How to Grow Lavender in Your Home
You can grow lavender easily from the comfort of your home. Not only will this give you easy access to your amazing health benefits, it will also help make your garden look prettier. To grow lavender there are three aspects that you should consider:
• Plantation and Soil Conditions
Plant the lavender seeds in an open area that has a lot of circulation and sun exposure, with 12 to 18 inches of space between each plant. The soil must have a pH between 6.7 to 7.3 and must be well drained.
This is very important because lavender flowers should not have excess water in the soil, as this will damage the quality of the plant.
As the plants bloom, cut the withered flowers in order to maintain the quality, you should also prune them a little to promote the formation of branches.
• Maintenance
It is important to remember that when growing a lavender, it must be done in an area with a water system with good circulation and good exposure to air. When watering, do it with a moderate amount of water to prevent it from accumulating.
When the season is hot and water your plant, add sand to the soil to increase the rate of evaporation, this is because moisture can cause the growth of fungi, which will cause the plants to deteriorate.
• Harvest and Storage
Once your plant is fully mature, you can harvest the flowers. To dry them, gather a group of stems and hang them face down in a dark, well-ventilated place to prevent mold growth.
With regard to storage, if you harvest the flowers before they have fully opened, then they can keep their aroma for months.
Most well-known use of lavender
Lavender Essential Oil - The Best Way to Use Lavender
Of all the uses that can be given to lavender, in its essential oil form it is probably the most popular. Lavender oil is valued for its anti-inflammatory, antifungal and therapeutic benefits. It consists of more than 150 active components that are rich in esters, which are aromatic molecules that contain antispasmodic, soothing and stimulating properties.
How to Make Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil is manufactured through steam distillation. In this process, the lavender flowers are placed on a still that produces steam. Finally, the steam causes the essential compounds of the flowers to be released in the form of oil, to be later collected and packaged.6
Uses of Lavender Essential Oil
There are many ways in which you can apply lavender essential oil. Some of the most common methods used include:
Bathing: Adding a few drops of lavender oil in bath water can help you experience the therapeutic benefits all over your body almost instantly.
Massage: Apply diluted lavender essential oil directly on your skin and massage can help you feel more relaxed. You can also use it on fungal infections in order to help speed up the healing process. Dilute it with carrier oil is very important because it has a very strong aroma and an undiluted solution can affect your skin.
Diffuser: Using a diffuser could help you treat respiratory problems. This method can help you feel relaxed and breathe more easily.
Soaking: Soaking your hands and feet in a bowl of warm water mixed with lavender oil may help you feel better after a tiring day at work or school.
Compress: Adding lavender oil in a compress can help treat sprains and muscle injuries is better than a normal compress.
Properties, applications and medicinal uses of lavender
What is the use of lavender as a medicinal plant?
The lavender plant, also known as lavender, is used for ornamental, aromatic and medicinal purposes.
Scientific name of lavender
The scientific name of lavender is Lavándula Officinalis and belongs to the genus of plants of the family of lamiaceae, which contains about 60 species.
It is usually known with common names such as alhucema, lavender or lavender. It has its origin in the Mediterranean basin and its cultivation is widespread in a large part of the world (North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, South Asia and India
¿Para qué sirve la lavanda planta medicinal?
Conoce a continuación todos los beneficios de la lavanda que puedes aprovechar para tratar algunas afecciones comunes:
Nervios y ansiedad. Esta planta tiene propiedades sedantes, debido a esto es muy útil para tratar casos de nerviosismo y ansiedad.
Trastornos de sueño. El insomnio puede ser desencadenado por el estrés o por nerviosismo, por lo tanto, la lavanda puede ser recomendable para tratarlo. Para estos casos se aconseja realizar infusiones con la flor de lavanda seca y beberlas antes de dormir.
Heridas. Las flores de la lavanda pueden ser utilizadas para tratar las heridas, ya que poseen propiedades antisépticas y cicatrizantes.
Para estos casos es necesario mezclar una cucharada de flores secas (el doble de cantidad si son flores recién extraídas de la planta) en un vaso de agua y aplicarlo sobre la herida.
Gripe y faringits. El té de lavanda es muy conocido por sus propiedades antivíricas y antibacterianas, debido a esto se recomienda para tratar enfermedades como la faringitis o la gripe. Para estos casos es necesario realizar gárgaras con la infusión de flores de lavanda previamente descrita.
Dolores musculares. La lavanda es muy útil para tratar situaciones que generen dolor muscular, debido a esto es recomendable para aliviar el dolor en caso de presentar torticolis, lumbagos, dolor de pie o espalda, y también para aliviar el dolor producido por las enfermedades reumáticas.
Properties of lavender
The lavender plant is very popular in various parts of the world because of its ornamental use and its aromatic characteristics. However, the medicinal properties it possesses are not widely known. These are concentrated mainly in the flowers of the plant.
Sedative properties: this is what makes the lavender plant very useful to treat cases of insomnia that result from the suffering of stress or nervousness.
Antiviral and antibacterial properties: that is why it is especially recommended to treat cases of pharyngitis and colds in general.
Medicinal properties to relieve pain: due to this, its use is recommended for the treatment of several cases; for example, the back and the standing. It can also be used to relieve the pains of rheumatic diseases and for cases of torticollis.
Properties that help to lower blood pressure: for this reason it is quite used at home to treat hypertension based on this plant.
Disinfectant and cicratizing properties: due to this, its infusion is widely used to clean, disinfect and heal wounds and irritations.