliminate dandruff.
• Use a few drops of Lavender oil on a cotton ball. Place in your linen closet to scent the linens and repel moths and insects.
• Add a drop of Lavender oil to your water fountain to scent the air. It kills bacteria and prolongs the time between cleanings.
• Place a few drops of Lavender oil on a wet cloth and throw into the dryer, which will deodorize and freshen your laundry.
• Put a drop of Lavender oil on a cold sore.
• Diffuse Lavender oil to alleviate the symptoms of allergies.
• Spritz several drops of Lavender oil mixed with distilled water on a sunburn to decrease pain.
• Drop Lavender oil on a cut to clean the wound and kill bacteria.
• Apply 2-3 drops of Lavender oil to a rash to stop the itching and heal the skin.

Lavender Lemonade

Here is a wonderful lavender lemonade recipe:

• 7 lemons, peeled and juiced
• 2 limes, peeled and juiced
• 1 drop pure, therapeutic-grade lavender oil
• 14 cups water
• 1-1/2 cup Blue Agave

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Add more water or Blue Agave, depending on the size and tartness of the fruit. Be careful that you don’t add more than a drop of lavender oil so that it does not overpower your lemonade. Enjoy!

As you can see lavender essential oil has a wide range of uses and should be a part of your natural medicine cabinet. Make sure you get 100% pure oil to get the best results.

[sc_fs_faq html=”true” headline=”h2″ img=”” question=”What is lavender essential oil good for.” img_alt=”” css_class=””] Pain relief, headaches – including migraines, muscle aches and sprains, menstrual cramps, relaxation and sleep, burns, acne, insect bites, dry skin, and as a deodorant. [/sc_fs_faq]