Why It Works

‘I encourage my patients with anxiety or panic disorder to keep a vial of lavender oil close’ - Dr Ko, UCLA

I know lavender oil might seem a little simple, pedestrian even, but there’s good reason it’s the most used essential oil in history - it actually works!

Lavender oil is a super concentrated form of fresh lavender flowers. It’s an active fragrance ingredient, meaning that when you use it, it has a direct affect on your body & mind. Therapeutically it works by interacting with GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in your brain that regulates stress (amongst other things). Studies show that using lavender oil can improve sleep quality, increase time spent in deep, slow-wave sleep and that it may be as effective as anti-anxiety medicines such as Xanax and Ativan.

Therapeutic benefits of lavender oil
Improves sleep quality • Calms the nervous system • Regulates breathing & heart rate
• Helps with anxiety • Stimulates immunity • Reduces body tension • Enhances mood

Many in the medical community are starting to take notice with hospitals integrating the use of aromatherapy & specifically lavender oil to help people relax & thereby speed up healing. As Wendy Tucker, head of integrative medicine at UCLA notes ‘Aromatherapy may be the most accessible of the relaxation modalities’

When using lavender oil sourcing matters. Look for pure oil (not cut with cheaper or filler oils) that’s been distilled within the last 12 months, and keep it away from direct heat & sunlight. And when it comes to using lavender oil, always diffuse it somehow i.e. never put it directly on your skin.

Ways to use lavender oil
Add a few drops to your diffuser, bath or shower • Put a drop on your mask • Add to jojoba oil or a plain body moisturizer • Add to the well of a beeswax candle