All About Lavender, April's Herb of the Month

Lavender is the herb of herbs with many valuable uses as a medicine, kitchen ingredient, and skin care addition. Learn more about lavender, get your monthly printable herb card, and enter to win a lavender herbal set from Mountain Rose herbs in this post!

Though I grow many herbs in my garden at home, lavender is one I have struggled to keep alive. Apparently it likes lighter, well-drained soil, and I have repeatedly planted it in heavier clay. Then it dies.

However, I am determined to learn how to grow lavender and make it thrive! It’s an incredible herb that deserves a comfy spot to proliferate. Can you imagine having so much lavender that you don’t know what to do with it all?

There are so many uses for lavender in the home. Teas, extracts, honeys, vinegars, baked goods, baths, and skin care can all be enhanced with the addition of lavender! It is the quintessential herb and a perfect one to try if herbs are new to you.

I’m delighted to share more about lavender in our Herb of the Month post for April. Be sure to get your copy of the free printable herb card and enter this month’s giveaway at the end of the post, too! Mountain Rose Herbs has put together a lovely lavender set that you don’t want to miss.

Basic Information

Botanical Name

Lavendula angustifolia

Description

Lavender is a flowering herb that grows as a small shrub with woody stems and gray-green leaves that are somewhat evergreen and resemble rosemary in size and shape. The plant sends up tall slender stems in the summer, topped with purple flower heads of many individual blossoms. These flower heads, which can also come in various shades of violet, pink, and blue, then open through the summer. The plant grows as a perennial in most climates but may die in the winter if extremely cold.

Parts Used

Flowers

Uses

Actions in the Body

Lavender is a carminative, meaning that it can help relieve uncomfortable gas from digestion.
It is a relaxant nervine, gently calming and toning the nervous system.
As an antidepressant, it encourages mental wellness.
Abdominal cramping and tension headaches can be improved through its anti-spasmodic action.

Suggested Uses

Lavender can be taken as an infusion with one teaspoon of flowers steeped in one cup of freshly boiled water. This should be allowed to infuse while covered for 10-15 minutes before straining. It can be taken three times a day and is an especially fitting tea for relaxing the end of the day. Similarly, lavender flowers can be placed in a muslin bag and placed under running bath water for an herbal bath.

For an herbal oil or salve, lavender can be infused in warm oil for 3-4 hours, then strained. The remaining oil can be used as is or thickened with beeswax to form a salve.

Lavender makes a unique addition to the kitchen, as well. Dried flowers may be infused in honey or vinegar for 2 weeks, then strained, resulting in a naturally flavored end product. Flowers may also be added to lightly sweetened baked goods for a delicate flavor.

Safety Considerations

Lavender is an extremely gentle herb that is safe for young children and pregnant/breastfeeding mothers. No known side effects or drug interactions are recorded.

Free Printable Lavender Card

I’m pleased to provide you with a new herb card for the month of April featuring key information about lavender. Just subscribe below to get your download link! If you’re already a subscriber, your link is came in the Recap on Saturday.

Win a Lavender Herb Set from Mountain Rose Herbs!

Disclosure: affiliate links are contained in the remainder of this post. Purchases made through these links come at no additional cost to you but can support this site with a commission. Thanks!

Mountain Rose Herbs is my very favorite online provider of quality organic herbs, carrier oils, body care ingredients, and more. They are providing a wonderful set of organic lavender herbal products to help one of you get to know this beautiful herb better! Stay tuned for this month’s herbal project, too. These items might come in handy for it!

One reader will win the prize set including

4 oz organic English lavender flowers
8 oz organic lavindin hydrosol
1/2 oz organic lavender essential oil

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you grow lavender or use it in your home?

References

Expanded Commission E: Lavender Flower. American Botanical Council. Web. 4 April 2016.

Hawkins, Jessie. Botanical Medicine in the Home. Vintage Remedies, Franklin, Tennessee. 2013. (found here).

Hoffman, David. Medicinal Herbalism. Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont. 2003. (found here).

Lavendula angustifolia. The Ohio State University. Web. 4 April 2016.

Comments

Lisa says
May 4, 2016 at 9:45 am

Hi, I’m hoping you can help me. I have just subscribed and somehow lost the link to be able to get the free printable herb card. Also, is there a way to get the previous months? Thank you, Lisa.

- Kristen Smith says
  May 4, 2016 at 3:23 pm
  
  Hi Lisa! Check your email for one from me. 🙂 I might be updating how I organize the herb card bonuses, so keep an eye on your email for that, too. Thanks for subscribing!
  
Kara Kudro says
April 11, 2016 at 3:00 pm

I love using lavender on everything from bedding spray to cooking cakes 🙂

Tia says
April 11, 2016 at 12:44 pm

Love Lavender. I absolutely could not make it through the day without it! Thank you for all you information.

Irene says
April 11, 2016 at 12:24 pm

I am discovering a new love for lavender! Thank you for offering the giveaway!

Sarah says
April 11, 2016 at 12:24 pm

I would love to win this! I’ve been hearing a lot of their oils and have considered trying them.

Hannah says
April 11, 2016 at 12:07 pm

Lavender is great for burns

Sara K says
April 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm

I have only used it as a sachet and as an essential oil. I would love to try something new! 😀

Koren says
April 9, 2016 at 10:26 am

Thank you for the useful information! I am trying to grow lavender for the first time and I probably would have used the same kind of soil for the rest of my plants! I’ll be sure to find the right soil or soil mixture for my lavender plants!

- Kristen Smith says
  April 9, 2016 at 11:42 am
  
  The gardening friends I have asked tell me that lavender needs really well drained soil, so just keep that in mind. I hope it grows well for you!
  
Jaimie Ramsey says
April 9, 2016 at 9:55 am

I love lavender! I use lavender essential oil all the time for skin issues and to relax. I’ve used the flowers before in cookies. And I enjoy lavender-scented soaps and lotions–I’ve actually made my own lotion with lavender oil in it.

Heather Pelletier says
April 8, 2016 at 7:38 am

Honestly, I’m not sure how I’d first use it, it sounds so lovely. There are so many different ways, but anything that may reduce my husband’s constant internal inflammation would be wonderful.

Judith Martinez says
April 6, 2016 at 2:39 pm

I’ve put lavender in a foot soak before and it was so relaxing.

Emily says
April 6, 2016 at 12:05 am

I’ve used lavender on my daughters bum when she had diaper rash, in some toilet bombs I recently made, definitely in the diffuser, etc… 🙂

Kari says
April 5, 2016 at 9:03 pm

I have always wanted to grow lavender but I havnt had the space yet. But I plan to some day. It is so beautiful and has so many uses and smells wonderful! I havnt used lavender oil in my home yet because I wasn’t sure how to use it. But I’m learning : )

Sarah says
April 5, 2016 at 7:54 pm

I love using lavender when my little ones are teething!

Kimberly D says
April 5, 2016 at 6:55 pm

We use lavender spray on our pillows and in baths. We have also used lavender before to calm hives and poison ivy.

Niharika says
April 5, 2016 at 3:11 pm

Hie.
I use lavender oil with my diffuser.
I find it very calming.

Tammy says
April 5, 2016 at 2:37 pm

I love the smell of lavender! I’ll have to try my hand at growing this, especially since it’s a perennial.

Esther Faith says
April 5, 2016 at 12:06 pm

Thank you for sharing about these different herbs! Your posts are interesting, and lavender is one I’m not so used to using in DIY things, though I would love to do more of that kind of thing. Blessings~

Julie S. says
April 5, 2016 at 10:41 am

I definitely like to keep lavender around. Currently have two plants started, hoping they will flower out soon!

Sandra m says
April 5, 2016 at 9:14 am

I love lavender! I love using it in my bath water.

Darcy says
April 5, 2016 at 6:47 am

Lavender is a favorite in our home! I use the flowers in teas and rice packs and making sachets. We use the oil for so many uses that it would be hard to name them all, but a few are for cuts, scratches and bruises, headaches, and calming. My neighbor uses it for her restless leg syndrome and says that she hasn’t found anything better!

All About Lavender: The Herb of the Month for April 2016