Part of the plant used for therapeutic purpose: lavender flower (Lavandulae flos)
Other names: true lavender, English lavender, garden lavender, common lavender, narrow-leaved lavender.
Description and harvesting
Lavender is a shrub growing up to 40 cm. It is botanically similar to rosemary, and has a similar fragrance. It is harvested by cutting just the flowers or the entire blooming plant right before the buds open. The plant blooms in July and August. Lavender is best if used in blends rather than alone.
Constituents and medicinal use
Lavender works primarily on the central nervous system and the respiratory system. When used as tea, lavender clears the head, especially in case of eye and ear diseases; it is used to treat a cold and migraine. Tea is used to prevent a stroke and tendency for strokes. Those who have suffered a stroke should, at least initially, be massaged with lavender flowers added with some sage and juniper berries, all boiled in white wine. This is then rubbed into the disabled limbs several times. Keep the vinegar, which you have previously boiled with lavender, in the mouth for a few minutes as a remedy for a toothache. Lavender wraps placed on the head help to soothe tension headaches, providing that the stomach and digestion are healthy. Tea is used to stop severe diarrhoea caused by inflammation in the digestive system. Lavender is useful in case of jaundice because it cleanses the liver. The tea, added with some anise and a pinch of cinnamon, is recommended as a remedy for dropsy. Lavender, poured over with hot white wine, helps with somnolence, epilepsy, stroke and tremor. A lavender, valerian, primula, and St John’s wort tea blend is used to treat insomnia. Drink three cups of lavender flower tea if you experience heart palpitations, migraines, neurasthenia, light-headedness and fainting. Prepare an invigorating bath by boiling 1–1.5 kg of lavender in 12 l of water for quite a long time and adding this to your bath. This also helps to fight rheumatism, gout, irregular periods, and pain in the lower part of the body. Soak a handful of lavender flowers in 2.5 dcl of olive oil and leave in the sun for 2 months. Use this oil to massage the painful parts of the body, especially after a stroke. Flowers can also be soaked in spirit and used to massage the head in case of hair loss and dandruff.
Monk Simon Ašič’s product containing the lavender flower:
Sources:
1. Domača lekarna patra Simona Ašiča. Priročnik za nabiranje zdravilnih rastlin. Celjska Mohorjeva družba.
2. Domača lekarna patra Simona Ašiča. Recepti. Celjska Mohorjeva družba.
3. Willfort R. Zdravline rastline in njih uporaba. Založba obzorja Maribor.
