Lavender
Other plantsThe Accident That Led to Aromatherapy
On 25 July 1910, an explosion badly burned the hands and head of Lyon chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé. When his wounds began to become infected, he removed the dressings and applied lavender essence, whose use on burns had been described to him by growers. The episode redirected his research toward essential oils. In 1937, he published Aromathérapie, the book that gave the modern practice its name.
Medicinal properties
Dried flowers
Traditionally used to help relieve mild symptoms of mental stress and exhaustion, and to aid sleep.
Essential oil from the flowering tops
Used in aromatherapy as a nervine and calmative. Lavender essential oil preparations are notably used as aromatic bath additives to promote relaxation and support sleep.
Recipe
Lavender Aromatic Bath
- Plant part
- essential oil from the flowering tops
- Duration
- 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 drops true lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 2 drops unscented liquid soap or shampoo
- A full bath of water at 35-38°C
Preparation
- Run a bath at a temperature between 35 and 38°C.
- In a small container, mix 2 drops of lavender essential oil with the same amount of unscented liquid soap or shampoo.
- Add the mixture to the bath water, then stir the water gently to distribute it. Do not pour undiluted essential oil directly into the bath.
- Remain in the bath for 10 minutes, then step out carefully because the oil may make the bathtub slippery.
- For later uses, if the preparation is well tolerated, increase by one drop per bath up to a maximum of 8 drops, always mixed with an equal amount of soap or shampoo.
Sources and references
- Miles, Elske. Le Grand Livre des huiles essentielles pour les Nuls. First Éditions, 2016. Chapter 2, René-Maurice Gattefossé : une découverte explosive ! Laboratory explosion on 25 July 1910, severe burns, infected wounds, growers’ accounts of lavender use, subsequent research and Aromathérapie (1937).
- European Medicines Agency, HMPC. Assessment report on Lavandula angustifolia Miller, aetheroleum and flos. EMA/HMPC/143183/2010, 27 March 2012. Traditional use of lavender flowers and essential oil for mild mental stress, exhaustion and sleep; historical nervine use and aromatic baths.
- Bleu Lavande. Huile essentielle de lavande, Bain instructions. Start with 2 drops mixed with an equal quantity of liquid soap or shampoo, soak for 10 minutes, then increase by one drop per later bath to a maximum of 8 drops. This page does not specify the water temperature.
