Summer and well-being: lavender between history and science
Summer is here, with its long days and some challenges for our well-being. Intense heat, the rhythms, however hectic and changes in the daily routine can put a strain not only on the psychophysical balance, but also on our skin health.
It is not uncommon, for example, to experience an alteration in sleep quality or an increase in stress in these months. The causes? Shorter nights, changing life rhythms, high temperatures, as well as increased exposure to nighttime noise and insects, such as mosquitoes, are some simple examples of situations that each of us may have experienced.
In addition, in summer, risk factors related to more intense exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) rays increase: dehydration, sunburn, peeling and irritation of various kinds, including those due to excessive sweating.
In this article we will find out how lavender, an iconic summer plant, can come to our aid, between traditional use and new scientific findings.
Lavender: a long journey through history and tradition
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., true lavender or English lavender) is a perennial plant typical of the western Mediterranean regions, particularly the coasts of Spain, France and Italy, where it grows wild as a compact shrub in semiarid, calcareous, sunny soils. It blooms between late spring and early summer, and is easily recognizable because the spike-like inflorescences are not branched, as in other species or in hybrids such as the less valuable lavandin; true lavender is renowned worldwide as an ornamental and perfume plant due to its characteristic purple or lilac corollas with intense scent - essential oils are contained in the flowers - as well as for nutraceutical and cosmetic use.
But if lavender fields immediately recall Provence, its origin is intertwined with history and legend. The earliest sources date back to Dioscorides, who mentioned the fragrant herb stoikhas (στοιχάς), named after the Stœchades islands, an archipelago off the coast of southern France, now called Îles d'Hyères; this lavender is believed to have been L. stoechas L., also known as “French or topped lavender.”
Pliny the Elder, in his Naturalis historia, mentions the nard, a plant also cited several times in the Bible, from the Song of Songs to the Gospels as a symbol of boundless love, but it is not clear which plant the famous Roman scholar was referring to, whether that is lavender (which the Greeks called nárdos, νάρδος) or spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi (D. Don) DC.), a Himalayan plant that, coming from far away, was considered very valuable. In the Renaissance, the Sienese physician Mattioli also addressed the issue, on which it is virtually impossible to say the last word, because of the difficulty of identifying such a polymorphous genus according to current scientific criteria, from often incongruent ancient sources.
Whether myth or reality, it is well known that the ancient Egyptians were already familiar with lavender and used it to prepare ointments and scented oils, which were used in mummification, while the ancient Romans, true experts on personal hygiene, added the flowers to bath water to perfume, cleanse and tonify the body, hence the modern common name lavender, from the gerund of the Latin verb lavāre; in both cases it is clear that in addition to the “clean scent,” which we still associate with lavender today, the disinfectant properties (antiseptic and insect-repellent, in modern terms) of this plant were known, albeit empirically, from which probably also arose the belief that lavender kept evil spirits at bay.
In the Middle Ages, lavender continued to be cultivated in monastery gardens, even north of the Alps, probably favored by the medieval warm period (9th-14th centuries), as a key ingredient in herbal preparations, as witnessed by Hildegard of Bingen. Its “purifying” properties continued to be so renowned that it was used during plague epidemics, a custom that to some extent continues in common use today to ward off unwelcome pests from rooms and home linen.
During the Renaissance, as distillation techniques progressed, the cosmetic properties of lavender were consolidated, paving the way for the economic importance of its essential oil that earned lavender flowers the nickname “blue gold.”
Today, lavender is regarded as sedative, antidepressant, digestive, antiseptic, and anti-parasitic; all these properties have been confirmed by scientific research.
For relaxation and a restful night’s sleep
We know that insomnia symptoms affect about 1 out of 3 Italians, and that it is a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases. Lavender boasts a very ancient traditional use as a natural remedy to promote relaxation and sleep: in fact, inserting lavender flowers into pillows to aid falling asleep is a popular house remedy; a preclinical study conducted by the University of Naples Federico II (unpublished data, 2022) would provide a scientific rationale for such use: our lavender extract standardized to contain min. 8% polyphenols dose-dependently inhibited cortisol release to the same extent as scutellaria (blue skullcap), used as a control. The study was conducted on human adrenocortical carcinoma cells, a common model for studying the action of anxiolytic molecules.
Your skin's antioxidant ally
The summer sun, although beneficial for mood and bones, can expose our skin to increased oxidative stress. Polyphenols, in which lavender is rich, are powerful natural antioxidants that can counteract the damage caused by oxidative stressors, and thus keep your skin healthy and young.
Lavender extract made in EPO
Thanks to its standardization in polyphenols (min. 8%), our dry extract of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. is an optimal ingredient for both food supplements and cosmetics. For some ailments heavily depending on stress, such as states of restlessness, insomnia and epigastric functional disorders (for example, gastritis and nervous colitis), our lavender could be useful as it was proved to be effective in inhibiting endogenous cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone”, in an in vitro test. In addition, its DNA certification, or molecular identification, guarantees its authenticity and purity, distinguishing it from less valuable hybrids often used in the perfume industry.
Discover the power of lavender with EPO Srl
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