Lavender's Uses

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Lavender’s Uses Span Generations and Cultures

 

When Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate brought lavender with him to San Juan Pueblo in 1598, he changed our New Mexican landscape and our healing customs forever. Now, the pale violet flowers of this herb are in full bloom and their rich, nervine fragrance marks the peak of summer. As they blossom, the flowers are harvested to make potent remedios, or remedies, according to New Mexico curandera traditions. Meanwhile, modern science is discovering exciting new uses for lavender, with implications for improving sexual health and fighting cancer.

 

 

 

 

Thousands of years before lavender arrived in the New World, it was used by ancient Egyptians for cosmetics and mummification. Later, it was adopted by the Romans, who used it to dress wounds, fumigate sick rooms, cure headaches and as an extravagant means to perfume laundry. The rei gning hypothesis is that the name “lavender” comes from the Latin “lavare,” which means “to wash.” The Arabs domesticated the plant in the 7th century and subsequently brought it to Spain; The Spanish, in turn, brought it to the New World. Today, the plant has a towering status in the herbal formulary.

“It’s the medicine of the people,”

explained Wendy Warner, clinical herbalist and guest speaker at this summer’s Lavender in the Village Festival in the North Valley. Lavender is accessible because it grows so well in our climate and it has hundreds of applications according to herbalist practice. The plant works as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. It can be used to treat headaches, varicose veins, acne, arthritis, burns, eczema, bee stings, sore throats, insomnia and indigestion.

The herb can also be used to balance emotions.

“Lavender has a harmonizing effect,” said Warner. “It calms fear and anxiety, but it also can be used as a stimulant for depressives, reviving the spirit.”

Scientific research seems to support this claim. Lavender as aromatherapy has been shown to be useful in relieving pain and anxiety in hospice patients.

 

New Mexico has cultivated its own health practices with lavender. Jim Sais, a horticulturalist and host of New Mexico Garden Talk on 770 KKOB radio, says lavender has an important role as a remedio used by local herbal folk healers, or curanderas.

Curandera tradition puts a unique emphasis on lavender to assist with childbirth and health problems in infancy. Just as the Romans did, New Mexicans use lavender, known as

alhumeca in Spanish, to fumigate sick rooms. But in New Mexico, there is a slight variation: the fumigation is used specifically to assist with difficult childbirth. The lavender is placed on a brass platter with burning coal shards to make incense that helps relax the mother. Three days after the child is born, the mother is covered with a sheet and purified with the incense, prepared similarly

Lavender is also traditionally used as a tonic for babies with colic. Seeds are chewed, secreted in a small bag and placed in the baby’s mouth. Alternatively, the baby can nurse from a nipple painted with a tea made from the dry leaves and then sweetened with piloncillo sugar.

Another method is to give the mother a tea made from the boiled seeds and the medicinal effects are transferred to the child through the mother’s milk.

There has recently been a smattering of research that is opening the door to lavender’s uses beyond its historical applications. Preliminary findings suggest that perillyl alcohol, one of the 180 or so chemicals found in lavender, can help suppress tumor growth in rats. And the aroma of lavender has been shown to act as a sexual stimulant in men.

 

However, the safety and efficacy of lavender’s folk uses have yet to be confirmed by scientific research, so it’s important to use caution when using lavender for such applications.

Warner advises against using any herbals if other medicines are in use.

“There can be a danger in use of folk medicine,” Sais warned, “Before relying on lavender to treat your ailments, and absolutely before administering any herbal preparations to an infant, consult with a doctor educated in herbal remedies.”

 

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Wishing You Wellness!

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