The Herbarium
Print plate
Lavender botanical plate

Herb. No. 006 · Lamiaceae

RangeFig. atlas
Approximate native range — a teaching atlas, not a survey

Western Mediterranean shrub; a sun-belt garden plant worldwide.

Native · Mediterranean

Native Also grownNow a garden plant worldwide
LegalGentleplant

Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Medicinal herbsKitchenHarvestCompanions

Silver-leaved Mediterranean shrub; the scent alone is a documented mild anxiolytic.

True lavender (L. angustifolia), not spike or lavandin, is the medicinal species. Inhaled aroma and a standardized oral oil (Silexan, where licensed) have clinical data for subsyndromal anxiety. Culinary buds flavor sugar and honey. The hydrosol is gentler on skin than the essential oil.

Flavor

Floral camphor and honey; over-steeped tea turns soapy.

Parts used

Flower spikes

Helpful

  • Works by smell — low systemic load
  • Superb dry-garden plant
  • Keeps in the linen chest

Cautions

  • Essential oil can irritate skin and is toxic if drunk
  • Some hormonally active constituents in topical oil — caution in young boys at high chronic dose

Field assistant

Ask about traditional use, safety, or the law. The assistant will not teach illegal cultivation or give medical orders.

Related symptoms

anxietyinsomniaheadacheirritable skin

Teas with this plant

Remedies with this plant

  • Evening wind-down cup

    Adult: one 8 oz cup, 45–60 minutes before bed. Not a second pot. Children: skip, or a clinician’s advice — this folio doses adults.

  • Calendula and aloe skin tray

    Thin film of calendula 2–3 times a day. Aloe: a clean inner-leaf smear, as needed. Compress: 10 minutes, then air-dry. Essential oil: one drop in a carrier, not a puddle.

Harvest this plant

When to cut, how to dry, and how to store it — garden and kitchen crops only.

Open harvest notes

Companion planting

21 to plant with.

Open companion beds