Lavandula#Other uses

The genus includes annual or short-lived herbaceous perennial plants, and shrub-like perennials, subshrubs or small shrubs.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xvgq-6VAX8kC |last1=Upson |first1=T. |last2=Andrews |first2=S. |title=The Genus Lavandula |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2004 |access-date=30 March 2012 |isbn=9780881926422 |year=2004 }}

Leaf shape is diverse across the genus. They are simple in some commonly cultivated species; in other species, they are pinnately toothed, or pinnate, sometimes multiple pinnate and dissected. In most species, the leaves are covered in fine hairs or indumentum, which normally contain essential oils.

Flowers are contained in whorls, held on spikes rising above the foliage, the spikes being branched in some species. Some species produce colored bracts at the tips of the inflorescences. The flowers may be blue, violet, or lilac in the wild species, occasionally blackish purple or yellowish. The sepal calyx is tubular. The corolla is also tubular, usually with five lobes (the upper lip often cleft, and the lower lip has two clefts).{{Cite book |last=Bailey |first=L. H. |year=1924 |title=Manual of Cultivated Plants |url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/chla3144681 |location=New York |publisher=MacMillan Publishing Company}}

Some 100 individual phytochemicals have been identified in lavender oil, including major contents of linalyl acetate (30–55%), linalool (20–35%), tannins (5–10%), and caryophyllene (8%), with lesser amounts of sesquiterpenoids, perillyl alcohols, esters, oxides, ketones, cineole, camphor, beta-ocimene, limonene, caproic acid, and caryophyllene oxide.{{cite web |date=19 December 2022 |title=Lavender |url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/lavender.html |access-date=24 June 2024 |publisher=Drugs.com}}{{cite web |date=3 December 2018 |title=Lavender |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501865/ |access-date=15 August 2019 |publisher=Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health |pmid=30000925}}{{cite journal |last1=Umezu |first1=Toyoshi |last2=Nagano |first2=Kimiyo |last3=Ito |first3=Hiroyasu |last4=Kosakai |first4=Kiyomi |last5=Sakaniwa |first5=Misao |last6=Morita |first6=Masatoshi |date=1 December 2006 |title=Anticonflict effects of lavender oil and identification of its active constituents |journal=Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior |volume=85 |issue=4 |pages=713–721 |doi=10.1016/j.pbb.2006.10.026 |pmid=17173962 |s2cid=21779233}} The relative amounts of these compounds vary considerably among lavender species.

Lavandula stoechas, L. pedunculata, and L. dentata were known in Roman times.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8gmsF-FQWuUC |editor-last=Lis-Balchin |editor-first=Maria |year=2002 |title=Lavender: The genus Lavandula |location= London, England, UK |publisher=Taylor and Francis |isbn=0-415-28486-4}}{{rp|51}} From the Middle Ages onwards, the European species were considered two separate groups or genera, Stoechas (L. stoechas, L. pedunculata, L. dentata) and Lavandula (L. spica and L. latifolia), until Carl Linnaeus combined them. He recognised only five species in Species Plantarum (1753), L. multifida and L. dentata (Spain) and L. stoechas and L. spica from Southern Europe. L. pedunculata was included within L. stoechas.

By 1790, L. pinnata and L. carnosa were recognised. The latter was subsequently transferred to Anisochilus. By 1826, Frédéric Charles Jean Gingins de la Sarraz listed 12 species in three sections, and by 1848 eighteen species were known.{{rp|51}}

One of the first modern major classifications was that of Dorothy Chaytor in 1937 at Kew. The six sections she proposed for 28 species still left many intermediates that could not easily be assigned. Her sections included Stoechas, Spica, Subnudae, Pterostoechas, Chaetostachys, and Dentatae. However, all the major cultivated and commercial forms resided in the Stoechas and Spica sections. There were four species within Stoechas (Lavandula stoechas, L. dentata, L. viridis, and L. pedunculata) while Spica had three (L. officinalis (now L. angustifolia), L. latifolia and L. lanata). She believed that the garden varieties were hybrids between true lavender L. angustifolia and spike lavender (L. latifolia).Chaytor D A. A taxonomic study of the genus Lavandula. 1937

Lavandula has three subgenera:{{Cite journal |last=Habàn |first=Miroslav |date=2023-05-16 |title=Lavandula Species, Their Bioactive Phytochemicals, and Their Biosynthetic Regulation |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |volume=24 |issue=10 |page=8831 |doi=10.3390/ijms24108831 |pmid=37240177 |pmc=10219037 |doi-access=free }}{{Cite journal |display-authors=3|vauthors=Moja S, Guitton Y, Nicole F, Jullien F, Legendre L, Pasquier B, Upson T |date=November 2016 |title=Genome size and plastid trnK-matK markers give new insights into the evolutionary history of the genus Lavandula L. |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/11263504.2015.1014006 |journal=Plant Biosystems |volume=150 |issue=6 |pages=1216–1224 |doi= 10.1080/11263504.2015.1014006|bibcode=2016PBios.150.1216M |s2cid= 84974038|via=Ebsco}}{{Cite journal |last1=Héral |first1=Bénédicte |last2=Stierlin |first2=Émilie |last3=Fernandez |first3=Xavier |last4=Michel |first4=Thomas |date=2021 |title=Phytochemicals from the genus Lavandula: a review |url= |journal=Phytochemistry Reviews |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=751–771 |doi=10.1007/s11101-020-09719-z |bibcode=2021PChRv..20..751H |s2cid=224898995 |via=SpringerLink}}

• Subgenus Lavandula is mainly of woody shrubs with entire leaves. It contains the principal species grown as ornamental plants and for oils. They are found across the Mediterranean region to northeast Africa and western Arabia.
• Subgenus Fabricia consists of shrubs and herbs, and it has a wide distribution from the Atlantic to India. It contains some ornamental plants.
• Subgenus Sabaudia constitutes two species in the southwest Arabian peninsula and Eritrea, which are rather distinct from the other species, and are sometimes placed in their own genus Sabaudia.

In addition, there are numerous hybrids and cultivars in commercial and horticultural usage.

The first major clade corresponds to subgenus Lavandula, and the second Fabricia. The Sabaudia group is less clearly defined. Within the Lavandula clade, the subclades correspond to the existing sections but place Dentatae separately from Stoechas, not within it. Within the Fabricia clade, the subclades correspond to Pterostoechas, Subnudae, and Chaetostachys.

Thus the current classification includes 39 species distributed across 8 sections (the original 6 of Chaytor and the two new sections of Upson and Andrews), in three subgenera (see table below). However, since lavender cross-pollinates easily, countless variations present difficulties in classification.

File:Snowshil-Lavender.jpgs growing at Snowshill, the Cotswolds, UK]]

This is based on the classification of Upson and Andrews, 2004.

File:Lavender Field Sutton.jpg, in the London Borough of Sutton]]

File:Hitchin lavender fields.jpg, UK.]]

File:Çuxur Qəbələ k - Qəbələ r. lavanda sahəsi.jpg, Qabala District, Azerbaijan]]

The English word lavender came into use in the 13th century, and is generally thought to derive from Old French {{Lang|fro|lavandre}},{{cite dictionary |title=lavender |dictionary=An etymological dictionary of modern English |page=703 |url=https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict00weekuoft/page/414/ |last1=Weekley |first1=Ernest |date=1921 |location=London |publisher=John Murray }} ultimately from Latin {{Lang|la|lavare}} from {{Lang|la|lavo}} (to wash),{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dlavo |title= lavo |last1= Lewis |first1= Charlton T. |last2= Short |first2= Charles |dictionary= A Latin Dictionary |edition= |publisher= Perseus Digital Library |date = 1879 }} referring to the use of blue infusions of the plants for bathing.{{rp|35}} The botanic name Lavandula as used by Linnaeus is considered to be derived from this and other European vernacular names for the plants.{{Cite web |title=lavender {{!}} Etymology of lavender by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/lavender |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}

The names widely used for some of the species, "English lavender", "French lavender" and "Spanish lavender" are all imprecisely applied. "English lavender" is commonly used for L. angustifolia, though some references say the proper term is "Old English lavender".{{Cite web |last=Life |first=Country |date=2014-03-10 |title=Plant of the week: Old English Lavender |url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/plant-of-the-week-old-english-lavender-2705 |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Country Life |language=en}} The name "French lavender" may refer to either L. stoechas or to L. dentata. "Spanish lavender" may refer to L. pedunculata,{{Cite web |author1=Graham Rice |date=2023-07-04 |title=Best lavender varieties – 14 perfumed beauties for flowers and foliage |url=https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/best-lavender-varieties |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=homesandgardens.com |language=en}} L. stoechas,{{Cite web |title=23 Lavender Varieties for a Fragrant Garden Wherever You Live |url=https://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/gardeners-guide-to-lavender/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Better Homes & Gardens |language=en}} or L. lanata.

File:Bee pollen lavender.JPG on flower]]

The most common form in cultivation is the common or English lavender Lavandula angustifolia (formerly named L. officinalis). A wide range of cultivars can be found. Other commonly grown ornamental species are L. stoechas, L. dentata, and L. multifida (Egyptian lavender).

Because the cultivated forms are planted in gardens worldwide, they are occasionally found growing wild as garden escapes, well beyond their natural range. Such spontaneous growth is usually harmless, but in some cases, Lavandula species have become invasive. For example, in Australia, L. stoechas has become a cause for concern; it occurs widely throughout the continent and has been declared a noxious weed in Victoria since 1920.

{{cite book |last1= Carr|first1= G.W |last2= Yugovic |first2= J.V |last3= Robinson |first3= K.E. |date= 1992 |title= Environmental Weed Invasions in Victoria – conservation and management implications |location= Victoria, Australia |publisher= Department of Conservation and Environment and Ecological Horticulture}} It is regarded as a weed in parts of Spain.{{cite book |last1= Csurches |first1= S.|last2= Edwards |first2=R. |date= January 1998 |title= National Weeds Program, Potential Environmental Weeds in Australia, Candidate Species for Preventative Control |url= http://www.weeds.gov.au/publications/books/pubs/potential.pdf |location= |publisher= Queensland Department of Natural Resources |isbn=0-642-21409-3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010044320/http://www.weeds.gov.au/publications/books/pubs/potential.pdf|archive-date=10 October 2007}}

Lavenders flourish best in dry, well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils in full sun.{{cite book |last1= Grieve |first1= M. |date=1971 |title= A Modern Herbal |volume=II |location= New York |publisher= Dover Publications, Inc.|page= |isbn=0-486-22799-5}} English lavender has a long germination process (14–28 days) and matures within 100–110 days.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-30 |title=How to grow lavender in your garden this summer |url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/gardening-advice/a35677777/how-to-grow-lavender/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Good Housekeeping |language=en-GB}} All types need little or no fertilizer and good air circulation. In areas of high humidity, root rot due to fungus infection can be a problem. Organic mulches can trap moisture around the plants' bases, encouraging root rot. Gravelly materials such as crushed rocks give better results.{{cite book |last1= Brenzel |first1= Kathleen Norris |edition=7th |title= The Sunset Western Garden Book}} It grows best in soils with a pH between 6 and 8.{{Cite web|url=http://www.uky.edu/ccd/sites/www.uky.edu.ccd/files/lavender.pdf|title=Lavender|last=Ernst|first=Matt|year=2017|website=University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification}} Most lavender is hand-harvested, and harvest times vary depending on intended use.

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) states that lavender is considered likely safe in food amounts, and that topical uses may cause allergic reactions.{{cite web |date=1 August 2020 |title=Lavender |url=http://nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender/ataglance.htm |access-date=4 July 2022 |publisher=National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health}} The NCCIH does not recommend the use of lavender while pregnant or breastfeeding because of lack of knowledge of its effects. It recommends caution if young boys use lavender oil because of possible hormonal effects leading to gynecomastia.{{cite web |date=February 2007 |title=Oils 'make male breasts develop' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6318043.stm |access-date=2018-03-17 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation}}{{cite web |date=March 2018 |title=More evidence essential oils 'make male breasts develop' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-43429933 |access-date=2018-03-17 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation}}

A 2007 study examined the relationship between various fragrances and photosensitivity, stating that lavender is known "to elicit cutaneous photo-toxic reactions", but does not induce photohaemolysis.{{cite journal |last1=Placzek |first1=M |last2=Frömel |first2=W |last3=Eberlein |first3=B |last4=Gilbertz |first4=KP |last5=Przybilla |first5=B |date=2007 |title=Evaluation of phototoxic properties of fragrances. |journal=Acta Dermato-Venereologica |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=312–6 |doi=10.2340/00015555-0251 |pmid=17598033 |quote=Also, oils of lemon, lavender, lime, sandalwood, and cedar are known to elicit cutaneous phototoxic reactions, but lavender, sandalwood, and cedar oil did not induce photohaemolysis in our assay...Lavender oil and sandalwood oil did not induce photohaemolysis in our test system. However, a few reports on photosensitivity reactions due to these substances have been published, e.g. one patient with persistent light reaction and a positive photo-patch test to sandalwood oil |doi-access=free}}

Some people experience contact dermatitis, allergic eczema, or facial dermatitis from the use of lavender oil on skin.

File:Kula Lavender Farm.jpg, Hawaii]]

{{Redirect|Lavandin|the racehorse|Lavandin (horse)}}

{{Main|Lavender oil}}

Commercially, the plant is grown mainly for the production of lavender essential oil. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) yields an oil with sweet overtones and can be used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications.

Lavandula × intermedia, also known as lavandin or Dutch lavender, hybrids of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia.Mark Griffiths, Index of Garden Plants (Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1994. {{ISBN|0-333-59149-6}}), are widely cultivated for commercial use since their flowers tend to be bigger than those of English lavender and the plants tend to be easier to harvest.National Non-Food Crops Centre. [http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=2409;isa=DBRow;op=show;dbview_id=2329 "Lavender"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116052642/http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=2409;isa=DBRow;op=show;dbview_id=2329|date=16 November 2009}}. Retrieved on 23 April 2009. They yield a similar essential oil, but with higher levels of terpenes, including camphor, which add a sharper overtone to the fragrance, regarded by some as of lower quality than that of English lavender.

The US Food and Drug Administration considers lavender as generally recognized as safe for human consumption. The essential oil was used in hospitals during World War I.

File:Lavender cupcakes.jpg]]

File:Lavender meringue (5895316063).jpg]]

Culinary lavender is usually English lavender, the most commonly used species in cooking (L. angustifolia 'Munstead'). As an aromatic, it has a sweet fragrance with lemon or citrus notes.[https://whatscookingamerica.net/Lavender.htm Lavender] WhatsCookingAmerica.net It is used as a spice or condiment in pastas,{{Cite web |last=Havocinthekitchen |first=Ben {{!}} |date=2022-07-14 |title=Pasta Salad with Creamy Lavender Sauce (Unusual but Tasty Pairing) |url=https://www.havocinthekitchen.com/pasta-salad-with-creamy-lavender-sauce/ |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=www.havocinthekitchen.com |language=en-US}} salads and dressings, and desserts.[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/dining/271mrex.html Pasta With Shredded Vegetables and Lavender] Recipe, New York Times, 27 August 2008{{cite book|title=Culinary Herbs: Their Cultivation Harvesting Curing and Uses|year=1912|publisher=Orange Judd Company|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21414/21414-h/21414-h.htm#Page_97|author=M. G. Kains|editor=American Agriculturist|format=English}} Their buds and greens are used in teas, and their buds, processed by bees, are the essential ingredient of a monofloral honey.{{cite web|url=http://www.purplehazelavender.com/cooking.html|title=Cooking with Lavender – Purple Haze Lavender (Sequim, WA)|work=Purple Haze Lavender|access-date=25 August 2008|archive-date=17 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417125855/http://www.purplehazelavender.com/cooking.html|url-status=dead}}

Spanish nard ({{langx|fro|"spykenard de spayn le pays"}}), referring to L. stoechas, is listed as an ingredient in making a spiced wine, namely hippocras, in The Forme of Cury.{{Cite web |title=The Forme of Cury |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8102/pg8102-images.html |access-date=29 October 2020 |publisher=Project Gutenberg |quote=PUR FAIT YPOCRAS. XX.IX. XI. Treys Unces de canett. & iii unces de gyngeuer, spykenard de Spayn le pays dun denerer, garyngale, clowes, gylofre, poeurer long, noiez mugadez, maziozame cardemonij de chescun i quart' douce grayne & de paradys stour de queynel de chescun dim unce de toutes, soit fait powdour &c.}}

Lavender was introduced into England in the 1600s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I of England prized a lavender conserve (jam) at her table, so lavender was produced as a jam at that time, as well as used in teas both medicinally and for its taste.

Lavender was not used in traditional southern French cooking at the turn of the 20th century. It does not appear at all in the best-known compendium of Provençal cooking, J.-B. Reboul's Cuisinière Provençale.J.-B. Reboul; Cuisinière Provençale (1910) French lambs have been allowed to graze on lavender as it is alleged to make their meat more tender and fragrant. In the 1970s, a blend of herbs called herbes de Provence was invented by spice wholesalers. Culinary lavender is added to the mixture in the North American version.{{Cite journal |last1=Laget |first1=F. |year=2005 |title=From its Birthplace in Egypt to Marseilles, an Ancient Trade: Drugs and Spices |journal=Diogenes |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=131–139 |doi=10.1177/0392192105055941 |s2cid=144212782}}

In the 21st century, lavender is used in many world regions to flavor tea, vinegar, jellies, baked goods, and beverages.{{Citation |last=Charles |first=Denys J. |title=Lavender |date=2012 |work=Antioxidant Properties of Spices, Herbs and Other Sources |page=365 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tz4Fa7r9wgIC&pg=PA365 |access-date=2021-09-05 |place=New York, NY |publisher=Springer New York |isbn=9781461443100}}

For most cooking applications, the dried buds (also called flowers) are used.

The potency of the lavender buds increases with drying which necessitates more sparing use to avoid a heavy, soapy aftertaste. Chefs note to reduce by two-thirds the dry amount in recipes that call for fresh lavender buds."[http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/how-to/article/cooking-with-lavender Cooking With Lavender]", Bon Appetit, 27 March 2015{{Better source needed|date=May 2021}}

Lavender buds can amplify both sweet and savory flavors in dishes and are sometimes paired with sheep's milk and goat's milk cheeses. Lavender flowers are occasionally blended with black, green, or herbal teas. Lavender flavors baked goods and desserts, pairing especially well with chocolate. In the United States, both lavender syrup and dried lavender buds are used to make lavender scones and marshmallows.{{cite web|last1=Stradley|first1=Linda|title=Lavender Scones, Whats Cooking America|url=https://whatscookingamerica.net/EllenEaston/LavenderScones.htm|website=What's Cooking America|access-date=16 February 2017|date=22 April 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Maclain|first1=Ben|title=Lavender Marshmallows – Havoc In The Kitchen|url=http://www.havocinthekitchen.com/lavender-marshmallows/|website=Havoc in the Kitchen|access-date=16 February 2017|date=2 May 2015|archive-date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030114207/http://www.havocinthekitchen.com/lavender-marshmallows/|url-status=dead}}

Lavender buds are put into sugar for two weeks to allow the essential oils and fragrance to transfer; then the sugar itself is used in baking. Lavender can be used in breads where recipes call for rosemary.{{cn|date=January 2025}} Lavender can be used decoratively in dishes or spirits, or as a decorative and aromatic in a glass of champagne. Lavender is used in savory dishes, giving stews and reduced sauces aromatic flair. It is also used to scent flans, custards, and sorbets.

File:Bagt figen med lavendelhonning (4983868866).jpg

The flowers yield abundant nectar, from which bees make a high-quality honey. Monofloral honey is produced primarily around the Mediterranean Sea, and is marketed worldwide as a premium product. Flowers can be candied and are sometimes used as cake decorations. It is also used to make "lavender sugar".

The German scientific committee on traditional medicine, Commission E, reported uses of lavender flower in practices of herbalism, including its use for restlessness or insomnia, Roemheld syndrome, intestinal discomfort, and cardiovascular diseases, among others.{{cite web |date=2000 |title=Expanded Commission E monograph: Lavender flower |url=http://cms.herbalgram.org/expandedE/Lavenderflower.html?ts=1539836158&signature=f90e4436e6bfbbb3b9ce156ec06b2839#Uses |access-date=18 October 2018 |website=cms.herbalgram.org |publisher=Integrative Medicine Communications, Germany; from the American Botanical Council}}

File:Savons à la lavande au marché d'Apt.jpgs scented with lavender]]

Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Lavender is also used as herbal filler inside sachets used to freshen linens. Dried and sealed in pouches, lavender flowers are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and to deter moths.{{Cite web|last=McCray|first=Carole|title=Lavender – the loveliest of herbs|url=https://www.registerguard.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2020/07/10/lavender-loveliest-of-herbs/43080107/|access-date=2020-11-17|website=The Register-Guard|language=en-US}} Dried lavender flowers may be used for wedding confetti. Lavender is also used in scented waters, soaps, and sachets.

File:Bath & Body Works Lavender Mimosa Aromatherapy Lotion (7009199299).jpg Lavender Mimosa Aromatherapy Lotion]]

Lavender is considered a medicinal plant to manage stress.{{Cite journal |last=Ghavami |first=Tina |last2=Kazeminia |first2=Mohsen |last3=Rajati |first3=Fatemeh |date=2022-09-01 |title=The effect of lavender on stress in individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229922000346 |journal=Complementary Therapies in Medicine |volume=68 |pages=102832 |doi=10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102832 |issn=0965-2299|doi-access=free }} The scent of the plant is commonly used in aromatherapy. A study done in 2005 on 200 people awaiting dental treatment showed that inhaling lavender reduced anxiety.{{Cite journal |last=Lillehei |first=Angela Smith |last2=Halcón |first2=Linda L. |last3=Savik |first3=Kay |last4=Reis |first4=Reilly |date=July 2015 |title=Effect of Inhaled Lavender and Sleep Hygiene on Self-Reported Sleep Issues: A Randomized Controlled Trial |url=https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2014.0327 |journal=The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine |volume=21 |issue=7 |pages=430–438 |doi=10.1089/acm.2014.0327 |issn=1075-5535 |pmc=4505755 |pmid=26133206}} The plant is also known to help with insomnia, pain and inflammation, anxiety, and depression.{{Cite web |title=6 Lavender Benefits and How To Use It |url=https://health.clevelandclinic.org/health-benefits-of-lavender |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=Cleveland Clinic |language=en}}

{{see also|Spikenard}}

The ancient Greeks called the lavender herb νάρδος: nárdos, Latinized as nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda (possibly the modern town of Duhok, Iraq). It was also commonly called nard.The origin of most of these quotes comes from Dr. William Thomas Fernie, in his book "Herbal Simples" (Bristol Pub., second edition, 1897), [https://archive.org/details/b20405297/page/298/mode/2up?q=nardus page 298]:

'By the Greeks the name Nardus is given to Lavender, from Naarda, a city of Syria near the Euphrates, and many persons call the plant "Nard." St. Mark mentions this as Spikenard, a thing of great value. In Pliny's time, blossoms of the Nardus sold for a hundred Roman denarii (or L.3 2s. 6d.) the pound. This Lavender or Nardus was called Asarum by the Romans, because it was not used in garlands or chaplets. It was formerly believed that the asp, a dangerous kind of viper, made Lavender its habitual place of abode, so that the plant had to be approached with great caution.'

File:Lavender02.jpg|Lavender flower

File:LavendarFlower.jpg|Flower of cultivated lavender; Lavandula stoechas

File:Lavender fields in India.jpg|Lavender garden, India

File:Lavandula fields.jpg|Lavandula fields near Drama, Greece

File:Lavender Flower Closeup 2.jpg|Lavandula angustifolia flower

File:Mostar Lavender bush.jpg|Lavender plant by a mosque in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

File:Navettes de lanvande.JPG|Bunches of lavender for sale, intended to repel insects

File:LavenderInMarket.jpg|Lavender products for sale at a San Francisco farmers market

{{Reflist}}

• [https://books.google.com/books?id=xvgq-6VAX8kC Upson T, Andrews S. The Genus Lavandula. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2004]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130512062751/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?6567 United States Department of Agriculture GRIN: Lavandula] (archived 12 May 2013)

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Category:Lamiaceae genera

Category:Herbs

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Category:Melliferous flowers

Category:Subshrubs