Historic Uses of Lavender
Did you know that lavender has been used for many different purposes throughout history? The inspiration for this blog post came from when my mother, who works as a gardener on a private estate, brought home a whole bunch of lavender sprigs for me to harvest and keep the buds for my embroidered lavender bags I like to craft.
Above: My harvesting process and my filling lavender jar on my Instagram story.
As we know, lavender is a purple flower that blooms in season from late May through to mid-July, and is harvested from late July through to early September. It is known for its sweet and relaxing scent that is beneficial for stress, anxiety, depression and sleep-related difficulties, which is most commonly used for in this modern day, but can also be infused as a herbal tea. (Yes, lavender is also considered a medicinal herb, there will be more on that later in the post).
Traditional uses of lavender include aromatic (for scent inhalation), carminative (helps relieve flatulence), antispasmodic (muscle relaxation and relief of spasms), expectorant (clearing the sinuses and upper and lower airways), stimulant (increasing activity in the brain and body), cosmetic (beauty treatments), culinary (cooking and baking), decorative (for display or presentation), medicinal (used in herbal or ancient medicine and/or has health benefits), antibacterial (fights bacteria) and antiseptic (used to prevent wounds from becoming infected).
Historical Uses and Properties
According to an article from North Carolina State University, the Ancient Greek naturalist and Roman army physician Dioscorides considered lavender to be the top medicinal herb in the first century AD. Read full article here. He believed that lavender, (if taken internally), would relieve indigestion, headaches, sore throats and for cleansing wounds of infection, along with the Romans and Greeks using lavender in herbal bathing.
In Ancient Egypt, lavender was used in perfumes and was a key ingredient in incense. When Tutankhamen's Tomb was opened, remnants of lavender were found in the coffin, still smelling strongly. It was also believed that Queen Cleopatra used the scent of lavender to seduce Julius Ceaser. During the mummification embalming process, lavender would be used in the salts into that were rubbed into the corpse and infused with the wrapping cloths.
The Romans had superstition that an asp (a dangerous viper) made its nest in a lavender bush which upped the price of the plant itself, whereby people became more cautious of buying it. It is thought that the Romans introduced lavender to Britian when they settled several thousand years ago, whereby lavender was used in cooking, bathing, cosmetics and for dressing wounds. Roman soldiers would carry a herbal first aid kit with them, which would contain lavender, along with parsley, sage , thyme, fennel, borage, and many others; wherever the Roman army settled, these herbs would be grown in their local community. The Romans were very aware of the calming, healing and insect repelling properties, as well as using the oil in massage and burning it to honour their gods.
During the Medieval times, lavender was considered the herb of love and used as a aphrodisiac (to stimulate libido). It was believed that sprinkling some lavender water on a loved one's head would keep the wearer abstinent (refraining from extramarital or all sexual activities - most commonly for religious reasons). Lavender was commonly used as an antiseptic and medicinal herb during the Middle ages, mostly for treating battle wounds of Medieval knights or for everyday first aid for peasants.
Lavender is also a widely-used insect repellent that is still used today, mainly known to prevent moths from being attracted to and chewing holes in clothes or linens, by hanging a bag of lavender buds or bunches in your wardrobe, goes back as far as the Middle Ages; lavender was strewn on the floors of castles and in sickrooms as a disinfectant and deodorant, which would have relieved discomfort and induced relaxation in sick patients who needed bed rest. Plague doctors believed that carrying a bag of lavender with you or hanging bunches in your home prevented you from catching the plague or from it coming into your home.
The Tudors used lavender for hygiene and cosmetic purposes, similar to previous periods, including using it for it calming properties. Lavender was mixed with charcoal as a toothpaste, whereas charcoal toothpaste is used today for teeth whitening. Queen Elizabeth I used lavender as perfume, as well as for culinary reasons, whereby she infused lavender in her tea to treat migraines, as well as that she was known to enjoy lavender conserve and lavender wine and mixing lavender with sugar toothpaste.
The most associated period of history associated with lavender is the Victorian era; still being a popular ingredient in perfumes and other cosmetic products, but also used as an ingredient in distilled water used to add scent to linen and clothes, which was fashionable among young women.
According to Hitchin Lavender, William Ransom, who distilled lavender for Perks and Llewellyn Pharmacy made from lavender grown locally gained such success, that when Queen Victoria's train stopped at Hitchin, he presented her with a bottle of lavender essential oil.
Norfolk Lavender claims that during the First World War, stock levels of modern medical disinfectants where low due to them being essential for the front line, so people were encouraged to take on older methods of creating disinfectants or antiseptics. Housewives of Britain and on the continent gathered lavender so that lavender oil on sphagnum moss could be used as a dressing.
References
https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-aPahnd-production/
https://hitchinlavender.com/lavender-history/
https://norfolk-lavender.co.uk/story-english-lavender
Uses of Lavender Today
The most common form of modern-day use of lavender (as it had been since the Victorian times) is essential oil; which can be applied to carrier oil (such as coconut or almond) and given topically or used in massage therapies.
It has been proven that lavender aids sleep; going back to historical uses, King Charles VI of France liked to have this pillows stuffed with lavender, which is still of use today as some linens can be stuffed or infused with lavender water, or you can simply drop a couple of drops of lavender oil on pillows. My parents used to do this with me as a child, due to my ADHD and the fact being autistic can mean not producing enough melatonin to feel sleepy; I was especially hyperactive at bedtime as a child (I would jump on the bed, want to play role play games with my toys, not sit or lie still and have the overall zoomies like a cat), that sometimes my mother would give me a foot massage with lavender oil.
My Favourite Uses of Lavender
Natural living, foraging and herbalism are a few of my favourite hobbies, which partly came from my love of the scent of lavender. I visited Jersey Lavender Farm when I was 12 and bought some lavender perfume from them (it was late May then, so their lavender had not yet fully bloomed, nor was it ready to be harvested), which I used religiously for travel-related stress and discomfort.
Jersey Lavender has some wonderful suggestions for using lavender, as well as delightful products from its shop.
Essential Oil
First and foremost, I swear by using lavender essential oil for dropping onto my pillows and bed sheets to help me sleep, dropping some oil into a diffuser or using a lavender-scented room spray and my favourite thing to do with essential oil drops, making a topical blend and dropping some in bath water.
I like to blend lavender with other scents, yet it depends on the purpose and which activities I will be taking on. Considering that lavender is a natural sedative if the scent is inhaled, I would have to think about which other scents can keep me alert, grounded and focused whilst staying calm.
The scents I like to blend with lavender are the following:
Rose - skincare, emotional comfort, grounding and relaxation
Peppermint - laundry, headaches, migraines, focus diffusing
Lemon - diffusing, laundry and focus
Vetiver - calming and sleep
Cedarwood - sleep and relaxation
Sandalwood - skincare and relaxation
My favourite topical blends with lavender for the following activities:
Studying, writing, creative arts, work or volunteering - peppermint or frankincense
Travelling or commuting - rose, peppermint, patchouli, sweet orange or lemon
Gym and fitness - cypress, lemon or peppermint
Yoga - clary sage, sweet orange, or sandalwood
Sleep and/or relaxation - cedarwood, rose, frankincense or vetiver
Even two or three other scents might work well together with lavender.
Just like Elizabeth I, I too suffer with headaches and migraines; I find it beneficial to blend lavender with peppermint and frankincense and massage it into my temples, forehead and the back of my neck to calm tension.
Infusions
Lavender smells very similar to Earl Grey tea; when you smell the tea leaves, you get notes of it, even though it is not an ingredient. Culinary lavender can be used in tea blends or some may just be lavender tea alone. Some people may be internal sensitive reactions to lavender, so be sure to read the label before drinking. 🍵
My favourite tea company Bird & Blend have some unique blends that are mixed with culinary lavender, with the intention for relaxation, de-stressing and unwinding after a busy day.
The blends come with different types of tea (depending if you need a caffeine boost of energy or finding calm when you're lounging around), but most are caffeine free.
Herbal tea - Dozy Girl (lavender, rose and chamomile) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (apple, strawberry, rose, lavender and chamomile)
Green tea (matcha) - Swampthing Matcha (lime, lavender and pear with spirulina)
Rooibos tea - Stardrop Dreams (lavender, lemon and apple)
Stardrop Dreams is my favourite blend as the rooibos tea has hints of sweet rhubarb, it also contains apple to add to the sweetness (so no need for more than a spoonful or sugar), as well as lemon and lavender to promote relaxation in a tea made for a bedtime drink or chilling out.
Cooking and Baking
First and foremost, make sure the lavender you are using is culinary (cooking) lavender or food grade; it may not be a good idea to use lavender picked off a random plant as there are over 50 species of lavender, and some may not be suitable for consuming.
After trying some lemon zest and Earl Grey tea shortbread cookies, I could taste notes of lavender in them, which inspired me to bake lavender shortbread or lavender scones. I bought some culinary lavender and got cooking, starting off by making lavender syrup after having a lavender latte at an organic cafe near where I used to work.
I read that adding a shot of lavender syrup in with white hot chocolate is a real treat, as well as the shortbread which led to the scones, where I was tempted to try them with jam and clotted cream.
Recipes below:
Bath and Body
I mentioned dropping some lavender oil in the bath is a fantastic way of feeling the benefits and inhaling the scent through the steam. Lots of lavender farms and natural beauty businesses sell their own products distilled, infused or mixed with lavender.
If you bathe or shower in the evenings like I do, lavender scented soap, shower gel or bubble bath is an absolute must if your intention is to wind down before bedtime, especially with the scent's sedative effect.
Products from Hitchin Lavender, Jersey Lavender, Neal's Yard Sleep Solutions or Feather and Down do some wonderful products.
Lush sells some hypnotic lavender-scented products that have been useful to me before; the Sleepy range comes in a soft purple shower gel, as well as a body spray, soap bar and bubble bar is so relaxing. I have also used the Twilight products in bath bomb and body spray form when I started hosting activities on HMS Belfast and was having anxiety from trying to remember my training, sensory overload from commuting and providing activities during busy school holidays. There are lots of other soothing products from Lush that can help with stress, anxiety and sleep-related issues.
What is Your Favourite Way to Use Lavender?
Feel free to get in touch or leave a comment if you would like to share your favourite ways of using lavender. Writing this post had inspired me to bake with it; yet it will not be the lavender my mother brought home from a client as it is not clear if it is food grade (culinary).
I would like to give credit to this article on Healthline to aid my research and facts for this post 👏: Healthline - A Love Letter to Lavender 💜
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