Lavender Reduces Anxiety Naturally

Lavender Essential Oil and Anxiety

“Being yourself is just like the fragrance of lavender—calm, centred, fresh, and soul awakening.” – Anonymous

 The multiple stresses of our fast-paced lifestyles and the omnipresence of social media have contributed to rapidly rising anxiety levels across society making it an increasingly common disorder.  Globally, anxiety is the most common mental health disorder (particularly among woman) with an estimated 284 million people experiencing an anxiety disorder in 2017.  The Anxiety & Depression Association of America estimates that around 40 million American adults (or around 18% of the US population) are affected by anxiety each year.

Anxiety can best be described as the “anticipation of a future threat”.  It can range from severe symptoms that require medical support to patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who can experience excessive anxiety and worry associated with the stresses of everyday life. Many GAD conditions begin in childhood and without treatment can become an ongoing condition with symptoms often triggered by stressful life events. 

Lavender is increasingly being shown to be an effective natural remedy for anxiety and a simple way to calm down and be grounded. While for centuries lavender has been known as a natural remedy, recent scientific based studies are now confirming that lavender can relieve anxiety symptoms such as such as worry, edginess, insomnia, hyperventilation, muscle tension and restlessness. Lavender has been shown to have a beneficial influence on individual general well-being mood and quality of life.    

Lavender oil can be physically calming when applied to the skin. In aromatherapy, the sense of smell also known as olfaction starts from the nose in which the chemical constituents of Lavender essential oil are transmitted from the olfactory receptors that interact and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of our nervous system responsible for slowing down our heart rate, lowering blood pressure and decreasing the physical symptoms of anxiety.  In effect, the parasympathetic nervous system controls the body's ability to relax and recover to its neutral state.    

In a similar fashion to meditation or yoga, Lavender can help in regulating key body processes by restoring it to a calm state. This involves lowering the heart rate, adrenaline levels, and slowing the breath.  

Essential oils are concentrations of plant extracts called aromatic terpenoid constituents. Recent analysis of lavender oil reveals that it contains more than 160 constituents with the main active constituents being linalool, linalyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol and camphor.

For Lavender oil to be truly effective, it is important to use “lavender essential oil” that is pure and undiluted from Lavender plants with no other ingredients or artificial additives.  Quality Lavender essential oils (with the highest levels of linalyl acetate) are obtained via a steam distillation processing of the flowers right after harvest.  This is why at Black Teal Bay we hand-cut our flowers at its peak to capture their precious essence and then directly distil them via a traditional copper still onsite to ensure we produce premium quality pure lavender essential oils.    

Note: Lavender oil, or any essential oil, can’t cure anxiety and how well lavender oil works for you will depend on the source and causes of your anxiety as well as its severity.  It is recommended that Lavender should be used as a natural addition to an overall wellness plan, which may include therapy, mindfulness meditation or a treatment approach recommended by a health care professional.