Lavender is a flowering plant in the mint family that’s easily identified by its sweet floral scent. It’s believed to be native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India, with a history dating as far back as 2,500 years.
In ancient times, lavender was used as a holy herb. Additionally, it was often used to freshen up and give a light scent to a variety of personal items, such as clothes and hair.

Today, lavender is more than just a fragrant plant. As it turns out, this herb is also commonly used for medicinal and therapeutic benefits. So if you’re dealing with a few medical issues of your own, and you don’t want to risk the unpleasant side effects that come with many over-the-counter and prescription medicines here’s a look at the potential health perks of using lavender.

May Help Improve Sleep
Insomnia is a nagging problem that keeps you tossing and turning throughout the night. Cutting out caffeine and getting more exercise might help induce sleep. But sometimes these efforts and others remedies don’t work. As a result, you end up in a groggy mess in the daytime.

If you’re willing to try anything for a restful night’s sleep, a study published in March 2017 in the British Association of Critical Nurses found lavender essential oil to be an effective remedy in improving the sleep quality of intensive care units (ICU) patients who had difficulty sleeping.

So if you’ve tried other sleep remedies to no avail, place a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow before going to sleep tonight. Just be sure not to ingest it, or any other essential oil, for that matter, as doing so may pose health harm.

Benefits of Lavender

May Help Improve Sleep
Could Help Treat Skin Blemishes
May Offer a Natural Remedy for Pain
Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Could Relieve Asthma Symptoms
Lessens Menopausal Hot Flashes
Help Combat Fungus Growth
Potentially Promotes Hair Growth