Lavender Flowers

Aside from being incredibly beautiful and fragrant, lavender has many valuable health benefits

Common medicinal uses include: remedy for tension headaches, calming, to treat insomnia, relieve stress, anxiety and depression.

It’s safe to say that everyone knows of Lavender oil, but did you know you can also buy the dried flowers for use in teas and can be added to the bath?

It is not recommended to ingest the essential oil, but here is what you can use it for topically:
1.    Directly onto bites, stings
2.    As an inhalant in a diffuser or put 2-4 drops of pure lavender essential oil onto your pillowcase – this can help with sleep and anxiety – Also a few drops in the bath can help with sleep
3.    Dilute it with a carrier oil and apply it topically for pain relief of bruising, sprains, arthritic joints, gout and can be used in massage oil or in a bath for muscle soreness
4.    It’s antibacterial, antifungal, so can be applied to burns, cuts, wounds, ulcers and skin infections.  
5.    Can be applied to eczema and acne, but always do a test patch first and dilute it with a carrier oil.  It minimises scare formation, inflammation and infections.

Flowers for tea can be taken internally or used as an inhalation and can help with the following:
1.    Coughs, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia and flu
2.    Asthma
3.    Stomach and bowel infections causing vomiting and diarrhoea 
4.    Hot lavender tea can cause sweating and help reduce fevers
5.    Make a gargle to help with sore throats, tonsillitis or a mouthwash for mouth ulcers or inflamed gums

Use of the flowers:
Tea – 1-2 teaspoons lavender flowers in 1 cup boiling water, steep for 5-10 minutes, strain and drink
Bath – 20-100g lavender flowers steeped in 2L of boiling water, strained and added to the bathwater