The Joy of Reflexology
推 拿 的 喜 悅
My Mission is to Bring out the Joy in Every Touch
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The Joy of Reflexology 推 拿 的 喜 悅
My Mission is to Bring out the Joy in Every Touch
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Taking Care of Your Mind, Body and Soul This website is created and managed by Marcial Designs 2008. Last updated: January 30, 2008
| Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) The name "lavender" is taken from the Latin word lavare (to wash). This most versatile of essential oils is highly soothing to the skin and relaxing to the entire body. The French cosmetic chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse was the first to discover these properties when he severely burned his arm in a laboratory accident. He observed that his wounds quickly healed with minimal residual scarring, and began research on essential oils. Thus began the rediscovery of a lost science. Lavender, a member of the botanical family Lamiaceae (Labiatae), is primarily an evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean that prefers sand or well drained soil and full sunlight. It grows to a height of on to four feet, depending on the variety. Germination takes about 25 days. once sprouted, it can take up to two years to flower. Narrow, spiky, grey-green leaves surround stalks capped by small potent blossoms, from which the majority of the plant's essential oil is derived. The oil glands are also located in the hairs that cover the leaves, flowers, and stems. Approximately 220 lbs of raw material are needed to obtain 1-1/2 to 2 1/2 lbs of oil. In the wild, lavender tenaciously grows in the harshest of climates. Found on rock ledges, in altitudes of up to 6,000 ft, and buried under snow, it has been found thriving in the French Alps. Although lavender was only successfully domesticated earlier this century, many vast fields in Provence contain hybrid varieties, one such hybrid is lavandin. Specifically it is created by crossing true lavender with L latifolia. This species produces an oil that contains camphor as its main constituent, and yields ten times the volume of essential oil as compared with true lavender. The application of lavandin on a burn would only worsen an already traumatic situation. When looking for true lavender, linalot acetate should easily be seen as the main constituent, which will not react negatively with a burn and in fact may have the opposite effect. Most "lavender" essential oils available on the market today are hybrids, distinguishably by their sweet floral odor. True lavender possesses a medicinal detergent-like smell, although it contains little of no camphor. And since hybrid do not reproduce on their own, they are propagated only by cloning, and can be visually identified in a field by uniformity of plant size and shape. True lavender, however, is often found in the wild. The beauty and majesty of a true lavender field is in it variety - in color, shape, size and even aromas. The pollen produced by true lavender is also beneficial to communities of bees in the vicinity of the fields. Studies for its effect on lipid system oxidation , postpartum perineal discomfort, and neuro-depressive properties, lavender oil is calming, relaxing and balancing, both physically and emotionally. When taken as a supplement, it is an effective herb for stress relief. it may also be quite efficient in clearing depressing it cleanses and sooths cuts bruised and skin irritations. |
"The Paved Highway of Belief through touch and sight leads straightest into the human heart and the precints of the mind."- Lucretius As long as the spirit is strong, the body will follow for the body is forever the slave of your mind and can be willed to achieve great feats. A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug. Brenda Marcial |
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Never stop reaching for the stars. You won't know how far you can soar if you don't spread your wings! |
