Lavender

By Coco Pile There are a variety of ways to use plants for health promotion and body care. You have the option of using the plant’s whole parts, such as the leaves, roots, flowers, and berries; or you can use plant extractions such as essential oils and absolutes. When considering making herbal remedies or products for ingestion, such as tinctures, teas, or honey infusions, it is safest to use whole plant parts. In lavender’s case, you would most likely use the flowers. This practice is more beneficial because the infusion will be more balanced, and offer a wider spectrum of...

Practical Uses of Lavender By Coco Pile One of the best ways that you can benefit from lavender is simply having it around and smelling its fragrance. People around the world recognize the significance lavender’s aroma. That is why it is one of the most popular perfumes for self-care products at home like soaps, cleaners and skin care products. By merely inhaling lavender’s sof t yet bold aroma, your body’s nervous system is gently sedated to promote balance from excessive stimulation. It has been used historically to improve mental well-being by calming the nervous system in behavior patterns of anxiety,...

Best Place to Source Lavender By Coco Pile   Although lavender typically prefers mediterranean climates for its regularity in available water and moderate temperature changes, it can still be found in extreme climates like Colorado. Unfortunately, no two climates are created equally. Influencing factors such as access to water, nutrients, foot traffic, pollution, altitude, climate, predators, etc. all affect the way the plants look and what constituents they create. This is why there is so many species of the “same” plant and why sourcing your herbs appropriately can make or break an herbal recipe. The most renowned region in the...

Lavender: History to Current Research By Courtney Danielsen  Getting to know herbs on multiple levels is part of the fun and love that is herbalism. So for this blog we are exploring some history and current studies of wonderful lavender. Lavender is part of the Lamiaceae family more commonly known as the mint family which includes the obvious peppermint and spearmint but also sage, rosemary and basil. The most common type of lavender used today is Lavandula augustifolia and it is native to the Mediterranean. The word Lavandula comes from the Latin word lavare meaning to wash so many of...