Lavender Oil (11 page)

Depression can take many forms: it is often associated with a lack of energy and listlessness but it can also be accompanied by restlessness or agitation – or by a combination of both lethargy and excitement.

Lavender has long been used to help alleviate depression, but is especially valuable where there is a tendency towards ‘mood swings’, due to its regulating or stabilizing nature. Essential oils such as lavender are also very beneficial when coping with difficult life situations involving emotions such as grief, loss or fear. One doctor who recognizes the value of aromatics in this field describes her own reasons for using aromatherapy after the death of her mother:

                              
I didn’t want tranquillizers and didn’t feel anti-depressants were needed as mine was a perfectly normal reaction to the stress I was
living through. I didn’t want to take alcohol and yet craved relief from what I was experiencing. I knew these pharmacological treatments did not work for real-life situations of stress. They might work for people with neurotic problems, or those in a state of clinical depression, but that’s a different thing. I didn’t have any of those symptoms … A combination of massage and essential oils (especially lavender) is more powerful than either one alone, and [makes for] a valuable form of relaxation therapy.
⁹

                               
  
Add 8–10 drops of lavender oil to the bath – best used in combination with other anti-depressant oils such as jasmine, rose, neroli or bergamot.

                               
  
Receiving a regular professional massage using a blend of anti-depressant oils including lavender can help encourage relaxation and feelings of self-worth and well-being. Research has shown that the ‘synergistic’ combination of smell and touch can have a profoundly nourishing and comforting effect on the psyche.

                               
  
For an uplifting/soothing room fragrance, use lavender oil in a vaporizer, or put a few drops on a handkerchief for inhalation throughout the day.

                               
  
Other measures: yoga, meditation and psychotherapy/counselling. Other essential oils of benefit include bergamot, neroli, jasmine and rose.

See also
Anxiety,
Stress

Dermatitis and eczema are general terms used to describe a variety of inflamed or irritated skin conditions characterized by redness, flaky skin, rashes and itching, which in turn can lead to blisters, weepy sores and scabs.

The cause of the problem can vary – though many forms of dermatitis are associated with hereditary allergic tendencies, especially to certain foods (notably dairy or wheat products). Another form, known as contact dermatitis, is the result of the skin’s hypersensitivity to an external irritant such as a type of detergent or cosmetic, or to dust, wool or some other substance. It is often very difficult to identify the cause, because the reaction may appear some time after the initial contact, or the skin may suddenly react adversely to a familiar substance. In all cases, however, mental stress or other emotional factors tend to aggravate or trigger an attack.

It may be necessary to experiment with different essential oils and types of treatment due to the individual nature of these types of skin problems.

                               
  
Apply pure lavender oil to the affected area.

                               
  
For larger areas, make up a 1 per cent lavender gel or non-oily cream (see instructions
page
) and apply to the affected area twice daily.

                               
  
Add 8–10 drops of lavender oil to the bath water.

                               
  
Other measures: try to identify and remove possible causes of irritation; assess and improve the emotional environment if possible; the essential oils of chamomile, tea tree, melissa, neroli and bergamot (bergapten-free) are also beneficial for skin complaints of this type – either used individually or in combination, employed in the bath or in creams/gels.

Lavender has good antimicrobial properties and makes an excellent disinfectant agent since it does not irritate the skin and has a pleasing floral fragrance. During the Second World War, every English home with a lavender bush was asked to harvest the flowers and take them to the local medical supplies unit for use as an antiseptic! At this time it was also used to wipe down floors and bench surfaces in field hospitals and operating theatres, as well as for swabbing wounds.

                               
  
Disinfecting clothes, nappies (diapers), etc.: for hand washing, add up to 50 drops of lavender oil to half a litre of warm water; otherwise add up to 50 drops to a liquid detergent before putting it into the washing machine.

                               
  
For washing floors, surfaces, etc.: add up to 50 drops to a bucket or bowl of water and stir well before mopping or wiping surfaces.