There’s a reason why essential oils like lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil are making a resurgence in popularity. People who are dissatisfied with common, modern medical practices are taking a more natural stance and discovering that remedies like essential oils can deliver the healing benefits they need without the side effects of medications.
What are the benefits of lavender essential oil?
Lavender’s distinct colorful flowers and floral scent make it easily recognizable for most people. But what isn’t as obvious are the many potential benefits this natural gem can offer. Before World War I, people used lavender to disinfect wounds. Hospitals would use the plan to sterilize tables and equipment. Farmers would stuff lavender in their hats to avoid headaches and sunburn. Those who had trouble with digestion or sleeping would seek relief by using lavender. But now that modern medicine has evolved into supplements, prescriptions, and doctor visits, natural ingredients with proven powers like lavender have fallen by the wayside. But this lack of understanding does not mean that lavender’s healing powers no longer exist.
1. Soothe your mind and body to help promote sleep
Lavender’s calming fragrance can soothe your mind and body to help you get a more restful sleep. Lavender may slow the functions of the nervous system to help promote sleep, while improving mood and concentration, and reduce anxiety.
2. Take away your stress to prevent depression
Just as it treats sleep troubles, lavender’s ability to relax busy minds can help take away your stress. In one study, participants who were given lavender orally experienced significant improvement in depressive symptoms.[1]
3. Clean cuts and scrapes to reduce healing time
Lavender contains antibacterial properties and has been widely used to clean cuts and sterilize equipment.[2] You can put it directly on bites, stings, cuts, and scrapes to reduce healing time.[3]
4. Cure headache without harmful side effects
Headaches occur from a variety of triggers, such as stress, hormonal changes, spinal subluxations, and allergies, to name a few. Using lavender essential oil for headaches helps eliminate the use of medication that might have harmful side effects, regardless of what is causing the headache.[4]
5. Cleanse pores of acne-causing bacteria
There isn’t much scientific data to back up the claim that lavender helps acne, but that’s primarily because there hasn’t been many studies on this.[5] However, given the fact that lavender has been used as a disinfectant in the past is a good indicator that it can also help to cleanse pores of harmful, acne-causing bacteria. It also acts as an astringent that tightens your pores.
6. Move food easily to solve digestive issues
Lavender has been widely used as a natural digestive aid in the past because of its ability to move food easily and quickly through the intestines.[6] It also promotes a production increase of gastric juices to help ease indigestion and stomach pain.
Are there any side effects to using lavender essential oil?
Just because a remedy is all natural does not mean that there isn’t some risk or possibility of side effects. Some people might discover they are allergic to lavender oil, which would make their skin irritated or broken out. Others who take lavender orally might experience constipation, headache, or an increase in appetite. It should not be used by pregnant women or young boys who have not reached puberty, as it could negatively impact hormonal changes.
How should you use lavender essential oil?
Essential oils in general can be used in several ways, depending on why you are using the oil.
For lavender essential oil, you can massage the oil into your skin if you are hoping to treat acne or other skin conditions, or if you have a headache or muscle aches. You can also use a few drops in other mixtures to create a room spray or bug repellent. Spray a few spritzes on your pillow to help you drop into a restful sleep, or use in a diffuser to calm the atmosphere in your home. For headaches, dizziness, or motion sickness, you can place a small drop of lavender oil on the tip of your tongue or behind your ears to quiet the symptoms.
Where to find lavender oil near you?
You need to store your oil in a cool, dark place away from sunlight or heat. You should also keep it in its original bottle, as dark colored bottles help to keep out UV rays.
Why you should choose lavender oil over other solutions?
Granted, lavender essential oil is not considered a “miracle” plant by many people, mainly because there are other products out there that do similar things. People can easily take melatonin to help them sleep, Tums to help with indigestion, creams and cleansers to control acne, aspirin for headaches, rubbing alcohol for cuts, and Xanax for anxiety. Truth be told, there are dozens of options that can treat a variety of symptoms that lavender also alleviates. So why use lavender essential oils? Remember that lavender essential oil is a natural alternative, whereas most solutions, like the ones listed above, might contain harmful ingredients or create side effects. In addition, this one single product can replace a whole medicine cabinet of alternatives, keeping your costs low and freeing up valuable space in your home. And, last but not least, what we consider the secret benefits of using lavender essential oils were not secrets a hundred years ago. It was the norm, the go-to for people who didn’t have the internet to research benefits. They just knew it worked, just like generations before them. Lavender continues to provide the same benefits today as it did a hundred years ago. That will never change, but hopefully the number of people who know about lavender’s healing powers might.
