Healing with Lavender
Lavender is adored the world over and has a history rich in folklore that dates back thousands of years: the ancient Egyptians used it as part of their mummification rituals; in ancient Arabian cultures, doctors used lavender as a wound healer; and the ancient Greeks and Romans used it as an anti-anxiety aid.
Unsurprisingly, the ancients’ use of lavender has since been confirmed by modern science.
Outside of its medicinal properties, lavender has also found its way into our floral arrangements, essential oils, soaps, body washes, and laundry powders (makes sense considering lavender actually comes from Latin’s lavare which means “to wash”).Lavender has also made its way into Womb Protector™; our proprietary blend of herbs formulated for a deeply healing, relaxing, and grounding pelvic steam ritual. There are a few important reasons we decided to include lavender into this intimate practice. Firstly, for its ability to heal our internal passage with its antimicrobial properties but also for its ability to reduce stress — we have found that a relaxed mind helps us connect to our sacral and its intuitive messages much better. Read on to get a more in depth breakdown of lavender and her healing benefits.
Nature’s Sleeping Pill
Many moons ago, lavender was stuffed in pillows as a way to help people combat insomnia. A 2015 study showed that people who used lavender to help them fall asleep felt more fresh upon waking. Although, you could still stuff your pillow with sheaths of lavender — there are many other forms of lavender-infused sleep aids from nighttime teas, eye pillows, and essential oil blends and diffusers.
Skin Cleanser, Healer, and Protector
As we mentioned, the ancients used lavender as a natural wound healer. In fact, lavender was used as a wound healer on the battlefield even up to the First World War. There are multiple studies that demonstrate lavender oil (when applied topically) can help with everything from the speed of healing, collagen growth, and even the remodeling of the skin. Lavender also contains linalool and linalyl acetate; two anti-inflammatory compounds that can provide relief for many skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis. Studies also confirm that its use as a burn remedy has merit as its antimicrobial properties can prevent infection.
Promotes Peace and Calm
If you’re like most of the modern world, stress and anxiety are emotions you deal with regularly. Fortunately, along with the hustle and pace of our current lifestyle comes access to many natural remedies that can help restore us to balance. Lavender is one such support that really makes a difference with anxiety. A large meta-analysis study conducted in 2019 found that participants that took a 160mg oil capsule found a significant reduction in their anxiety symptoms.
Soothes Stomachs and Digestion
You may reach for a cup of lavender tea to help you sleep — but did you know that it can also help with bloating and stomach issues including vomiting and nausea? The oil in lavender relaxes the digestive tract and smoothes out the stomach muscle resulting in a soothing feeling, especially after a meal or for someone experiencing cramping.Clearly, there are many ways to incorporate lavender into your self-care and many different ways to take lavender — from capsules to infusions and aromatherapy. If you’re looking for an all encompassing ritual that harnesses lavender’s power to relax the mind, soothe the abdomen, and generally heal internal tissues — definitely give Womb Protector™ pelvic steaming herb blend a try!
