Few plants have such a pleasant aroma and many traditional uses as lavender. The flowers have a strong traditional reputation for mood enhancement. The herb is known to help clear the mind of negative thoughts, keeping mild depression at bay, and easing anxiety. The main benefits of Lavender are as follows: Potential anti-tumor activity and sedative and anti-anxiety effects.

The flowering parts of lavender have historically been used as a traditional folk healing remedy. Historically speaking, lavender had been used for a variety of conditions of the nervous system, including depression and fatigue. Furthermore, it had been used for headaches. Many of the benefits of Lavender are accredited back to the essential oils that are derived from this fragrant plant. The active constituents of this essential oil are as follows: perillyl alcohol, linalool, and geraniol.

A perennial plant with stems, 1-2 feet tall. It is gray-green, angular, with flaking bark. Gray-green leaves are opposite, sessile, downy, lanceolate to oblong-linear. The lilac colored, tubular flowers are arranged in successive whorls up the stem. It is cultivated for the aromatic flowers and grows best on light soil, sand or gravel, in dry, open, full sun, with good drainage.

It is a antispasmodic, carminative, chologogue, diuretic, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic. The leaves and flowers are used for gas, migraine headache, fainting, dizziness, bacteria in the intestines, stomach problems, nausea and vomiting. It is historically used in the form of an oil, distilled with water from the flowers. A decoction of the leaves can be used, instead. Steep 1 teaspoon leaves, gathered before the flowers appear, to 1/2 cup water for 5 min. Take 1/2-1 cup a day.