Uses of Lavender
By the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, physicians and apothecaries across Europe were distilling lavender waters and oils for medicinal use. Lavender was believed to revive the spirits, ease headaches, freshen sickrooms, and guard against foul air.
Surprisingly, the process itself has changed little over time. Fresh lavender is placed into a still, and steam is passed through the flowering stems. As the steam rises, it carries the plant’s volatile aromatic compounds with it. Once cooled, the vapor separates into two precious products: essential oil and fragrant floral water, also known as hydrosol.
Early lavender distillation was laborious and expensive, requiring vast quantities of flowers for even small amounts of oil. But the resulting fragrance — bright, herbal, floral, and clean — became one of the defining scents of European perfumery. Lavender oil scented soaps, linen waters, powders, medicines and even gloves, by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lavender was equated with cleanliness and domestic refinement.
Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil is commonly used in aromatherapy and natural household preparations for its calming, cleansing, and restorative properties. Traditionally, lavender is applied to temples and pulse points to ease headaches, nervous tension, sleeplessness, and motion sickness, and it remains closely associated with rest and relaxation. Lavender oil has also been used in diluted preparations to soothe minor burns, insect bites, small cuts, and irritated skin.
Lavender Hydrosol
Lavender floral water (hydrosol) is softer and gentler than the concentrated essential oil, hydrosol carries the fresh, green, honeyed, floral character of the lavender plant itself, and is traditionally used to freshen linens, cool the skin, scent rooms, and cleanse surfaces, lavender floral water has long been appreciated as an everyday household botanical.
Fuseaux de Lavande
In the 17th & 18th century, French women created more decorative ways to utilize lavender. The “Fuseaux de Lavande” or Lavender Wands or Batons were made by weaving beautiful ribbons with the stems of lavender to enclose the fragrant lavender blossoms inside. The artisanal Fuseaux de Lavande is done by hand and can only be made with fresh lavender. The stems must be pliable so that they may be bent to weave and encase the lavender flowers. The wands are lovely for fresh scented drawers, cabinets & closets and as a moth repellent - they will retain their potency for 2-3 years.
Traditionally, lavender wands were given as gifts and given to a bride as good luck.
Dried Lavender Flowers
Dried lavender buds are a fragrant herbal filler for sachets - used to freshen linens, closets and drawers while keeping pests at bay.
Dried lavender buds are popular for use as decoration, gifts or as confetti for tossing over newlyweds at weddings.
Culinary lavender buds have a floral, slightly sweet and elegant flavor which can be added to sweet and savory food alike especially desserts, cheeses, baked goods and confectionery. The buds can be used directly in cooking, combined with salt or sugar to flavor foods, or turned into a delightful lavender simple syrup.