Queen Lavender, the Nurturer, Carer and Mistress of Healing

Lavender is one of the easiest plant to grow, that gives many therapeutic benefits. In my opinion, lavender is one of the top 5 therapeutic plant or herb that you should have growing in your garden, as part of your “external medicine cabinet”. So let’s get you comfortable growing your first very own lavender plant!

Lavender tends to be grown in mediteranean conditions, so once established, will tolerate dry conditions. It is a hardy perennial (grows all year-round) and loves a cut back to remove spent flower heads.

 

Look at the plant – see how the leaves form – long narrow soft leaves extruding from a main stem. See how the leafy stems grow low towards the ground, and then long thin stems reach out to the sky to form a flower head. See how the flower is formed of tiny little buds clustered together, ending in a thin “spear”. This particular lavender I am describing, is classic to English lavender, or the Latin botanical name, Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis.

 

 

 

 

Here is another L. angustifolia:

 

Compare this to another “style” of lavender whose flower heads are shorter and thicker, with 3 petals at the top. This is usually a variety of French lavender, with botanical names of L. stoechas, L. dentata, or L. pedunculata (“butterfly” petals), , and comes in colours of purple or pink:

            

See how lavender grows, close to the ground, usually in a rounded shape. I once referred to this lavender as a “Stately Queen”, and I still see that – beautiful Queen Lavender, calm and composed, overseeing her domain with care and nurturing. And this is very much how lavender is as a healer, in both herbalism books and also aromatherapy resources. Lavender is the all-round healer, gentle for all ages, nurturing and comforting. We can learn a lot about a plant’s particular medicine from simply observing how it grows. This is the concept behind Doctrine of Signatures.

 

So you can see, it is easy to grow lavender, they are easy to care for and there are many varieties to suit your needs. When you go to pick a bunch of lavender, and come back in a few weeks to find more flower heads, you see the Abundance of this healing plant. Watch the bees hover about the flowering lavender, and you will see how it is a part of a bee-friendly garden. In fact, research has shown that planting lavender beside beehives can help keep the bees calm (have a read of this transcript of an episode on ABC’s Catalyst)! I have also noticed when I added a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to sugar syrup or sugar fondant to feed one of my beehives that was weak in their first winter, they grew to become the healthier of my two hives by the time winter finished! The benefits of lavender extend beyond just us, but also to the environment around you. And if you want to know how else you can use lavender to support your wellbeing, have a look at this blog article, 5 Ways to Use Lavender.

I hope after this, you are inspired to grow your own lavender plant! Let me know in the comments about your lavender plant journey.

 

5 Ways You Can Use Lavender Beyond the Essential Oil

From the very first time I looked at pictures of Provence and the beautiful rows of flowering lavender fields, I wanted to grow my very own lavender plant. I was just happy with just keeping one alive, so I wasn’t thinking about rows of lavender! But one single plant can give you bunches of lavender flowers, several times a year depending on where you are living, and depending on which variety you are growing. If you want to read more about different varieties of lavender, have a look at this post.

For today’s post, I am simply looking at the ways you can use the flowers of Lavandula angustifolia, also known as English Lavender, even though plenty of it is grown in France…. and that, my friends, is why we look at the Latin name!

So let’s look at the 5 ways we can use Lavender flowers:

  1. The Flowers. You have picked a bunch of lavender flowers, and now is the fun of working out what to do with them! English lavender, L. angustifolia, will keep well – these are the bunches you see in any herb display, and they hold their colour beautifully. L. spica tend to lose their colour and the shape of the flowers does not really lend to making herb sachets or pouches. Hang bunches of lavender upside down to dry, so the stems stay straight. Then display them anywhere – in a vase, on a shelf, tied in a posy.

Strip the flower buds from the stem and make sleep pouches or pillows. Lavender is known for their calming and sedating properties, its gentle perfume serenades you to sleep. Add lavender buds to homemade bath salts – these look and smell beautiful as little gifts, or add sprigs of lavender when you are drawing a bath for a goddess-inspired immersion.

 

  1. Herbal teas or infusions. A small pinch of lavender buds, combine with chamomile, makes a lovely bedtime tisane to aid sleep. Add a whole lavender spear into a jug of fresh, chilled water with some slices of lemon for pretty, summer drink.
Here is a Relax or Sleep tisane I made as Christmas gifts a few years ago.

 

  1. Oil-infusions. Place some dried lavender flowers into a mason jar, and top with a light carrier oil, like sweet almond oil or light olive oil. Leave on a sunny window sill for a few weeks to infuse. It is important that the flowers are dry before infusing in oil, as water content can cause mold to grow. L. angustifolia is best for this, as they dry well. We tend not to infuse the leaves of the lavender as there is greater water content in them and not enough volatile compounds (the stuff that makes essential oils). Strain the oil when ready, squeezing out excess oil. The spent flowers can then be used in a shower as a body scrub – add sugar or salt to create a simple body scrub that still smells of lovely lavender. The infused oil can be used as a massage oil, or to make creams or lotions (I use infused lavender oil, along with lavender hydrosol and lavender essential oil to create a “whole” lavender cream or lotion, as I believe the “whole is greater than the sum of its parts”).
My window sill often have jars of infusing oils, and I try to infuse flowers that grow in my garden

 

  1. Flower Essences. Flower essences are made with the energetic properties of the plant and then “preserved” with alcohol. You can make them to the rhythm of the moon, calling in the New Moon for new beginnings, or the Full Moon for fulfillment of Intentions, and the dark of the moon for reducing symptoms. Tuning in to the healing and magical properties of Lavender, and combining them with the energies of the moon can create powerful essences, which are unique to the person creating them.
Preparing some dried flowers for a Lunar infusion

 

Fresh Floral infusion

 

  1. This is where we approach the herbal medicine aspect of Plant Medicine. Tinctures are usually alcohol-based, or water-and-alcohol-based products. Lavender flowers are macerated (infused) in alcohol or a mixture of alcohol and water. Lipophilic (oil-loving) volatile organic compounds (VOC) will infuse into the alcohol, while hydrophilic (water-loving) VOCs will infuse in the water. With a water-and-alcohol tincture, we are able to capture both hydrophilic and lipophilic VOCs to create a more holistic tincture. Dosage of tinctures is dependent on the condition one wishes to treat – note my use if the words “condition” and “treat”, so you would need to obtain more knowledge in this part of herbal medicine, or consult a herbalist.

 

So there we have 5 different ways we can experience the healing and magic of a plant, on top of learning to care and maintain the whole plant itself, and note that I did not even cover the essential oil (I will cover Lavender essential oil therapeutic properties another day). The journey to get to know a plant, and thus its plant magic, is an experiential one, and the best advice I ever received in learning plant medicine is to create a relationship with the plant, on all levels. And then there are many, many more plants to get to know and love in the world of plant magic and medicine. Happy journey-ing! 😊

Essential Oils for Various Energetic Purposes

Before I trained as a Clinical Aromatherapist, I trained as an Energetic Healer, and found essential oils to be powerful allies in supporting energetic shifts. As I cleared and shifted and progressed on my own healing journey, the more sensitive I became to energetics, and the less I needed to use to achieve an effect. Nowadays, inhaling from the bottle is enough to create an energetic shift. During my studies in Clinical Aromatherapy, we were taught the following general dilutions rates: Up to 1% for young children, pregnant women, elderly, and those with complex medical issues; 1-2% for Emotional support; 2-5% for Physical ailments. It is interesting that the recommendations from a safety perspective matched observations from an energetic perspective.

The following is a simple list of essential oils and their energetic purposes. While not comprehensive, these are the oils I tend to use during healing sessions with clients and for myself, as well as in making vibrational blends. Since we are working with the energetic/spiritual properties of these essential oils, small amounts and/or low dilutions are generally sufficient – up to 2%, and I have included some suggestions on how to use the oils too.

 

Essential Oils for Clearing

Rosemary* – traditionally used for Protection and also in Banishing spells

Eucalyptus* – clears space

Black pepper – resonates with the solar plexus (power centre) – good one to add to blends for banishing negativity

Juniperberry – traditionally used for repelling negativity and clearing space

Kaffir lime – clears old energies to allow new beginnings; traditionally used in a bucket of water to wipe down window sills and doorways

Lemon – “sparkles”, clears energies, invites in Abundance ie replaces the old energies with “fresh” energy

Cedarwood – strength and grounding, helps focus on Purpose and Intention

Peppermint – helps speak your Truth, clears energetic blockages from holding your Voice/Truth in

 

HOW TO USE:

  1. Salt scrub – 2% of single oil or blend in a salt and carrier oil base
  2. Bath – 6-8 drops dispersed in a carrier (milk, vegetable oil) for a full bath
  3. Spray – 2% of single oil or blend in a spray bottle. If using with distilled or cooled boiled water, add a dispersant and a preservative. If using vodka, mix the 2% essential oil(s) in 30ml of vodka, leave for 2 weeks and then add water.
  4. Rollerball application – 2% dilution (4 drops of essential oils in total in a 10ml rollerball bottle)

 

 

Essential Oils for Protection

Rosemary* – traditionally used for Protection

Vetiver – strong protective oil, helps send negativity into Earth

Patchouli – grounding oil

Black Pepper – helps protect solar plexus (power centre)

Petitgrain – reconnecting with Higher Self purpose. When we connect with our Higher Self, we raise our vibes so we are naturally protected

 

HOW TO USE:

  1. Spray – 2% of single oil or blend in a spray bottle. If using with distilled or cooled boiled water, add a dispersant and a preservative. If using vodka, mix the 2% essential oil(s) in 30ml of vodka, leave for 2 weeks and then add water
  2. Use a single oil or a blend on a piece of clothing (test first) or with a diffuser pendant

 

 

Essential Oils for Healing

Helichryseum – helps with letting go

Geranium – helps with self-love, nurturing; connects with Mother Earth energies

Rose – Love and Unconditional Love

Chamomile – connects with Inner Child

Kaffir Lime – new beginnings

Petitgrain – Higher Purpose, Connection with the Divine

Myrrh – heals old wounds; resonates with the Wounded Healer archetype

FragoniaTM  – relatively new oil, Australian native; Connects with all aspects of the Feminine

 

HOW TO USE:

  1. Use a single oil or a blend on a piece of clothing (test first) or with a diffuser pendant
  2. Bath – 6-8 drops dispersed in a carrier (milk, vegetable oil) for a full bath
  3. Use during a healing session or ritual
  4. Rollerball application – 2% dilution (4 drops of essential oils in total in a 10ml rollerball bottle)

Please note that the descriptions for the energetic purposes of each essential oil listed is gathered from my own journey of learning and working with essential oils since 2008, both through self-education as well as from clinical aromatherapy training. I do not claim that these are 100% accurate or “truth”; the descriptions may not resonate with everyone – always trust your Intuition and inner guidance.

* These essential oils do have some safety considerations depending on their plant species, and also when used around children. Please check this article for further safety information for using essential oils with children. In general, barring personal medical history, a dilution under 2% is considered safe; however, when in doubt, consult a clinical aromatherapist.