~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Magic of Lavender

Lavender has been used in love spells and clothing rubbed with the flower attracts love. A piece of paper on which lavender has been rubbed is excellent for attraction.

The flowers are also burned or smolder to induce sleep and rest. Can be scattered around the home to maintain peacefulness. The odor of Lavender is conductive for a long life. The herb is also used in healing mixtures and carried to see ghosts or worn to protect against the evil eye.

Despite lavender's love associations in the Renaissance it was believed that lavender together with rosemary, if worn would preserve a woman's chastity.
~source unknown


Lavender Beeswax Soap

Recipe By :Country Crafts, July/August 1997

4 ounces unscented, clear glycerine soap
1 teaspoon grated beeswax
1/4 teaspoon lavender fragrance oil
Violet food coloring -- (or one drop each blue & red)

Melt the soap over low heat until liquified. Add beeswax and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the fragrance oil and food coloring. Stir until blended. Pour into mold and let set for 3 hours.

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FLOWER POWER COLOGNE

This is a light, fresh toilet water that combines two favorite gardenscents - rose and lavender - with fresh herbs and citrus peel for an irresistible scent, perfect for splashing on throughout the day.
2 tablespoons fresh rose petals
2 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers
Peel of 1 lemon (zest only)
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh Peppermint
2 Cups water
1 1/4 cups vodka

Place the flowers, peel, and herbs in a small saucepan and cover with the water. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes but do not boil. Cool completely and add the vodka. Pour the mixture into a clean container with a tight-fitting lid and place in a cool, dry location for 2 weeks. Strain off all solids and bottle your cologne in a pretty bottle.
Yield: 16 ounces
(source/author unknown)

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Scrubbing Mask

This mask is very flexible and various herbs can be substituted for the rose and lavender. It's a great gentle scrub and you can leave on for as long and short as you wish.

1 Cup Oats
1/2 Cup Wheat germ
1/4 Cup Ground Sesame Seed
Dried Rose Petals and Lavender Flowers

In a food processor, grind up the oats and add the wheat germ. Then add the sesame seeds and roses. Grind again until the petals or flowers are finely chopped. Once the mixture is well ground, remove and spread over a cookie sheet.

Heat the oven at a low temperature. Make sure it is as low as possible as you don't want to burn the mixture. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and let the mixture dry for a few moments. Remove and add to a jar with a lid. To use pour some out on your palm and moisten with warm water. Applie and gently scrub your face with a circular motion. Let sit for a few moments and rinse off.

**Note: The mask is dried in the oven to stop the growth of bacteria and molds. Don't add to a jar that you haven't cleaned in boiling water before hand.

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Lavender and Orange

Lavender Orange Diffusion

The diffused aroma of lavender and orange essential oils can make your home smell like a fragrant orange grove or sunny lavender field in the south of France.

Add 10 to 15 drops of either oil to 1/4 cup of distilled water. Put the blend in a ceramic aromatherapy lamp or simmering potpourri pot.

Suggested variations: Make the citrus aroma more complex by adding bergamot, grapefruit or lemon oils.


Lavender Orange Refresher Spray

This floral-fruity mist is a great way to refresh tired senses on plane trips, long car rides or anytime you need a fragrant boost.

Add 9 drops of lavender and 7 drops of orange essential oil to 1 2/3 ounces of distilled water. Place in a spray bottle or atomizer. Shake the bottle vigorously, then close your eyes and lightly mist your face or personal space.

Suggested variations: Make the blend more floral by adding jasmine, rose or ylang ylang. Make it more citrusy by substituting grapefruit, lemon or tangerine for the lavender.

Lavender Orange Mineral Bath
Soak away your worries with this refreshing mineral bath.

Mix together 2 tablespoons of sea salt, 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons of borax. Add 5 drops of lavender and 5 drops of orange essential oils and mix well. Pour the mixture into the bath under running water. Make sure the salts are completely dissolved and that the oils are evenly dispersed.
Suggested variations: You can make a relaxing bath by replacing the orange essential oil with Roman chamomile, sandalwood or patchouli.

Copyright © 1996-1999 by Frontier Natural Products Co-op



Grow Lavender for Luck
LAVENDER- Luck money; Place in a green conjure bag and also put a penny, a nickle, a dime, and a quarter in the conjure bag with the herb. The money will multiply seven times.
source unknown

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LAVENDER HAIR RINSE:

For a simple lavender hair rinse, place 1/2 cup of lavender flowers into a pint jar then fill to the top with apple cider vinegar. The vinegar will turn purple when it has extracted the rejuvenating properties from the lavender. Let sit for three days, then strain off and compost the flowers.

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Lavender getaway bath
For a soothing winter bath, put 2 tablespoons of lavender buds (Lavandula angustifolia) and 2 tablespoons of finely ground oatmeal into a small muslin bag or a piece of cloth. Secure tightly with a string or rubber band. Tie the bundle with the string or a piece of ribbon so that it under the spigot of your bathtub. Once the bath is full, try rubbing the bundle gently over your skin. Both the lavender and the oatmeal will work to soothe dry skin and calm frazzled nerves as well.

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Lavender Flower
Latin Name Lavandula angustifolia Pharmacopeial Name Lavandulae flos
Other Names English lavender, garden lavender, true lavender


Overview

Lavender is an aromatic subshrub native to the low mountains (800–1,800 meters) of the Mediterranean basin, cultivated in France, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, the former Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. The material of commerce comes mainly from France (Bruneton, 1995; Grieve, 1979; Leung and Foster, 1996; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Lavender was used as an antiseptic in ancient Arabian, Greek, and Roman medicines. Its genus name comes from the Latin lavare, to wash, probably referring to its use as a bath additive for the purification of body and spirit. It was also used as a bactericide to disinfect hospitals and sick rooms in ancient Persia, Greece, and Rome. The ancient Greeks called the plant nardus and later the Romans called it asarum. In the time of Pliny the Elder (ca. 23–79 B.C.E.), the blossoms sold for 100 Roman denarii per pound (Bown, 1995; Grieve, 1979; Savinelli, 1993). Knowledge of its healing abilities spread to India and then to Tibet. In the book Makhzan-El-Adwiya, it is called the broom of the brain, because it is reputed to sweep away all kafa impurities (Nadkarni, 1976). The Gyu-zhi, or Four Tantras, by Chandranandana is the earliest Indian medical text to be translated into Tibetan (eighth century B.C.E.). In it, lavender (Pri-yangku in Tibetan) is included in psychiatric formulas, still used today in Tibetan Buddhist medicine, for treating insanity and psychoses, in an edible ointment or medicine butter dosage form. (Clifford, 1984). The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia (AP) lists Lavandula officinalis, along with a related Indian species, L. burmani, and specifically indicates its use for depressive states associated with digestive dysfunction. The AP reports its actions as carminative, antispasmodic, antidepressant, sedative, and antirheumatic; oil is a rubefacient (Karnick, 1994).

In Germany, lavender is licensed as a standard medicinal tea for sleep disorders and nervous stomach. Lavender flower and extract are also used in sedative and cholagogue medical preparations. In Germany and the United States, the aqueous infusion is used in balneotherapy and the essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Additionally, lavender flower is often used in the United States as a component of dietary supplement products, mainly in aqueous infusions. Lavender oil is also official in the United States National Formulary (Leung and Foster, 1996; NF, 1985; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Modern clinical studies have investigated the neurophysical effects of its essential oil (Tasev et al, 1969), its choleretic and cholagogic actions (Gruncharov, 1973), its use as a bath additive for perineal discomfort and repair following childbirth (Dale and Cornwell, 1994; Cornwell and Dale, 1995), and its use as an alternative to tamoxifen (Ziegler, 1996).

The approved modern therapeutic applications for lavender are supportable based on its use in well established systems of traditional medicine, on phytochemical investigations, and on its documented pharmacological actions reported in in vitro studies and in vivo experiments in animals.

German pharmacopeial grade lavender flower must contain not less than 1.3% volatile oil and pass a botanical identity test determined by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). French pharmacopeial grade lavender flower must contain not less than 0.8% volatile oil. German pharmacopeial grade lavender oil must contain not less than 35.0% ester, calculated as linalyl acetate, and must also pass a number of purity tests including detection of foreign esters. French pharmacopeial grade lavender oil must contain 25–38% linalool, 25–45% linalyl acetate, 0.1–0.5% limonene, 0.3–1.5% 1,8-cineole, 0.2–0.5% camphor, and 0.3–1.0% a-terpineol (DAB 1997; DAC, 1986; Ph.Fr.X., 1990; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Description


Lavender flower consists of the dried flower of Lavandula angustifolia Miller [Fam. Lamiaceae], gathered shortly before fully unfolding, and its preparations in effective dosage. The preparation contains at least 1.5% (v/w) essential oil with linalyl acetate, linalool, camphor, -ocimene, and 1,8-cineole as its main components. Furthermore, the preparation contains about 12% tannins unique to the Lamiaceae.


Note: In U.S. commerce, lavandin (L. xintermedia) is often interchanged with L. angustifolia (Tucker, 1999). However, the official species approved for medicinal use by the Commission E is L. angustifolia.


Chemistry and Pharmacology


Lavender flower contains 1.5–3% volatile oil, of which 25–55% is linalyl acetate, 20–38% linalool, 4–10% cis--ocimene, 2–6% trans--ocimene, 2–6% 1-terpinen-4-ol.