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Revision as of 13:58, 12 September 2006
Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. Two forms are distinguished, Lavender Flower Oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 (g/mL), and Lavender Spike Oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having density 0.905. Lavender Flower Oil is a designation of the National Formulary and the British Pharmacopoeia. It is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of natural products.
General uses
Its modern use is generally for aromatherapy. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) found lavender oil may have played a role in the reduction of advanced mammory tumors in lab rats. Research is on-going for potential breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver, and prostate cancer treatments.
Medicinal uses
Many advocates of alternative medicine claim that lavender oil can be used to treat a huge variety of ailments and is an essential component of any household first aid box.
- Cream Add a few drops of oil to chamomile cream for eczema.
- Lotion Add a few drops of oil to a little water for sunburn or scalds.
- Chest Rub Add 1 ml oil and 5 drops chamomile oil to 10 ml carrier oil for asthmatic and bronchitic spasm.
- Hair Rinse Dilute 5-10 drops of oil in water for lice, or use a few drops of neat oil on a fine comb for nits.
- Massage Oil Dilute 1 ml 'lavender oil' in 25 ml carrier oil, and massage into painful muscles. Dilute 10 drops in 25 ml carrier oil and massage into the temples and nape of the neck for tension headaches or at the first hint of a migraine.
- Oil Apply undiluted to insect bites and stings. Dilute 10 drops oil in 25 ml carrier oil for sunstroke or to help prevent sunburn. (Note: this is not an effective sunblock.)
Alternative medicine advocates claim that lavender oil is a brilliant first-aid item, and can be applied undiluted to burns, cuts and bruises. It can help reduce scarring, as well as reducing inflammation.
Safety
Lavender oil has recently been implicated in abnormal development of breasts (gynecomastia) in young boys. A July 1, 2006 article in Science News, cites the detective work of Denver endrocrinologist Clifford Bloch after several boys presented with enlarged breasts. Subsequently, Derek Henley and Kenneth Korach of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., identified hormonally active compounds in lavender and tea tree oils–compounds which both mimic female hormones and counter male hormones. Boys and girls are particularly sensitive to estrogenic and androgenic compounds because their sex hormone levels are normally low prior to puberty. Discovery of the gynecomastia link in boys has led some researchers to suspect lavender and tea tree oils also may be contributing to the increased incidence of early breast development in girls. Lavender and tea tree oils are present in various bodycare products including shampoo and skin care oils. "Rapid reversal of gynecomastia" followed discontinued use of these products by Bloch's young patients.
See also
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