Lavender

Young Living Lavender comes from the plant Lavandula angustifolia, from their farms in Mona, Utah and France.   Lavender is one of the most widely used essential oils in the world, and one of the most synthesized.   The untrained nose may not detect added fillers, so be cautious when purchasing lavender essential oils for therapeutic uses.   True lavender is often extended with linalol and linalyl acetate – avoid oils with any of these added, they can be toxic and harmful if applied to the skin.  Since the FDA has no labeling guidelines – a manufacturer can have added fillers and not indicate this on the label, make sure your source of lavender oil has certification of authenticity and purity.  Any of this information for therapeutic uses I can only state for Young Living essential oils since they maintain such high standards of quality control and purity.  Young Living essential oils are certified therapeutic by European standards of AFNOR and ISO which differentiate perfume grade oils from therapeutic grade oils.

Most recently, lavender from Provence is in danger due to an insect which transmits a phytoplasma to the plants ( a bacteria ) and destroys them.  This is due in part to climate changes including winters with no snow and drought during the summer.  No pesticides exist today to save the lavender plants and more and more plants are sick. Researchers are working on hybrids but those are also sensitive to this bacteria.   At this point, the Young Living Lavender farm in Utah has not been affected by this virus.  For the time being, Young Living has a 3 year supply of lavender but the demand for pure lavender essential oil and lavender products will most likely be increasing as supply drops in the coming years.

Lavender is beneficial to tissue regeneration and useful for cuts, scrapes and burns.  It is antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and a relaxant. Lavender is a very calming oil and can be helpful in combating anxiety and insomnia.

I recommend only using Young Living’s lavender oil neat on the skin – 1 drop at a time since it is highly concentrated.  Here are some uses:

• Insomnia – apply a drop on your pillow or rub onto soles of feet before bed
• Anxiety – we use lavender when flying
• Sunburn – mix 8-10 drops of lavender in a 4 ounce spray bottle – glass preferred – add 1 drop of Young Living’s unscented bath gel.  I get my glass spray bottles from www.abundanthealth4u.com .  This gel helps emulsify the oil so it mixes in the water.  This chemical-free lavender spray is soothing for itchy skin and sunburn especially if kept cool in the refrigerator.  This spray is also a convenient way to lightly mist your pillow before bed.
• Nosebleed- apply it neat to the bridge of the nose to stop a nosebleed
• Antihistamine – apply lavender neat to the nose, around the eyes (careful not to get in the eyes) and on itchy spots or hives to decrease histamine reaction due to allergies.  Young Living lavender can also be ingested as a systemic antihistamine.  Follow dietary guidelines on your YL lavender bottle for recommended dosages in a gel cap

Young Living Lavender essential oil  15ml  - wholesale -  $20.75        retail – $27.30

You can order Young Living oils at wholesale (select Independent Distributor and order a $40 Start Living Kit for lifetime wholesale pricing, and no monthly minimums, enter sponsor #1003003)  or retail (select customer). 

The information in this article is for education purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.