Four Facts about Lavender you Might not have Known

1. Lavender is wonderful at cleaning contaminated soil.

     Multiple studies have shown that the Lavender plant is an amazing and effective way of cleaning tainted soil of heavy metals and other pollutants. Due to this discovery lavender is used in former mining sites and other areas that experience large amounts of ground pollution. Keep this in mind if your worried about your garden's soil! Don't worry about the plant either! Studies have also concluded that contaminants that the plant absorbs from the soil will not affect the over-all quality of the plant.

2. Great Repellant for Moths

     Moth balls are always a pain once discovered. Thankfully, you can actually use Lavender Essential Oil as a repellant and insecticide against the little critters trying to make a home in your favorite sweater. The chemical composition of the Lavender Essential Oil has been shown to have insecticidal effects towards Moths and the effects were confirmed and even shown to be better than Rosemary Essential Oil when it came down to repelling moths through fumigated action and contact.

3. Anti-Bacterial Effects

     Lavender has been used for longer than most of us can remember to soothe cuts and burns but anecdotal evidence can only go so far. I personally have seen and experienced the wonderful effects of using Lavender Essential Oil on small cuts I get while working in shipping here at Cheryl's Herbs. A study done back in 2009 even confirmed that all four kinds of Lavender Essential Oil were effective at inhibiting growth of MSSA and MRSA by direct contact. I can't wait to see further investigations done for Lavender as far as antibacterial behaviors go.

4. Helpful Sleep Aid

     One of my favorite things is when someone smells our Lavender Essential Oil and the wave of relief that washes over their body. It's very easy to see it in their face as the smell drifts them off to another realm. The use of Lavender doesn't stop at just relaxation. It's been shown over and over to be extremely effective in treating insomnia and aiding in achieving deep sleep. One study shows great improvement in quality and length of sleep in patients who suffered from mixed anxiety disorder. While another showed significant change in patients involved in the Intermediate Care Unit. Thankfully, the effects Lavender has on sleep, relaxation and the nervous system are extremely well documented and studied.