April web

PLANTS & PEOPLE
Lavandula
dentata
(Lavender)
RICHARD KOMAKECH
Botanist and Researcher in Natural Products
Lavender is an aromatic plant with a
very pleasant and soothing scent.
It has numerous species and one of
such species is Lavandula dentata
which belongs to the plant family,
Lamiaceae. It is an evergreen woody shrub
growing up to 1m tall, with pale green,
narrow linear leaves, violet blue flowers
and has more traditional grey leaves
with serrated edges. It is a large, fast
growing shrub that is sometimes referred
to as ever blooming lavender. Lavender is
legendary among herbs as a healer, and
many of its historic uses have proven to
be legitimate. Herbalists regard lavender
as the most useful and versatile essential
oil for therapeutic purposes. In fact, the
essential oil has been utilized over the
years for a number of medicinal purposes
and is known to possess analgesic,
anti-convulsive, anti-depressant, antiphlogistic,
anti-rheumatic, antiseptic,
antispasmodic, antiviral, bactericide,
carminative, cholagogue, cicatrisant,
cordial, cytophylactic, decongestant,
deodorant and diuretic activities.
The essential oil from lavender is
applied to burns and also has a healing
effect on scabies and other skin rashes.
The oil has some wonderful properties that
help with wound healing. When applied to
a wound, it promotes healing by enabling
it to contract and speeds up the process
of tissue repair. The oil also has antiseptic
and analgesic properties which eases the
pain of a burn and prevents infection. It
has cytophylactic properties that promote
rapid healing and helps reduce scarring.
The scent of lavender plant has a calming
effect on the body and it can be used to
reduce anxiety, stress and promote sleep.
In fact, lavender oil is probably best known
for its calming or sleep inducing effects.
The lavender essential oil can be
used as an antimicrobial, antiviral and
also a fungicide. It was used in wartime
for antiseptic purposes, because when
the oil was rubbed into a wound, the
infection rate significantly dropped. Many
people have used it over the centuries as a
headache remedy, and it is also popular in
aromatherapy as a tension reliever. In this
case, the lavender essential oil is inhaled
to cause the desired effects.
One of the very first uses for this
versatile herb was for flavoring food. It
is pleasant in desserts and also in savory
dishes. It lends a delightful contrast to
fruits that are sour. However, it is not
recommended to use the pure distilled
essential oil in food dishes, but flower
buds to give the right amount of diluted
essence to the dish.
Lavender has been used for restlessness,
insomnia, anxiety, diabetes and perinea
discomfort after childbirth. However, there
are limited clinical trials to support any
therapeutic use for lavender.
Lavender can be planted in gardens or
made into oil and applied to the skin or
mixed with other oils to keep mosquitoes
away. In fact, it’s believed that lavender
scent is discomforting to mosquitoes
and hinders a mosquito’s ability to smell!
Additionally, lavender repels other insects
too, including fleas and moths. Lavender
can thence protect nearby plants from
insects such as whitefly, while, lavender
planted under and near fruit trees can
deter codling moth. Likewise, dried sprigs
of lavender leaf extract repels moths.
However, despite its enormous health
benefits, lavender may possess
emmenagogue properties (Can increase
menstrual flow) and excessive internal
use should be avoided during pregnancy.
Large oral doses have been associated
with nausea, vomiting and anorexia.
APRIL 2020
25