The uses of lavender oil are seemingly endless, and thanks to a recent study reported in the September 17 edition of “The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine,” we can add a new one to the list! It has been proven that breathing in the aroma of lavender oil can reduce the stress and pain caused by inserting needles into the skin, according to a Fox News report.
Native to the mountains of the Mediterranean basin, lavender is cultivated widely throughout Europe, the U.S. and Australia, and was used widely as an antiseptic in Greek, Roman and Arabian medicines, the Fox News report stated. The name lavender is actually derived from the Latin “lavar,” which means to wash, and early Romans used lavender to scent baths and on floors to fragrance a room, while King Charles VI of France actually required a lavender pillow wherever he slept.
Dr. James Duke, in his best-selling book “The Green Pharmacy,” recommends regarding lavender in cases of amenorrhea (loss of menstruation), burns, carpal tunnel syndrome, insomnia, pain, psoriasis and vaginitis, the report stated. Also, in Germany, the Commission E, which regulates herbal remedies, supports its use for restlessness, insomnia, and nervous stomach and intestinal complaints, according to Fox News.
Some other common uses for lavender oil include:
– Soaking in a bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil to sooth sore muscles and pain.
– Add a few drops to face cream to help kill bacteria that causes acne.
– After running cold water on a minor burn, apply lavender oil for the pain and to eliminate scarring.
– Add two drops (along with two drops of thyme oil to bowl of near-steaming water an inhale slowly for help with sinusitis.
– Spray a lavender mist to help calm stress and anxiety.
– Spraying pure lavender mist onto sunburn can help with the pain and stinging.
– Pour boiling water over ne teaspoon of fresh or dried lavender flowers to make a tea that will calm the nerves, settle a nervous stomach or induce sleep.