Lavender is known for its perfume properties.There's a reason that it is called the queen of aromatic herbs. In the 13th century, lavender was the main plant grown in the gardens of European medical monasteries.
Today, Provence in France, Tennessee in the USA, Hokkaido in Japan and China are the four main areas in the world where lavender is grown.
Lavender looks fragile, but is actually a very strong plant, covered in fluffy hairs and oil glands. Once the blue or purple flowers fall, the plant still continues to exude a pleasant aroma.
There are many varieties of lavender. Three main varieties are often bred: narrow-leaved lavender, broad-leaved lavender, and hybrid lavender. The highest quality essential oils are found in narrow-leaved lavender, which grows in the mountains at an altitude of 100 kilometers above sea level.
Incense from all troubles
In English, the word lavender comes from the Latin lavare, which literally means "wash, cleanse, purify, remove sins, habits, shame and hatred."
The ancient Greeks used lavender tonics to cleanse wounds and relieve pain and inflammation. The ancient Romans loved to add lavender to their bath water to relax and unwind.
For thousands of years, lavender has been used to treat skin conditions such as burns, frostbite, eczema, psoriasis, and to burn incense to ward off impurities. For example, burning incense was originally used in religious rituals to worship the Gods. For example, in Ancient China it was used to worship Heaven and Earth.
From the middle of the 14th century to the beginning of the 18th century, the bubonic plague claimed the lives of 25 million people during epidemics in Europe. The plague doctors, whose beaked masks were filled with flower petals and spices, had no choice but to offer incense to their patients. Lavender, rosemary, and sage were hung in the wards and heated in bowls of hot vinegar to speed up the diffusion of the fragrance and flush out miasmatic toxins.
In 1665, the plague crossed the English Channel and swept across England again. But in the workshops producing lavender perfume in the small town of Berkshire, no one was infected.
The tanners who made gloves in Grasse, France, often soaked the leather with lavender oil. They also managed to escape the onslaught of the plague. It turned out that the smell of lavender repelled the fleas that spread the plague, and even flies, mosquitoes, lice and rats fled from the smell.
Elixir of youth
Lavender hydrolat is soft water obtained by the distillation of essential oil and enriched with beneficial substances. It contains only 0.1% essential oil and is hypoallergenic.
To create hydrolat, lavender inflorescences are gathered and placed in a special container. Steam is launched into the container, affecting the flowers, and "evaporating" essential oils along with water. Then the ether, which is lighter than water, is collected, the fragrant water flows into a special container and cools there. Previously, the water left after the production of essential oil was not very appreciated, but it turned out that it has beneficial properties and is great for skin rejuvenation.
Lavender hydrolat has a fresh floral-herbal aroma, where you can catch an implicit hint of honey. The smell is very light and unsaturated unlike that of ethers.