Background
Lavender is well-known and commonly used throughout the world. Thinking of lavender brings a picture to mind of a vibrant purple-blue color and the soft, soothing and woody smell of the flowers. Traditionally, the oil of this shrub has been used as an antiseptic, a calmative, to deter insects, to treat burns and most notably used as a perfume. Today, uses are extensive in aromatherapy as well as in the production of perfume. Most individuals, through readings or even television product ads, are familiar with lavender as a relaxant. On-going science studies are investigating the properties of lavender in potential cancer treatments for breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver and prostate. Current clinical studies have reported lavender essential oil as possibly being beneficial for a number of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (significant hair loss), anxiety, stress, postoperative pain and as an antibacterial and antiviral agent.
Although generally known as lavender, there are actually thirty-nine species of the genus Lavendula, yet only a handful is used commercially. This fragrant plant is native to the Mediterranean region south to tropical Africa and to the southeast region of India. Today lavender is successfully cultivated in southern Europe, Australia and the United States. Aromatherapists distinguish lavender species according to their therapeutic uses and medicinal properties. True lavender (L. officinalis, L. angustifolia) when distilled at high elevations is known for its large percentage of ester content and regarded as the best in quality. Uses for true lavender include cases involving anxiety, stress, small burns, cuts and insect bites. Spike lavender (L. spica, L. latifolia) is known for its camphor content and thus used for respiratory infections, for muscular aches and pains and as a possible stimulant. Lavendin (L.fragrans, L. burnatti) is a hybrid of true lavender (L. angustifolia) and spike lavender (L. latifolia) and commonly used for large-scale commercial purposes. Stoechas lavender (L. stoechas) is used as an expectorant and known for its antimicrobial properties.
Easing Anxiety Quickly and Easily
Therapeutic uses of lavender are well regarded by conventional and alternative practitioners alike, specifically in stress and anxiety reduction. Its effectiveness is due to its chemical properties (mainly linalool and linalyl acetate) and its molecular pathway to the brain. Diffused molecules of essential oils, such as lavender, illicit a rather quick response from the brain. They enter the body through the nasal cavity and thus able to by-pass the blood-brain barrier. Through a series of rapid events, molecules of essential oil enter the nasal region, bind to chemical receptor sites of the olfactory system which then send a series of electronic impulses (messages) via the olfactory nerve. The nerve fibers of the olfactory system run directly to the limbic (or primordial) area of the brain, which is intimately associated with the expression of emotion, without passing through the dorsal thalamus (a relay station to the cerebral cortex). Even more intriguing, in 2004 Linda Buck and Jim Axel won a Nobel Prize on their work on smell, discovering that each olfactory receptor cell has only one type of receptor able to detect just a few related molecules.
True lavender (L. angusifolia) is thought to have a sedative effect on the amygdala, which is considered to plays a role in processing emotion as well as governing emotional response and greatly responsible for the sensation of fear. Recent science studies looking at anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) propensities of lavender are numerous. A University of Central Lancashire, UK study (J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 22; 111(3): 517-25) investigated the effects of lavender odor inhalation on the behavior of gerbils (a type of rodent often used in laboratory research) and noted that exposure to lavender may have an anxiolytic effect in gerbils similar to that of the common anti-anxiety medication diazepam. A recent study published in Holistic Nursing Practice (2009 Mar-Apr; 23(2): 88-93) concluded that the use of lavender (as well as rosemary) essential oil sachets reduced stress-taking anxiety for graduate nursing students. Also in 2009, a study published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (Nov 23) found that dental patients who were exposed to lavender scent had a reduction in their forthcoming procedure.
Other Applications
Although lavender is mostly known for its calming properties, it has other valuable offerings as well. With the growing resistant strains of bacteria to conventional treatments, lavender is being investigated as a probable candidate for use in antibacterial products. A study by Thames Valley University, Bentford, UK (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009 Mar: 15(3): 275-9) looked at the antimicrobial effectiveness of various species of lavender oil on methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus; all selected oils inhibited growth on MSSA and MRSA strains by direct contact. A preliminary study conducted by Southern Cross University, Australia (Alternative Medicine Review 2009 Dec; 14(4): 380-4) found that Lavender angustifolia was able to discriminate between beneficial intestinal bacteria and potential pathogens of the human gastrointestinal tract, indicating that lavender might be a possible alternative to common antibiotics that are non-discriminatory.
Conclusion
Lavender, highly regarded for centuries for its medicinal and sedative properties, is finding its way into modern medical facilities. It is encouraging to read of increased laboratory research that is uncovering the active chemical properties of lavender and their possible uses in human healthcare. Yet, it must be duly noted that clinical research often looks at single constituents of an essential oil rather than the synergistic properties of the plant's oil as a whole. Also, many research studies are limited to in vitro testing verses looking at the effects of human beings as an entire being (which often is outside the parameters of analytical research analyses). It is recognized here that evidence from promising clinical and laboratory results on uses of lavender is opening doors for modern medicine to look for solutions outside conventional settings. The aromatherapy use of lavender might just be a welcomed addition in many medical facilities in the near future. Centuries-old knowledge and modern laboratory investigations are well to go hand in hand in finding beneficial approaches in supporting health and healing.
Lavender is well-known and commonly used throughout the world. Thinking of lavender brings a picture to mind of a vibrant purple-blue color and the soft, soothing and woody smell of the flowers. Traditionally, the oil of this shrub has been used as an antiseptic, a calmative, to deter insects, to treat burns and most notably used as a perfume. Today, uses are extensive in aromatherapy as well as in the production of perfume. Most individuals, through readings or even television product ads, are familiar with lavender as a relaxant. On-going science studies are investigating the properties of lavender in potential cancer treatments for breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver and prostate. Current clinical studies have reported lavender essential oil as possibly being beneficial for a number of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (significant hair loss), anxiety, stress, postoperative pain and as an antibacterial and antiviral agent.
Although generally known as lavender, there are actually thirty-nine species of the genus Lavendula, yet only a handful is used commercially. This fragrant plant is native to the Mediterranean region south to tropical Africa and to the southeast region of India. Today lavender is successfully cultivated in southern Europe, Australia and the United States. Aromatherapists distinguish lavender species according to their therapeutic uses and medicinal properties. True lavender (L. officinalis, L. angustifolia) when distilled at high elevations is known for its large percentage of ester content and regarded as the best in quality. Uses for true lavender include cases involving anxiety, stress, small burns, cuts and insect bites. Spike lavender (L. spica, L. latifolia) is known for its camphor content and thus used for respiratory infections, for muscular aches and pains and as a possible stimulant. Lavendin (L.fragrans, L. burnatti) is a hybrid of true lavender (L. angustifolia) and spike lavender (L. latifolia) and commonly used for large-scale commercial purposes. Stoechas lavender (L. stoechas) is used as an expectorant and known for its antimicrobial properties.
Easing Anxiety Quickly and Easily
Therapeutic uses of lavender are well regarded by conventional and alternative practitioners alike, specifically in stress and anxiety reduction. Its effectiveness is due to its chemical properties (mainly linalool and linalyl acetate) and its molecular pathway to the brain. Diffused molecules of essential oils, such as lavender, illicit a rather quick response from the brain. They enter the body through the nasal cavity and thus able to by-pass the blood-brain barrier. Through a series of rapid events, molecules of essential oil enter the nasal region, bind to chemical receptor sites of the olfactory system which then send a series of electronic impulses (messages) via the olfactory nerve. The nerve fibers of the olfactory system run directly to the limbic (or primordial) area of the brain, which is intimately associated with the expression of emotion, without passing through the dorsal thalamus (a relay station to the cerebral cortex). Even more intriguing, in 2004 Linda Buck and Jim Axel won a Nobel Prize on their work on smell, discovering that each olfactory receptor cell has only one type of receptor able to detect just a few related molecules.
True lavender (L. angusifolia) is thought to have a sedative effect on the amygdala, which is considered to plays a role in processing emotion as well as governing emotional response and greatly responsible for the sensation of fear. Recent science studies looking at anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) propensities of lavender are numerous. A University of Central Lancashire, UK study (J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 22; 111(3): 517-25) investigated the effects of lavender odor inhalation on the behavior of gerbils (a type of rodent often used in laboratory research) and noted that exposure to lavender may have an anxiolytic effect in gerbils similar to that of the common anti-anxiety medication diazepam. A recent study published in Holistic Nursing Practice (2009 Mar-Apr; 23(2): 88-93) concluded that the use of lavender (as well as rosemary) essential oil sachets reduced stress-taking anxiety for graduate nursing students. Also in 2009, a study published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology (Nov 23) found that dental patients who were exposed to lavender scent had a reduction in their forthcoming procedure.
Other Applications
Although lavender is mostly known for its calming properties, it has other valuable offerings as well. With the growing resistant strains of bacteria to conventional treatments, lavender is being investigated as a probable candidate for use in antibacterial products. A study by Thames Valley University, Bentford, UK (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009 Mar: 15(3): 275-9) looked at the antimicrobial effectiveness of various species of lavender oil on methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus; all selected oils inhibited growth on MSSA and MRSA strains by direct contact. A preliminary study conducted by Southern Cross University, Australia (Alternative Medicine Review 2009 Dec; 14(4): 380-4) found that Lavender angustifolia was able to discriminate between beneficial intestinal bacteria and potential pathogens of the human gastrointestinal tract, indicating that lavender might be a possible alternative to common antibiotics that are non-discriminatory.
Conclusion
Lavender, highly regarded for centuries for its medicinal and sedative properties, is finding its way into modern medical facilities. It is encouraging to read of increased laboratory research that is uncovering the active chemical properties of lavender and their possible uses in human healthcare. Yet, it must be duly noted that clinical research often looks at single constituents of an essential oil rather than the synergistic properties of the plant's oil as a whole. Also, many research studies are limited to in vitro testing verses looking at the effects of human beings as an entire being (which often is outside the parameters of analytical research analyses). It is recognized here that evidence from promising clinical and laboratory results on uses of lavender is opening doors for modern medicine to look for solutions outside conventional settings. The aromatherapy use of lavender might just be a welcomed addition in many medical facilities in the near future. Centuries-old knowledge and modern laboratory investigations are well to go hand in hand in finding beneficial approaches in supporting health and healing.
About the Author:
AnandaApothecary.com/essential-oils.html is an excellent online resource for premium grade wildcrafted, organic and 100% pure essential oils, flower essences, and aromatherapy skin care supplies.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen