We have long known lavender for its great scent. It has been used in essential oils as well. Behind its amazing scent, there are many health benefits of this plant. In fact, lavender oil can help treat infections which are beyond the escape of allopathic medicine. Most notably, this plant is capable of treating infections caused by fungi and staph infections.
However, there are many other positive effects of lavender. This includes:
- Treating infections which are resistant to normal infection drugs
- Providing relief from different types of pains
- Treating various types of fungal infections
- Treating insomnia and other sleep disorders
- It works as a nerve tonic and helps in reducing migraine, depression, anxiety and nervous exhaustion
- It helps treat and improve respiratory diseases and problems like bronchitis, laryngitis, asthma, tonsillitis, and sinus congestion
- It helps improve blood flow
- Lavender is great for your digestive system. It helps provide relief from nausea, flatulence and colic
- It can also help treat Alopecia Areata, which is an autoimmune disease causing severe hair loss
Lavender can help improve your health in many other ways. It works as a great enhancer for the immune system. It can destroy toenail fungus, repel moth and mosquito, improve skin problems, treat Athlete’s Foot, and reduce disturbance in people suffering from dementia.
Benefits of Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is the most commonly used form of lavender. It is sourced from the plant Lavandula angustifolia, which is also referred to as the common lavender. There are over three dozen species of lavender, and most of them have similar uses and benefits. We will focus on the English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).
This lavender oil is used for both topical uses and for its special scent. Some people have reported that they have experienced allergies from the use of the oil on their skin. But most of those cases have been associated with an isolated compound in lavender, and not with the oil. When the compounds found in the oil are isolated and sued separately, they can cause certain affects. But the oil in its overall composition is entirely safe to use.
The two main active ingredients in the oil are linalyl acetate and linalool acetate. Scientists have been able to isolate both these ingredients.
The health benefits of lavender oil, as described here, are for the oil and not for its individual compounds.
Fighting Unique Drug-Resistant Infections
There are many infections which are increasingly becoming resistant to modern drugs. One such case is staph infection, also referred to as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The problem developed in medical facilities because of excessive usage of antibiotics. It is one of the examples of uncontrolled use of modern medicine could. In fact, the diseases and other problems caused by antibiotics used for treating such infections can be even more serious.
There are so many studies that have proved the effectiveness of lavender oil in treating MRSA and staph infections. In most of these studies, it is the English lavender has been the subject of study.
But there are a few studies that cover multiple species including Lavandula latifolia, Lavandula luisieri, and Lavandula stoechas. These studies proved that all of these species are beneficial for fighting these infections. However, the researchers also concluded that the effects improved further when all these species were combined.
Research studies have also shown that lavender oil has total effectiveness against many infections, and this especially includes MRSA. Considering all the benefits of this natural treatment against infections, concerns have been raised as to why the pharmaceutical industry and hospitals don’t use natural solutions like lavender and manuka oil.
Researchers are still trying to determine the types of bacteria which are destroyed by lavender oil. But most believe that it can kill a wide range of them. Those who want to use this natural treatment should ensure that they are not sensitive to it. Apply a small amount of the oil on your skin to test any allergic reactions. Most people are not allergic to it.
Fighting Different types of Fungal Infections
Infections caused by fungi are complicated and not easily treatable. They can be especially severe in patients who are already immunocompromised.
Candida albicans is a commonly occurring fungus living in your digestive tract. It forms a symbiotic relation with your body and will not cause any issues except when there is disturbance in the balance of the bacteria in the gut. The ingestion of antibiotics is one of the common triggering factors for this imbalance. Antibiotics have been found to be the cause behind oral infections due to Candida albicans, and also yeast infection in females.
If you are suffering from vaginal yeast infection, application of lavender blossom tea can help in treating it effectively. It is recommended to apply many times in lower concentration. It will also be beneficial to drink lavender flower tea. In fact, you should drink this tea the moment you take any antibiotics.
Application of lavender oil can also help in treating athlete’s foot and toenail fungal infection.
Lavender Oil Improves Heart Health
The oil is widely used in aromatherapy. In this form, it has been found to be beneficial for heart health. Researchers have found a relation between heart disease and inflammation. Lavender oil works by hampering cortisol and reducing inflammation. It helps in improving coronary flow velocity reserve or CFVR. This further helps in providing your cells with more nutrition and oxygen. It also eliminates waste from cells.
You can achieve these heart benefits by adding 4 drops of lavender oil (made for aromatherapy) in 20 ml of hot water. Inhale it for half hour.
Improving Digestive System
Common lavender has been used for centuries for improving digestive system. It works by improving the functioning of the intestinal tract. This helps in improving the movement of food through it. It also help improve the generation of gastric juice, such as bile. Overall, this helps in building a better digestive system and enhanced absorption of nutrients. It helps in treating flatulence, nausea and colic.
A unique advantage to lavender is that it helps in inhibiting pathogens while not affecting the good bacteria in the gut. Scientists are still studying how it differentiates between the two types of bacteria.
When you want to improve digestion, you should drink tea made from lavender.
Treating Sleep Disorders
People suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders have been using lavender for centuries. It provides its relaxing benefits when used as part of aromatherapy. In recent times lavender oil inhalation is used as a treatment in aged patients in place of sleep medications. Such patients enjoyed quality and longer sleep using this natural alternative.
It has also been found that such patients feel more alert during daytime.
A research study conducted over almost 250 nights involving aged patients revealed that the use of lavender oil improved their sleep quality. Over 70% of the subjects enjoyed better sleep with lavender oil, but only around 10% of the subjects using modern sleep pills could sleep well.
If you are having trouble sleeping, make sure to inhale lavender oil for a great night’s sleep.
Source: AustralianInfectionControl
