Lavender magical properties may sound like myth or fiction but this fact is true. Lavender is not just a plant grown for its beauty but also its magical and medicinal properties not forgetting the spiritual application. Spiritual and medical practitioners value lavender as one of the magical plants for its calm fragrance but powerful properties.
Lavender plant is used to symbolize calmness, purity, devotion, serenity and soothing environment. In this article, we will look at the magical properties of lavender, not forgetting to mention the healing properties. But first, we will start by explaining what lavender is and its types.
WHAT IS LAVENDER?
Lavender is gotten from a latin word lavare, which means to wash. It is a member of the mint family known as Lamiaceae and also part of the genus called Lavandula. Lavender is grown for its beautiful flowers, medicinal properties, sweet fragrance and magical properties. There are more than 39 different types of lavender. However, the most common types are Spanish lavender, French lavender, English lavender, Lavindin, and Portuguese Lavender.
TYPES OF LAVENDER
The common types of lavender are:
1. English Lavender
Also known as Lavandula Angustifolia, English lavender is called the most common. It has flowers with colors like violet-blue, white-pink or blue-purple depending on the strain or group. This flower is about 2 to 3 feet tall and when it blossoms in the summer, they change color from gray-green to green-purple. During winter, their leaves can have colors that range from silver-green to gray-bronze. From early to mid-summer, English lavender stems have abundance of flowers.
2. Spanish Lavender
Another name for Spanish Lavender is butterfly lavender or Lavandula stoechas. This flower is grown because of the benefits of its essential oil. Many producers of essential oils extract oil from the silvery leaves of Spanish lavender and make potpourri.
You can easily recognize Spanish lavender flowers from the leaves growing from the flower heads that look like droopy ears. The flowers are deep purple in colour and form a pinecone shape with upright, light purpled petals without fragrance.
3. French Lavender
French Lavender also known as Lavandula Dentata or fringed lavender has many benefits that are yet to be discovered. But, one of the benefits is that it brings good and positive energy to the home, the flowers bloom all through the year so it can be used for decoration. This type of lavender have fresh flowers all through the year with tooth-like edged leaves and a rich, whirling scent. French lavender have light lavender-blue flowers with purple bracts.
4. Portuguese Lavender
Portuguese Lavender is also known as Lavandula Latifolia or spike lavender. It is native to the Mediterranean, it has long stem and pale lilac flowers. The plant generally has broad and coarse leaves, it grows up to about 3 feet tall. The flowers of this specie produces a strong and pungent scent.
5. Lavandin
Also known as Lavandula intermedia, this type of lavender is a hybrid of English and Portuguese Lavender. The plant is shrubby and grows up to 30 inches tall. The flowers are usually dark violet to white in color with a strong, aromatic fragrance.
LAVENDER MAGICAL PROPERTIES
Lavender is an essential plant used by spiritualists, traditionalists, medical practitioners and even home decorators as the plant has many magical, healing and calming properties. Some magical properties of lavender are:
1. Biblical Beliefs
Lavender is referred to as spikenard in the bible. According to Christian lore, Mary, the mother of Jesus needed a place to spread her baby’s clothes after cleaning him up. She choose a nearby bush with lavender plants. As at the time she spread the clothes, there was no smell or fragrance. But when she returned to pick the clothes, they had beautiful fragrance.
In the olden times, it was sort of customary for Christians to craft spikenards into cross shapes and hang them over their doors as a means of protection. Alert from Christians, other faith and religion belief hanging some dried lavender in your home will safeguard it.
2. Spiritual Cleansing
Lavender does not only protect evil from coming into your space but it can be used to cleanse any negative energy that may have penetrated into your space. Lavender can get rid of negative energy from ghosts and spirits in your home, past events that induce anxiety in you and toxic people around you or your home. It can also be use to cleanse a particular object.
To cleans your space or home, you can burn a lavender candle or use a levander oil in a scent diffuser. For cleansing objects, you can make a spray with diluted lavender essential oil, you can mix other cleansing oils like sage or rosemary.
3. Open Your Third Eye and help You Explore the Dream Realm
According to Hindu religion, the pale bluish purplish color of lavender flowers is strongly connected to the third eye chakra which also have an indigo color. This chakra is found between the eyebrows and helps to open your third eye to see supernatural things.
To open you third eye with lavender, you have to fill a sachet with dried lavender and place it under your pillow before you sleep. Recite some chakra words or affirmations to get your mind in tune. Imagine your scented lavender pillow as a soft cloud that will take you to your dream world. Drift off to a sleep full of dreams. You can also dab diluted lavender essential oil on your skin and allow it to settle before the affirmations.
4. Love Spells
Lavender has love and alluring scent. In ancient Rome, lavender is a popular perfume among men and women, it is found to be alluring and seductive by both genders. This is still valid today after many centuries. This makes lavender a good herb to be used for love spell. You can burn lavender candle during dates with your partner or use the essential oil to cook.
LAVENDER MAGICAL PROPERTIES AND HEALING PROPERTIES
Some magical and healing properties of lavender are:
1. Stress and Anxiety
Lavender flowers are used to relieve stress, anxiety, exhaustion and nervousness. The flowers are harvested and dried when the flowering cycle is almost coming to an end. You can also make a solution, brew the medicine by soaking the dried or fresh flowers in a 25 percent mixture of water and alcohol. To dry out the alcohol, add 25-50 ml of boiling water to the solution dose before drinking.
Lavender essential oil can be used in a diffuser to stimulate olfactory nerves and bring calmness and relaxation. You can also add lavender leaves to your bath to relieve stress.
2. Exhaustion
Lavender oil can relieve stress and irritability while giving you sound sleep and general body well-being. Rub lavender oil extracted from leaves, stem or even flowers on the forehead, temple or wrists to relieve exhaustion. If your feet hurt, mix 3 drops of lavender essential oil, a drop of geranium oil and a drop of chamomile oil with 2 teaspoonfuls of olive oil. Use this mixed oils to massage your sore and swollen feet.
3. Headache and Migraine
Headache and migraine can be frustrating and hard to deal with especially when they recur. You can drink lavender tea twice daily or use the essential oil to massage your temple and neck nape to relieve your headache and migraine. Inhaling lavender essential oil can be used by adults because of its analgesic properties.
4 Insomnia
This is one of the common uses of lavender because of its medicinal and therapeutic benefits. A blend of peppermint leaves, lemon balm, catnip and lavender leaves can calm down anxiety and make you sleep. You can also put lavender flowers in a pouch and drop under your pillow before you sleep.
5. Inability to Relax
Lavender shrub can be added to your home plants for the sedative and relaxing benefits. Essential oil made with lavender and linalool gives off a fragrant and healing fragrance. Every part of lavender plant gives a relaxing atmosphere.
6. Depression
Lavender is used by aromatherapists to treat mild to severe depression. Lavender has medicinal properties that can increase the release of serotonin which is responsible for memory and other physiological functions in the body. You can also drink solution made from lavender flowers twice a day.
7. Flatulence
Lavender has soothing and calming effects on the digestive system. This plant relaxes the muscles of the digestive tract and reduce swelling in the abdomen caused by gas in the peritoneal cavity. It can also be used to treat vomiting, loss of appetite, nausea and stomach upset.
8. Microbial Activity and Fungal Mold
English lavender is an effective for treating methicillin-resistant types of bacteria and other pathogens that are resistant. Lavender has tannins that kill bacteria and prevent diseases like urinary tract infections and strep throat. The stem and flowers can be used to make painkillers while the oil reduces foot odor caused by bacteria. Molds and mildews are fungi that are easily to the health. Use an aromatherapy diffuser with essential lavender oil to clean out the air in the home and kill airborne spores
9. Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Fungal
The anti-inflammatory properties of lavender has been discovered since the time of old. You can drop lavender essential oil on the skin to treat inflammation but make sure you dilute with a carrier oil. For inflammation involving the ear, nose and throat, mix 1 ml of oil with chamomile in a steam bath to treat inflammation like bronchitis, asthma, and laryngitis.
Lavender has anti-fungal properties to treat fungi-causing diseases like athlete’s foot, yeast infection, and ringworm. You just have to mix diluted lavender essential oil and apply on the affected area.
SEA LAVENDER MAGICAL PROPERTIES
Sea lavender is not a true lavender, it is not even from the same family. Also known as marsh rosemary and lavender thrift, this plant grows along coastal sand dunes and salt marshes. It has red tainted stem and leaves shaped like spoons, it blooms in the summer and produces purple flowers.
In Greek, lavender is known as Lethe’s bramble and Lethe is a river of forgetfulness. Sea lavender has magical properties of enhancing memory. If you want to remember your dreams very vividly, combine true lavender and sea lavender in a pouch and place under your pillow.
CONCLUSION
Lavender is a calming, beautiful but powerful plant with many properties including healing and magical. It is used in both Christian and hindu religion. Apart from being used for religious and cleansing purposes, there are many medicinal and healing uses of lavender.