Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. Two forms are distinguished, Lavender Flower Oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 (g/mL), and Lavender Spike Oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having density 0.905. Lavender Flower Oil is a designation of the National Formulary and the British Pharmacopoeia. It is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of natural products. An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants. ... Laboratory distillation set-up using, without a fractionating column 1: Heat source 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer/Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate/receiving flask 9: Vacuum/gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed... Species About 25-30, including: Lavandula angustifolia Lavandula canariensis Lavandula dentata Lavandula lanata Lavandula latifolia Lavandula multifida Lavandula pinnata Lavandula stoechas Lavandula viridis The lavenders Lavandula are a genus of about 25-30 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native from the Mediterranean region south to tropical... A National Formulary is a manual containing a list of medicines that are approved for prescription throughout the country, indicating which products are interchangeable. ... The British Pharmacopoeia is the authoritative collection of standards for UK medicinal substances. ... A chemical compound is a chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemically bonded chemical elements, with a fixed ratio determining the composition. ...
Its modern use is generally for aromatherapy. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) found lavender oil may have played a role in the reduction of advanced mammory tumors in lab rats. Research is on-going for potential breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver, and prostate cancer treatments. [citation needed] Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), is the use of volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils (EOs), and other aromatic compounds from plants to affect someones mood or health. ... The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin. ...
Medicinal uses
Many advocates of alternative medicine claim that lavender oil can be used to treat a huge variety of ailments and is an essential component of any household first aid box. Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. ...
Lotion Add a few drops of oil to a little water for sunburn or scalds.
Chest Rub Add 1 ml oil and 5 drops chamomile oil to 10 ml carrier oil for asthmatic and bronchitic spasm as well as larger breasts.
Hair Rinse Dilute 5-10 drops of oil in water for lice, or use a few drops of neat oil on a fine comb for nits.
Massage Oil Dilute 1 ml 'lavender oil' in 25 ml carrier oil, and massage into painful muscles. Dilute 10 drops in 25 ml carrier oil and massage into the temples and nape of the neck for tension headaches or at the first hint of a migraine.
Oil Apply undiluted to insect bites and stings. Dilute 10 drops oil in 25 ml carrier oil for sunstroke or to help prevent sunburn. (Note: this is not an effective sunblock.)
Alternative medicine advocates claim that lavender oil is a brilliant first-aid item, and can be applied undiluted to burns, cuts and bruises. It can help reduce scarring, as well as reducing inflammation. Chamomile flowers The name Chamomile or Camomile is ambiguous and can refer to several distinct species. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils and absolutes before they are applied to the skin. ... Suborders Anoplura (sucking lice) Rhyncophthirina Ischnocera (avian lice) Amblycera (chewing lice) Lice (singular: louse) (order Phthiraptera) are an order of over 3000 species of wingless parasitic insects. ... NIT or Nit or nit can refer to:- A common name for various types of lice eggs. ... Carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils and absolutes before they are applied to the skin. ... Carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils and absolutes before they are applied to the skin. ... Carrier oil, also known as base oil or vegetable oil, is used to dilute essential oils and absolutes before they are applied to the skin. ... Hyperthermia is an acute condition resulting from excessive exposure to heat, it is also known as heat stroke or sunstroke. ...
This information was found in Science News (170:6,2006) and also reported in the August 2006 Dr. Alexander Grant's Health Gazette, Volume 29, Number 7.
Safety
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Lavender oil has recently been implicated in abnormal development of breasts (gynecomastia) in young boys. A July 1, 2006 article in Science News, cites the detective work of Denver endrocrinologist Clifford Bloch after several boys presented with enlarged breasts. Subsequently, Derek Henley and Kenneth Korach of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., identified hormonally active compounds in lavender and tea tree oils–compounds which both mimic female hormones and counter male hormones. Boys and girls are particularly sensitive to estrogenic and androgenic compounds because their sex hormone levels are normally low prior to puberty. Discovery of the gynecomastia link in boys has led some researchers to suspect lavender and tea tree oils also may be contributing to the increased incidence of early breast development in girls. Lavender and tea tree oils are present in various bodycare products including shampoo and skin care oils. "Rapid reversal of gynecomastia" followed discontinued use of these products by Bloch's young patients.
The therapeutic properties of lavenderoil are antiseptic, analgesic, anti-convulsant, anti-depressant, anti-rheumatic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, bactericide, carminative, cholagogue, cicatrisant, cordial, cytophylactic, decongestant, deodorant, diuretic, emmenagogue, hypotensive, nervine, rubefacient, sedative, sudorific and vulnerary.
Lavenderoil has a soothing and calming effect on the nerves, relieving tension, depression, panic, hysteria and nervous exhaustion in general and is effective for headaches, migraines and insomnia.
Lavenderoil is one of the few essentials oils that can be used neat on the skin, and this is especially useful when treating a minor burn wound.
Lavender was familiar to Shakespeare, but was probably not a common plant in his time, for though it is mentioned by Spencer as 'The Lavender still gray' and by Gerard as growing in his garden, it is not mentioned by Bacon in his list of sweet-smelling plants.
Lavender is of 'especiall good use for all griefes and paines of the head and brain,' it is now almost solely grown for the extraction of its essential oil, which is largely employed in perfumery.
The chief constituents of the oil are linalool and its acetic ester, linalyl acetate, which is also the characteristic ingredient of oil of bergamot and is present in English oil of Lavender to the extent of 7 to 10 per cent.
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