LAVENDER TEA: MEANING, HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND RECIPE

 

LAVENDER TEA: MEANING, HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND RECIPE

 

Lavender tea is made from the fresh or dried flower buds of the lavender plant. It makes excellent tea known as herbal tea or tisane.

Lavender is well known for its calming and relaxing properties and is known to help with anxiety and stress. It is very good to drink before going to sleep as it helps with insomnia.

It is also good at fighting clod and coughs and easing headache. Altogether, it is good for the mind and body and helps to promote overall well being.

 

What is Lavender?

Lavender is an aromatic herb with long, straight grey leaves and clusters of purple flowers on long stems.

The name Lavandula is thought to have come from the Latin word lavare, which means to wash. To this day, we still like to use this fragrance in our washing products.

There are hundreds of types of lavender, with a range of colours and sizes. Common or English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, is best to use for making tea.

This herb also can be found growing all across the world, from Australia, Japan, the United States and India.

This is a wonderfully scented plant, it can grow up to 32 inches (81 cm) high, with richly scented purple-blue flowers and aromatic grey-green leaves.

 

History of Lavender

 

Lavender is derived from the Latin “lavare,” to wash. It was known by the Greeks as Nardus, exported from markets in Naarda, a city in Syria, and used for throat infections and chest complaints.

The Romans used lavender flower heads in their bathwater as a fragrance and antiseptic and believed to purify mind and body. They introduced it to Britain to heal burns, cuts and wounds, and to repel nits and fleas.

In France, since the 17th century, essential oil has been used for perfumes. It was used across Europe for strewing the floors of churches and houses on festive occasions.

Traditionally, bundles of lavender were placed in the hands of women during childbirth to bring courage and strength. It is said that planting lavender around the house will help deter evil and protect the people within the household.

 

Health Benefits of Lavender Tea

The healthy elements in lavender tea make it a perfect source of health benefits with every cup you drink.  This herb contains flavonoids, tannins and many essential oils that help to treat several skin issues and other infections.

Let’s get to know the most significant benefits of lavender tea.

1. Help to sleep

The most well-known benefit of drinking lavender tea is its ability to induce sleep.  Its calming and relaxing properties help with anxiety, stress and can help improve sleep.

It is very good to drink before going to sleep. Drinking lavender tea before bed helps you achieve good sleep at night as it helps with insomnia.

The study has shown that lavender tea improves the production of dopamine and lowers the rate of the stress hormone known as cortisol.

 

2. Improves skin health

Lavender has been highly useful for skin and beauty and is commonly used in fragrances and shampoos to purify the skin.

Antibacterial lavender tea is used for burns and most common skin irritation. It is also antiseptic and may help to treat eczema and insect bites.

To keep your skin clean and treat acne, practice cleaning your skin with a soft cotton ball soaked with cooled lavender tea.

 

3. Support digestive health

The antiseptic lavender tea is also good at fighting cold and coughs symptoms and easing stomach problems.  Drinking it can help to soothe digestive issues from nausea to stomach cramps.

This herb is so good to drink in as an infusion to calm nerves as well as relieve heart palpitations. The anti-inflammatory properties of lavender help you soothe irritated stomach muscles, removing stomach pain.

 

How to Make Lavender Tea

Lavender makes a strong and fragrant floral tea. To use dried lavender, put a pinch or a teaspoon of dried lavender flowers and leaves into a tea bag or teapot and steep for three to four minutes. Drink, relax, and fall asleep!

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup of boiled water
2. 1 teaspoon of lavender tea/lavender flowers
3. Teacup
4. Tea strainer and kettle

 

PREPARATION

1. Fill the kettle with fresh water. Bring the water to a boil, then pour some into your teacup or teapot to warm it up. Discard the water.
2. Measure out 1 teaspoon of lavender tea or put two or three heads of lavender and a few leaves into a teapot.
3. Pour the boiled water (which should be between 176 to 185°F/80 to 85°C) over the tea and cover it.
4. Allow the tea to steep for three minutes, then pour the tea from the teapot using a tea strainer, and enjoy.