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Lavender: What’s Not to Love?

Lavandula angustifolia, or true lavender, is often hailed as the “Queen of Medicinal Plants.” This regal title is well-deserved, considering its association with notable historical figures like Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I. This versatile plant has captivated humanity for centuries, and its allure only continues to grow.

Join us as we explore the wonderful world of lavender. We'll journey through its rich history, uncover some keys to cultivating and harvesting this fragrant herb, and discover how to incorporate its magic into your everyday life through body care, aromatherapy, and even culinary adventures.

A Journey Through Time: Lavender Through the Ages

Lavender's story begins in ancient times, with evidence of its use dating back some 2,500 years.

• Ancient Egypt: Chronicles from Egyptian society mention lavender as a prized fragrance and herb. Priests, doctors, healers, and attendants utilized it in spiritual ceremonies, for embalming, and it was even placed in the tombs of pharaohs. Ritual burning of lavender seems to have been a common practice.
• Greece and Rome: In early Greek transcripts, lavender was noted for its role in promoting celibacy, purification, bathing, and embalming. Incense and sachets incorporated the herb, and its flowers and leaves were burned as offerings to gods and deities. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, recognized the medicinal properties of lavender and other plants for healing and disease prevention, stating, "Aromatics can be used for simple amusement or as cures when mixed into suitable ointments and rubbed on the body." The Romans, much like the Greeks, used lavender to perfume their bathwater, in rituals, and for disease prevention.
• Asia's Embrace: Lavender was introduced to China and quickly became popularized as an essential tonic for the entire body. Similarly, it found numerous applications in Ayurvedic medicine in India, with its use potentially dating back even further than records suggest.
• Medieval Mysticism and Healing: Medieval botanists categorized lavender as being ruled by the planet Mercury, rendering it a neutral plant embodying a balance of yin and yang. Mystics and healers considered it exceptionally powerful, believing it could aid in changing thought patterns and modifying emotional centers – an ancient form of neuroscience at work. The renowned medieval writer and mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, noted that lavender helped "maintain a pure character." She believed its fragrance could free one from irritability and help release compulsions and anger. Interestingly, it was also reportedly used by women to guard against maltreatment, as it was said to have a calming effect, even on "untamed lions and tigers."
• Persian Innovations & European Renaissance: The Persians are credited with advancing the use of lavender in diffusers and distillation techniques in the 10th century. By the 16th century, lavender proliferated in books, marking the beginning of the European Aromatherapy Renaissance.
• Modern Research: French physicians, responding to severe incidences of tuberculosis, noted lavender's impact on microorganisms and glandular systems, thanks to its complex chemical composition (including some 160 components). Research into the active ingredients of various lavender species continues to this day. Soon after, the plant became a staple in ‘medicinal’ gardens, with popularized claims about its olfactory benefits, its ability to enhance insight and visualization, and its positive effects on communication.

As you encounter lavender, take a moment to consider this rich history. Inhale its scent with curiosity. Does it awaken your senses? Does it foster a sense of connection or communication?

Cultivating Your Own Lavender Haven

With its myriad properties and benefits, lavender is a delightful addition to any garden, offering fresh flowers, home uses, body care applications, and of course, its renowned scent and impactful essential oil for health and well-being.

Why Grow Lavender?

Bringing nature into your world is enriching, and lavender is a standout plant that represents connectedness. Its bold color and distinctive scent have made it an essential herb in many cultures, promoting synergy with all of life.

In nature, balance is key. Lavender plays its part by:

• Attracting Pollinators: It draws bees, vital for the pollination of our fruits and vegetables.
• Deterring Pests: Lavender can act as a critical barrier in landscaping, diverting unwanted insects.
• Giving Back to the Earth: This remarkable plant releases phytochemicals into the soil and air that can help reduce harmful chemicals.

My own appreciation for lavender deepened during retreats to a bucolic lavender farm in Los Olivos. Standing among the tall, intoxicating spikes, seeing how beautifully it blends with the oak landscape, and witnessing the summer's blue blossoms contrasted against warm brown and yellow fields has been a profound inspiration. Touching the plants during their growth cycle brings a closer connection to nature's message. Its bold color, discriminating scent, and flowing movement truly represent connectedness.

Understanding Lavender Varieties

The original home of species like Lavandula officinalis and Lavandula angustifolia is claimed to be Southern France and the high mountains of "Persia" (modern-day Iran). From these origins, several hybrid and clone varietals have emerged, such as Lavandula latifolia and Lavandin Grosso.

One delightful surprise is that while we often assume all lavender varieties boast purple spikes, their flowers can also be white, yellow, and even pink! There are approximately 45 recognized species and an astounding 450 varieties to date. Several species thrive in California, resiliently handling intense summer heat and cold winters.

Growing Tips

This perennial is wonderfully low-maintenance and offers a high yield.

• Containers: It grows well in containers, provided there is good drainage.
• Garden Placement: The much-loved purple flowers make it ideal for planting right outside your window or as part of a medicinal garden alongside companions like bergamot, holy basil, lemon balm, echinacea, and sage.
• Hedges and Dividers: If you have more space, lavender makes a popular and fragrant hedge or bed divider.
• Small Spaces: Even with just 2-3 plants in small beds, you can still utilize parts of the plant.

Accessible farms throughout much of California and experienced vendors (perhaps at local markets or festivals) are great resources for purchasing plants. Don't hesitate to talk to growers for tailored advice.

Harvesting Nature's Gift

Harvesting typically occurs months into the growing season. Cultivated lavender reaches its peak during the hottest time of the day, which is ideal for extracting the potent essential oils from the blossoms. The good news is that harvesting does not harm the plant.

Flowers and leaves can be dried for various uses (more on that soon!). However, it's important to note that producing essential oil or hydrosol water requires immense quantities of plant material. Quality oils primarily come from the purple spikes, with yields often measured in tons.

Lavender: More Than Just a Scent – Unveiling Its Benefits

The chemical makeup and aesthetic qualities of lavender contribute to its immense health and well-being properties, truly unique in the plant world. The name Lavandula itself comes from the Latin word lavare, meaning "to wash," hinting at the antiseptic qualities of its pure, clean fragrance that benefits both mind and body. Credible research continues to explore this plant's potential, with studies appearing in publications like the Journal of Complementary Medicine, Archives on Dermatology, nursing bulletins, and journals focusing on cancer research and neuroscience.

Lavender is universally beneficial for babies, youth, adults, and elders alike.

The Science Behind the Magic: Active Ingredients

Lavender's power comes from a complex array of constituents:

• Volatile oils: Linalyl acetate, linalool, lavandulyl acetate, borneol, limonene, caryophyllene
• Coumarins: Umbelliferone, herniarin, coumarin
• Miscellaneous: Triterpenes (e.g., ursolic acid), flavonoids (e.g., luteolin)
• Polyphenols: Such as rosmarinic acid
• Flavonoids: Like apigenin
• Enzymes: Including monoamine oxidase
• Key Anxiety-Relieving Components: Linalool and linalyl acetate are the main compounds responsible for lavender's calming effects.

What does this all mean? This plant possesses phenomenal antiseptic, antimicrobial, analgesic, and antifungal properties. Lavender can inhibit bacteria and was historically used to purify early operating rooms; it remains widely used in first aid. It works at a cellular level and can impact glandular balance.

Practical Uses for Health and Home

• Hygiene: We’ve all increased our attention to hygiene, and lavender is a wonderful natural ally. Simply add it to warm water for a fragrant surface wipe in bathrooms, kitchens, offices, and cars. This allows you to reduce reliance on harsher chemical products and lessen your environmental impact.
• Air Freshening: Spread the positive well-being of lavender’s qualities by diffusing its essential oil, or using it in air fresheners, air filters, home and body sprays, and candle lamps.
• Linens and Clothes: Sprays can be used on clothes during laundering, as linen sprays, while ironing, or by placing drops on fabric or in cloth-covered sachets (pomanders). How many of us have these sweet-scented sachets tucked away in drawers or closets? An added benefit is their ability to deter moths.

Embracing Lavender in Everyday Life

Let's delve into how you can weave the soothing and uplifting presence of lavender into your daily routines.

Aromatherapy: A Symphony of Scents

Different plants offer varying healing properties, and lavender is a star in aromatherapy. Lavender oil blends harmoniously with most other essential oils, making it incredibly versatile. There are many widely available blends and recipes to explore.

Home aromatherapy offers dozens of self-treatment and body care uses, including lotions, shampoos, pet products, and sleep aids. Its applications, both internal (with caution and guidance) and external, can stimulate physical and psychological senses, helping to ease symptoms from heart conditions to asthma, heal the skin, and even reduce hair loss.

When using lavender therapeutically for specific conditions like headaches or insomnia, it’s important to consult with a qualified aromatherapy specialist.

A significant consideration is how lavender calms and interrupts the conscious, often overactive, mind. Its scent is especially effective at crossing the blood-brain barrier. This can help in processes like “envisioning your life,” “setting a new course,” or “affirming what you are trying to bring about.” To activate the conscious mind in this way, place lavender in a space where you can experience a deep breath of its aroma. Lavender stimulates the emotional centers of the brain, potentially changing how you think about something, promoting emotional centering, and aiding in repatterning. This makes lavender-infused products thoughtful gifts for those graduating, celebrating growth, or navigating grief and PTSD.

Bringing Calm into Your World

Lavender is renowned for creating calm. Why not take it a step further?

• Create a Lavender Day: Dedicate one day a week (say, Wednesday) to benefiting from lavender. Use it to promote wellness, create a peaceful sanctuary in your home, and incorporate lavender into a retreat space or meditation practice.
• Visual Delights: Let its color pop on your window sills or have dried sprigs dangle from knobs. Just a brush against a display can release scented oils for a few moments of delight.
• Cleansing Rituals: Cleanse an area in your home using lavender candles, oils, or a fresh bouquet. Sprinkle lavender buds on a special rug where you like to do yoga; once you vacuum them up, sit down and simply enjoy the serene atmosphere.
• Crafting with Lavender: Its color and tall presence make it ideal for sharing in a craft project with family or friends who might need a little waft of nature. Bring in the fresh herb and play with the flowers (fresh or dried), arranging them in white wicker baskets or old tins. Design place markers, personal charms, or go grand and embellish entryways and trellises.
• Outdoor Protection: If you’re off for a hike, try putting a few drops of lavender oil in your socks, on collars, in boots, and on your pets. The oils are especially helpful to ward off mosquitoes, ants, and wasps. If you do get a bite or scratch, lavender—or a combination with eucalyptus, tea tree, lemon, or patchouli—can reduce swelling and ease itching.

Culinary Delights with Lavender

As Hippocrates wisely said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Local chefs and home cooks alike have been inspired to add lavender to food celebrations, creating unique and flavorful dishes. Here are a few favorite ways to use culinary lavender:

• Baking: Adding lavender oils or dried spikes to shortbread cookies, morning scones, or anything you can douse with herbed lavender butter brings a delightful floral note.
• Sweeteners: It’s great fun to experiment with lavender-infused sweeteners. Try it with confectioners' sugar, honey, stevia, or date syrup.
• Pairings: Lavender and chocolate are a wonderful pairing; the floral notes shine when combined with earthy cocoa. Ever thought about Lavender S'mores?
• Savory Dishes: Remember that most citrus fruits, chamomile, and sage all combine extremely well with lavender. Dried buds and sometimes leaves are common toppings for all types of cheeses, including vegan varieties. You can also place buds along with classic spices for meat rubs.
• Beverages:
  • Lemonade & Syrups: Lavender lemonade is a classic pairing, often made with lavender simple syrup.
  • Teas & Lattes: Combining it with iced tea adds a little kick. Steeped tea with lavender (green, black, or white) or flavored lattes are increasingly popular in local coffee houses and tea shops.
  • Cocktails & Mocktails: Mixologists are designing combinations that leverage lavender's unique qualities to create intentional mocktails and cocktails. Adventurous drink makers can even create sugar-free versions.

A Parting Thought

Lavender is more than just a plant; it's an experience. I hope this exploration inspires you to sleep better, infuse your creativity with its scent, and perhaps even get a plant into your own soil. Let yourself feel the overwhelming joy that this gorgeous herb can bring. Explore its many facets, share its wonders, and let lavender enrich your life.

This article is adapted from a presentation by Mary Uebersax of EarthTones Gifts, Gallery & Center for Healing, originally delivered on May 10, 2025, in San Luis Obispo, California.