Lavender and relaxation, Science or a Myth

Lavender; for centuries heralded as everybody's favourite relaxing fragrance. Lavender essential oils and lavender fragranced products advertised as sleep inducers, stress relievers and all round staples for a calm and tranquil life!

It's a refrain with which we're all familiar, yet while the plants are pretty, the purple spires, wafting in the breeze, delightful and the evocation of English country gardens comforting, is there really any truth behind this hype? Are these claims founded in science?

We've taken a good look at lavender this week and in particular, the research by Professor Kathy Willis, a biologist from Oxford University . She's researched the scientific processes underlying the effects of volatile, aromatic compounds within plants, upon the brain. 

As we inhale glorious fragrances like lavender, the volatile aromatic compounds which underlie plants' characteristic fragrances, pass through our olfactrory (nose) structures and thereafter interact with our limbic system (parts of the brain associated with emotions and behaviour). One of the key components underlying lavender's characteristic smell is linalool and professor Willis has studied how linalool interacts with the limbic system. Specifically, linalool has been found to influence neurotransmitter activity and by this means, its fragrance induces calmness and reduces stress.    

At Cosy Cottage, we're always keen to lift the lid on myths and folklore, to seek science behind all and any 'magical' claims and to ensure that all our ingredients are selected for their proven benefits, rather than follow fashions and fads.

.... and relax .... SHOP OUR RELAXING PRODUCTS