Lavender is a mint-family flowering plant with a sweet floral aroma that is easily recognized. It's said to be native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India, and it has a 2,500-year history. Lavender was also commonly used to freshen up and add a subtle aroma to several personal goods, including clothing and hair.
How Is Lavender Essential Oil Made?
Lavender oil has always been a favorite among
essential oil lovers. But how can those flowers become the oil that we all know
and love?
Lavender is typically gathered by hand from the
fields. The blooms are wrapped into bunches and left to dry for several weeks.
This keeps the oil from getting rancid, and it also makes it easier to remove
the buds from the stems when they're dry.
It's time to
start steam distillation after the flowers have dried sufficiently. Steam
distillation ensures that you receive the greatest advantages from lavender
while avoiding contamination from solvent extraction procedures like acetone or
hexane.
Lavender buds are put over boiling water during distillation, and the tremendous pressure and heat squeeze oil out of the blossoms as the boiling water gently steams them. The steam transports the steam-oil mixture to a condenser, where it is cooled and transformed back into a liquid. The steam turns into a hydrosol, and the lavender oil is naturally separated.
Here Are The Top 6 Benefits of Lavender
Lavender is
considered to be something more than a fragrant flower. This herb is now also
widely utilized for medical and therapeutic purposes. So, if you're suffering
from some medical concerns of your own and don't want to risk the negative side
effects that many over-the-counter and prescription medications have, have a
look at the health benefits and other uses of lavender.
1. May Help Improve Sleep
Lavender, which is known for its calming
aromatherapy effects, can help insomniacs get a better night's sleep. It’s
soothing smell can help you sleep better by reducing stress and anxiety. Place
a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow, use a lavender pillow
spray, or make a cup of decaffeinated lavender tea to consume before bed.
2. Help To Reduce Menstrual Pain Or Hot Flashes
Menstrual cramps and, subsequently, severe menopause
symptoms can be unpleasant aspects of being a woman. Lavender, thankfully, can
assist with both. Applying essential oil topically to menstrual cramps may help
to lessen the severity of the cramps. In addition, lavender aromatherapy used
twice a day may help decrease menopausal hot flashes and accompanying symptoms,
according to a study.
3. Treat Fungal Infections
The oil was found to be fatal to a variety of types
that can cause skin illness, according to the researchers. The essential oils
distilled from the lavender plant's Lavandula species appeared to act by
damaging the membranes of fungal cells in the study. Lavandula oil is powerful
and has antifungal activity across a broad spectrum, according to the study.
4. Relieve Asthma Symptoms
Lavender's anti-inflammatory properties may help to
alleviate bronchial asthma. According to a study, lavender essential oil
improves respiratory health by reducing allergic irritation and mucus
hyperplasia. It's uncertain whether the same effect would occur in humans.
5. Fights Acne
Acne frequently flares up when your skin is
deficient in oil. To compensate for the dryness, your skin may begin to
overproduce sebum (natural oil), resulting in clogged pores and acne. Lavender
oil hydrates skin without clogging pores and is non-comedogenic.
Lavender oil is antimicrobial by nature, which means
it eliminates acne-causing germs that may invade your pores. The purple flower
is therefore ideal for preventing, soothing, and curing severe acne
breakouts.
6. For Bath And Body
Adding lavender to your bath time can help you relax
physically and psychologically by combining its aromatherapy effects with its
topical advantages. Lavender-scented bubbles, bath salts, or a bath bomb are
all good options.
Tips To Plant And Care For Lavender
Spring is the best time to plant lavender. You can wait until summer or fall, but the sooner the better to ensure that the plants will be strong enough to withstand the upcoming winter. Allow two to three feet between each plant and avoid planting in wet places. Because this is a low-maintenance plant, you'll only need to water it once or twice a week at first as the plants grow, then every two to three weeks after that. When roughly half of the buds have opened, you can start harvesting. Cut the stems long to make bundling easier, and then hang the lavender bundles to dry in a cool, dark location.
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