Essential oils have a plethora of health benefits for the body. And, among all the oils, Lavender oil is the one that we will be discussing in this article. Lavender is a lovely purple plant which is a sight for the eyes. This oil is really beneficial for the body as well. It is used to relieve stress and anxiety, decrease pain, improving blood circulation and reduce nervous tension. Its benefits not only end here, but it is also even good for the skin and hair for disinfecting the scalp, relieving acne and boosting hair growth. Let us delve a little deeper into Lavender oil:
What is Lavender Essential Oil?
Lavender gets its name from the Latin word Lavare, meaning “to wash”. Lavender essential oil is extracted from the flowers of Lavender plant, mostly through steam distillation. Lavender flowers have been used for making potpourri for centuries because of their calming fragrance. Not only this, Lavender flower and essential oil have been used by Persians, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians as a perfume and bath additive.
Let us take a look at the benefits of Lavender Essential Oils below:
Lavender Essential Oil Benefits
Faster Wound Healing
Lavender of has been found really helpful in healing minor bruises, cuts and burns. According to a study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal in 2016, Lavender essential oil also boosts the synthesis of collagen and helps heal skin issues.
Neuroprotective Effect
Other significant benefits of Lavender essential oil is that it reduces brain edema, improves functional ability, increases antioxidant capacity and inhibits oxidative stress.
Relieves Stress and Anxiety
Lavender oil has also been proved to manage chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia. Research in The Mental Health Clinician journal published in 2018 has shown that Lavender oil is an excellent tonic for anxiety issues. Multiple researches have proved it to really useful for relieving stress and anxiety.
Sleep Promoter
Studies conducted over the period of time have proved that using Lavender essential oil have benefitted many users in terms of improved sleep quality, a persistent positive effect of heart rate variability with an increase in parasympathetic modulation.
Reduces Acne
As published in the Essential Oils for Healing handbook, pure Lavender essential oil inhibits the bacteria which cause acne infection and also regulates the over-excretion of sebum, thus, reducing acne.
Relieves Pain
The Lavender essential oil has been found effective in relieving different types of pain like backaches, sprains, and sore muscles. A regular massage of the oil has helped patients to feel relief from joint pains. According to a study in the Royal College of Physicians’ journal, lavender essential oil improved satisfaction rate with pain control among the patients compared to all other methods.
Improved Blood Circulation
According to research published in 2008 in the International Journal of Cardiology, Lavender aromatherapy has been found providing calming effects on coronary circulatory. This improves blood circulation in the body.
Hair Care
The benefits of Lavender essential oil do not end here. It has been found useful for hair as well in providing relief from lice, lice eggs, and nits. Therapeutic grade Lavender oil is also helpful against hair loss, especially for people with alopecia.
Along with all the benefits, just like every coin has two sides, lavender oil too has advantages and side effects. Let us take a look at some side effects of Lavender oil:
Side Effects of Lavender Essential Oil
It is found that some of the users have experienced below-mentioned side effects of using Lavender essential oil:
Skin irritation
Nausea
Vomiting
Headaches
Pain in joints
Stomach issues
I hope by now, you will want to give Lavender essential oil a try.