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Lavender essential oil
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Characteristics Ôøº Lavender oil is colorless, pale yellow or yellowish green oil. It must be stored at cool temperatures in well-filled airtight containers, protected from light. It feels slick between the fingers and is quick to absorb. It leaves no stain on the perfume blotter. The taste is somewhat camphoraceous and sharp. Household Uses Ôøº Lavender oil is used extensively to fragrance soaps and air fresheners and it can be used around the home as a very effective deodorizer and air freshener. Lavender pillows and sachets are wonderful in linen cupboards and chests of drawers and will keep away moths and other insects while imparting a fresh scent. Lavender oil can be sprayed from an atomizer or left in a saucer to help repel ants and insects and disinfect the air. Dietary Supplement Uses Ôøº Note: When using lavender as a food ingredient or dietary supplement, do not confuse English lavender with spike lavender, L. latifolia, which is a coarse broad-leafed variety that yields oil of a poorer quality than the English lavender, or with lavandin, L. intermedia, a cross of latifolia and officinalis that can contain up to 40% camphor and may be stimulating rather than relaxing. Perfumery Ôøº Lavender has a sweet, floral-herbaceous refreshing aroma with a pleasant, balsamic-woody undertone. The fruity-sweet top note is short lived and the base note is not long lasting. It blends well with most oils, particularly bergamot, citrus oils, clary sage, geranium, patchouli, pine, and rosemary. The presence of esters imparts a fragrant fruity aroma to most blends. No information on the minimum perceptible is available. Active Constituents Ôøº Linalyl acetate: The constituents of different species differ in their content of the ester, linalyl acetate, due to altitude. If lavender is grown above 2,000 feet, the ester content is increased, producing more valuable oil. Some researchers say the presence of esters impart the fragrant aroma to lavender, but W. A Poucher in Perfume, Cosmetics & Soaps says the bouquet has no relation to the percentage of esters and that most perfumers base their selection on olfactory tests, not ester content. The esters do impart therapeutic qualities to the oil, making it an effective soothing, balancing oil with an antimicrobial action. Other esters such as linalyl butyrate and geranyl acetate are also present. Lavender oil also contains linalol, beta-ocimene, camphor, limonene, delta-pinene, coumarin, delta-borneol, ethyl amyl ketone, The sesquiterpene, carophyllene oxide, and Cineole. French lavender contains only traces of cineole. English lavender has a higher proportion of cineole. Cautions Ôøº Lavender contains linalool and camphor, which can be toxic in large quantities and may cause skin sensitivity in rare cases. Select Research Papers Ôøº ANTIBACTERIAL Lavandula officinalis demonstrated antibacterial activity against microorganisms (Micrococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Sarcina species) involved in dental decay. (Pellecuer J, Jacob M, de Buochberg M S, Dusart G, Attisso M, Barthez M, Gourgas L, Pacal B, Trials of Using Essential Oils from Aromatic Plants of the Mediterranean in Conservative Odontology. 1980, Plantes Med Phytother, 14(2):83-98) Lavender essential oil was one of the most effective oils tested for activity against bacteria such as Proteus species, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Ninety percent of the microbes were killed within three hours after exposure to the oils. (Bardeau F, Use of Essential Aromatic Oils to Purify and Deoderise the Air. 1976, Chir Dent Fr, 46 (319):53) ANTICHOLESTEROL At a concentration of 0.1-0.2-mg/m2, lavender reduced the cholesterol content in the aorta and reduced the effect of atherosclerotic plaques on the aorta upon inhalation in a study conducted with rabbits. (Nikoaevskii V V, Kononova N S, Pertsovskii A I, Shinkarchuk I F, Effect of Essential Oils on the Course of Experimental Atherosclerosis. 1990, Patol Fiziol Eksp Ter, 5:52-53) ANTIFUNGAL Lavandula officinalis inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa by 75%. It significantly delayed sporulation of filamentous fungi and it inhibited by 100% Trichophyton mentagraphytes. (Larrondo J V, Agut M, Calvo-Torras M A, Antimicrobial activity of essences from Labiates, 1995, Microbios, 82:171-172) Lavender essential oil showed good activity against a strain of Cryptococcus neoformans fungus in vivo, though normally it has been found to be ineffective in vitro. (Viollon C, Chaumont J-P, Antifungal Properties of Essential Oils and Their Compounds upon of Cryptococcus neoformans. 1994, Mycopatholgia, 128 (3):151-153) ANTIMICROBIAL Lavender, with a 49.62% effectiveness rating, was one of the 10 most effective essential oils against organisms that included Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Streptococcus faecalis, and Candida albicans. The essential oils were 1.48 times more effective than antibiotics in vitro. (Valnet J, Duraffourd C, Duraffourd P, Lapraz J, New Results and Interpretations of 268 Clinical Tests Using an Aromatogram. 1978, Plantes Med Phytother, 12 (1):43-52) Lavender essential oil showed antimicrobial activity in a study conducted against 25 species of bacteria (including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella pullorum, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris) and nine fungi (including Aspergillus flavus, Asp. niger, Asp. ochraceus, and Asp. parasiticus). (Svoboda K P, Deans S G, Biological Activities of Essential Oils from Selected Aromatic Plants, 1995, Acta Hort, 390:203-209)
The essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia is sought after for its aroma, perfume, and medicinal uses.