Lavender oil and Anxiety

So in my travels I stumbled upon a study  pertaining to lavender oil and the nervous system. I’ve seen all sorts of claims made on the internet about essential oils and how they can improve your health. I don’t know if they can or cannot really but this was a study that had some pretty interesting effects on people with anxiety.

“Lavender was used in the treatment of anxiety disorders and related conditions. Three clinical trials were identified which investigated the efficacy of oral lavender oil preparation (silexan; an essential oil produced from lavender flowers by steam distillation), administered once daily at a dose of 80 mg/day, in subsyndromal (mixed) anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder as well as in restlessness and agitation. Anxiolytic effect of lavender was superior to placebo in 221 patients suffering from anxiety disorder. In addition, lavender improved associated symptoms such as restlessness, disturbed sleep, and somatic complaints and had a beneficial influence on general well-being and quality of life [51, 52]. In line with this study, the efficacy of a 6-week-intake of oral lavender oil preparation (Silexan, 80 mg/day), compared to lorazepam, was investigated in adults with generalized anxiety disorder. This study indicates that lavender effectively ameliorates generalized anxiety comparable to 0.5 mg/daily lorazepam [53]. “

I know it’s a big quote but it’s an important study. So what they concluded was is that lavender oil when consumed regularly in this control experiment helped reduce the effects of anxiety on par with medications. Most of the adults in the study had GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) and for the most part I think that’s what most of the people out there have to varying degrees. This study was potent in the sense that it confirmed an essential oil helped a psychological condition. Again these were folks with GAD if you suffer from acute anxiety like a phobia this may or may not apply.

It’s great to see natural remedies help anxiety. Lavender oil is something you can pick up anywhere really. It’s not expensive and it might be a pretty cheap way for you to get some relieve. Hey if its 10 bucks for a bottle what’s the harm in trying?

Below is a simple recipe for Lavender lemonade. You can also try lavender tea its sold in many places but the recipe below is made from actual lavender flowers you can grow at home. Summer is here and this looks like it would be nice on a hot day !

INGREDIENTS

A small handful of freshly picked and rinsed lavender flowers or a tablespoon of dried lavender flowers

1 cup white, granulated sugar

2 cups of boiling water for the infusion

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups or more of cold water

Ice

Prep

1 Cut the lavender flowers from the stems (no need to strip) and place in a medium bowl (a large pyrex measuring bowl works great because you can pour easily from it). Pour the sugar over the flowers and use your (clean) fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar.

2 Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).

3 Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher.

4 Stir in the lemon juice.  Add another two cups of water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if too sweet.  Add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to desired level of concentration. Note that the ice will melt eventually, further diluting the drink.