Lavender Essential Oil: A Rest for the Ages

Welcome back to Harvesters’ Corner! We have had a lot of turmoil in our lives the past few months. My grandmother had several sudden health issues leading to her being on hospice care for several weeks and my husband’s aunt is having health difficulties. So, after one funeral and now helping his cousin care for our aunt, I find my mind and attention being pulled in a variety of directions. I know when I am getting overwhelmed, as I have trouble sleeping at night. My mind simply refuses to turn off. It jumps from taking our daughter where she needs to be and when do I need to be with our aunt, to upcoming events, what to make for dinner, and …oh yeah: just what day of the week is today? I know from experience that I have a ready resource available to help out when my brain starts to scatter on me. That resource is Lavender oil, which helps calm my mind and makes it easier to get a restful sleep.

As I write this, I reflect upon an experience I had with Lavender about thirteen years ago. My brother-in-law had recently retired from the military, and he and my sister and their daughter were living with us. My niece was rapidly approaching her one year birthday. Both my brother-in-law and sister worked security on the evening shift, and I was responsible for watching my niece while they were at work. Trying to get the little fart down at night was quite simply, a chore. Night after night my husband and I would brace ourselves and get her ready for bed about 8:30 pm, and by 9 pm the war was well underway. We would coo and caress and sing lullabies to help her relax, while she would scream and twist and fight to keep from going to sleep. Finally, about 11 pm, she would cry herself out and spend the next half-hour with faint sobs as she tried in vain to stay awake. What were we to do?

Then a friend of mine gave me a small sample vial of Lavender oil, with the instructions to rub the oil on my niece’s feet. So as bedtime approached, I did as instructed and then put some footie pajamas her on for good measure. Much to our surprise, she was out by 10 pm. The next night she was out about 9:30. Soon, it was a consistent 9:15 to 9:30pm that she would be asleep. How? Why?

Ancient Uses

Looking back, I realize that episode was the first step for both me and my husband in our oil journey. We learned first-hand what millions of people who lived anciently knew: that Lavender was great for promoting mental relaxation and a restful sleep. Then we began to realize that there was more, so much more, that they used the plant for. Lavender was known to both the ancient Egyptians (samples were found in the chambers of King Tut’s tomb), and the Greeks, but it is the Romans who came to fully embrace the plant. In Roman times it was used as a decorative flowering shrub, and in culinary products such as vinegars, and jellies. It was also used in candles and in cleaning products, along with personal care products like shaving cream, lotions, lip balms and soaps. Cleopatra supposedly used Lavender to seduce both Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, and centuries later, the plant was used in the days of Henry the VIII of England to help stir the passions of newly-weds. (1) In times of disease bunches of Lavender would be strewn on the stony floors of castles and sick rooms as a means of sanitizing the areas. (1)  Roman superstition held that the asp (a dangerous, venomous snake) made its nest among the roots of the plant, and that harvesters had to approach with great care to keep from being bitten. (2) The English name of the plant is derived from the Latin term lavare, meaning “to wash.” (3)

Lavender and Mental Health

As I thought about Lavender and its multitude of uses, my mind recalled a presentation given at the most recent dōTERRA convention, September 2023. The presenter was an individual who, in interest of full disclosure, I have a deep respect and admiration of: Founding Executive Emily Wright. Her presentation concerning Lavender struck a deep chord for me, as I have undergone a series of severe challenges during the previous few years.

Lavender, as a new plant, starts out in a sheltered environment, commonly a greenhouse, where it is protected and nurtured for several years before being transplanted to the waiting fields outside. As its roots take hold, the plant begins to thrive and blossom as its stems and delicate flowers reach for the golden sun high above.

After a three-to-four year growth period though, Lavender faces a sudden adversity. “And then she is cut down,” Emily informed the assembly.

“Her radiant stems of purple flowers are cut and taken away and all that is left are a few short sprigs. She doesn't know why this has happened. Through the fall and winter the lavender becomes dormant. I like to imagine what the thoughts [are] she might have had during the season. Perhaps she is feeling ashamed and unsure of her purpose. She has been so tall and vibrant and now she is cut short and bare. Gradually the sun returns and the snow melts from the lavender fields.

“The lavender plant begins to grow once again. New green leaves sprout hundreds and then even thousands [of buds] and they begin to blossom and once again reach towards the sky laden with purple flowers. But she is not the same plant she was the summer before. Her roots are deeper and her flowers are more radiant and the beautiful lavender fragrance is more powerful than ever before. But how can that be? It took her three years to become what she was before she was cut down. And now in only a few months, she has surpassed what took her years to achieve. But she also knows that another cutting will come.

“She starts to worry about losing her flowering stems, but then she begins to see that the cut stems have been transformed as well. Her stems have become something that a mother uses to soothe her restless child and helps the teenager loosen the knot of worry in her chest and a treasured balm for a stressed father who desperately needs to rest. And she realized her purpose is bigger than she ever imagined. That lavender plant which felt so much shame because of her cut stems became a stronger version of herself, and through that process she gave a precious gift to others. And now she knows it doesn't matter how many times she is cut down, she will come back stronger, wiser and more beautiful than ever before.” (4)

As her presentation continued on, Emily posed two critical questions to the assembly. A) How many of us can relate to this lavender plant? B) How many of us have felt cut down? I felt like she was talking directly to me. And as I pondered her questions, my love for Lavender grew tenfold, for the important life lesson I was then learning.

These plants are much more than sprigs and flowers growing out of the ground. For many individuals, these plants are the means of providing a roof overhead, and keeping food on the table. These plants are a means of honoring ancestors who planted fields for generations, and enable generations yet to come to feel the connection with those who have passed on, as they prepare for and care for the plants in time-honored traditions.

Lavender was one of the original ten oils produced by dōTERRA. From the inception, the oil has been a blend of plants from eastern France and Bulgaria. Some people may consider that a bit excessive. However, this combination gives the oil produced a very specific chemical fingerprint when analyzed in the laboratory. As more and more research is being done in respect to essential oils, this unique combination ensures that testing centers can verify that they have high-quality oils to work with.

Esseterre

Bulgaria has been discussed in the past couple of posts. Its location provides a climate with optimum conditions to grow aromatic plants like Rose and Lavender. But in the post-Communistic world, the emphasis was on wheat, sunflower, and corn, crops more nourishing and marketable than Lavender. As years passed, however, people desired to grow Lavender once again. Only one thing was missing, and that was a distillery.

This lack was soon rectified, when the Esseterre Distillery opened in Dobrich in 2016. Lavender harvesting begins in mid-July, as the brilliant colors of the blossoms begin to fade. Like Rose and other plants, Lavender needs to be distilled within twenty-four hours of being harvested. As one might expect, the last two weeks in July and first couple of weeks in August are an exceptionally busy time at Esseterre. But the work doesn’t stop there. Other products, including Melissa and Yarrow, are prepared and distilled at the complex.

So how has Lavender benefited the people of Bulgaria? As of 2022, over 2,300 people are actively engaged in either the growing and harvesting or the distilling of Lavender, with an extended outreach of 5,412 people affected through the Co-Impact Sourcing Initiatives. In addition, nearly 3,000 people have been touched through the dōTERRA Healing Hands Programs such as the Social Tea House, the Milk Canteen, and the World Garden. Needless to say, this is just the tip of the iceberg where self-reliance and the country of Bulgaria are concerned. But the change has begun, and changes are underway because of these programs, because of the various initiatives, and because people like you and me purchase and use the oils produced there. In 2019, three new processing stills were added to the Esseterre Distillery. Two years later, the Terra Rose distillery opened its doors in Kazanlak for the Rose industry. Esseterre processes Frankincense, Melissa, Savory, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Chamomile and Yarrow, in addition to Lavender. (5)

The Bulgarian people exemplify the lesson illustrated so vividly by Emily Wright. I am learning some of these lessons now: namely that when I stumble and fall, I can arise to become better and more beautiful because of the adversity faced.

And that is a lesson more people need.

Do not be ashamed that dreams didn’t pan out as desired. Move forward with courage and strength because we are all beautiful. And most importantly, like the Lavender, we can let our beauty shine for all to see.

Try Lavender and Lavender Touch for yourself to feel the difference Certified Pure Tested Grade essential oils. Please donate to Healing Hands. The annual convention for dōTERRA is right around the corner, and I hope to be able to share some stories about new products in October. As always, keep sharing the oils, stay safe and join us again, here at Harvesters’ Corner!

Sources:

1. High Country Gardens. “A Brief History on Our Love of Lavender.” Online. <https://www.highcountrygardens.com/content/gardening/lavender-history> Accessed 17 January 2024.

2. Davis, Jeanine Ph.D. (2021) and Joe-Anne McCoy Ph.D. (1999). “Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production.” Online. <https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender-history-taxonomy-and-production/> Accessed 17 July 2024.

3. Hitchin Lavender. “Lavender History.” Online. <https://hitchinlavender.com/lavender-history/> Accessed 17 January 2024.

4. Wright, Emily. Thursday Morning Session. September 2023.

5. America for Bulgaria Foundation. “Plamen Nikolov, Esseterre: Success is Changing Lives for the Better.” 3 September 2021. Online. <https://us4bg.org/news/plamen-nikolov-esseterre-success-is-changing-lives-for-the-better/> Accessed 29 January 2024.