August 2025 Herb of the Month: Lavender

It’s been a year since we started our Herb of the Month walks! At Richmond Natural Medicine, we cherish our walks in nature, working alongside it to help our patients achieve good health and wellness. One of our most used and beloved natural medicine approaches is medicinal herbs. Our Naturopathic Doctors use a wide variety of medicinal herbs to care for our patients from a holistic lens. They consider the entire patient when choosing herbal formulas: their lifestyle, their habits, their energetic states, and more! A favorite that is often pulled off the herb shelf is lavender. So, as we celebrate one full year of our herbal walks, August’s Herb of the Month is Lavender! 

 

Common name: Lavender 

Latin name: Lavandula angustifolia

Part Used: Above-ground parts – flowers

Benefits: carminative (dispels gas), sedative (calming), bitter (for digestion), antidepressant (herbal, not medical grade), cholagogue (promotes the flow of bile – to help with digestion), and anti-microbial

Taste: Floral, Earthy, Fruity, Slightly-Sweet, and Slightly-Bitter

Energetics: Bitter, Drying, Cooling

History:

Lavender’s history goes back at least 2,500 years to the Middle East, Mediterranean, and India. Ancient Egyptians also used lavender as a perfume and even used it to aid in the mummification process. The name Lavender comes from the Latin “lavare,” which means “to wash,” as it was used to scent baths, beds, linens, and to wash hair. During the Renaissance, laundry could be found drying on lavender bushes in hopes of scenting the clothes. Dried lavender was also stored in wardrobes and drawers to keep linens smelling fresh and to ward off insects. People of the time also believed lavender could protect them from contracting the plague.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, French women were known to weave beautiful “Fuseaux de Lavande,” which were lavender wands made by tying ribbons around lavender stems to enclose the blossoms inside. This would keep the fresh scent of lavender alive for 2-3 years. For good luck, it was given to brides to be used in their wardrobes.  

Benefits: 

Nervine: Lavender has long been used to support individuals who experience anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It has also been found to contain antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Well-known within aromatherapy communities, lavender’s main active constituents are its essential oils. Lavender aromatherapy is used for its calming effects on the central nervous system to help those with anxiety disorders. Also, lavender oil is used for its pain-reducing effects by positively interacting with neurotransmitters.

Digestive: Even though it has a floral and delightfully bright flavor, lavender is technically slightly bitter, and so many herbalists use it as a digestive aid as it helps stimulate bile production. It’s also used as a carminative (helps with gas) and an anti-inflammatory agent, so it may help with nausea, gas, and bloating. It’s also safe to give to children and the elderly, so it’s a popular one!

Emotional Aspects of Lavender:

Those who seek to find inner tranquility will use lavender to promote peace and stillness amidst mental chaos. Ancient Romans used lavender to purify the body and mind of negative energies, and many still use it for that purpose today! Those who are looking to release old patterns of trauma, anger, fear, etc., use lavender ritualistically to build on more profound spiritual healing and emotional freedom.

 

Using Lavender In Your Everyday Life: 

Divinely Naughty Lavender Truffles Recipe from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ⅓ cup honey
• 11 ounces of 72% chocolate -Weight, not volume measurement. Use a scale or look at the label.
• ½ cup lavender flowers -Volume. Use a measuring cup.
• 5 tablespoons room-temperature butter
• 1 cup cocoa powder and/or shredded coconut

Instructions

• Bring your butter to room temperature.
• Place your cream in a double boiler. 
• Heat the cream until you see steam rising, but it’s not yet boiling. 
• Add the lavender; turn off the heat and let sit for 13 minutes.
• Strain the lavender while warm and press out as much of the liquid as possible. The lavender will soak up a quarter of the cream. 
• Place your lavender-infused cream and honey back in the double boiler and heat it back up to 115°F.
• Heat up your chocolate similarly (the chocolate needs to be just fully melted).
• When all is good and melted, slowly marry the cream/honey with the chocolate, while blending with an immersion blender (or using sheer brawn to whisk). Both the chocolate and the cream need to be warm enough to emulsify, but not too warm or things will melt and get wonky, not truffley.
• Now, slowly add the room temperature butter. Keep blending until your mixture resembles glossy chocolate pudding.
• Place the mixture in a pie pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for an hour.
• Have your cocoa powder ready in a shallow pan. Run your hands under very cold water (so they don’t melt the chocolate as you are shaping the truffles).
• Scoop off a large teaspoon of chocolate and form it into a ball. Dip the ball into the cocoa powder and place it on a parchment paper-lined shallow pan. Repeat. You may need to run your hands under cold water multiple times.
• Refrigerate the finished truffles. They will last a few weeks 

Lavender Earl Grey Latte – Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp organic Earl Grey Tea or organic Green Earl Grey
• 1/2 tsp organic lavender flowers
• organic milk of choice
• raw local honey to taste
• optional: 1/2 tsp homemade vanilla extract 

Instructions

• In a covered vessel, steep Earl Grey tea and lavender together in 8 oz. of hot water.
• Strain into a mug and stir in 4 oz. of warmed milk.
• Add vanilla extract and honey to taste if you’d like a bit of sweetness.
• Enjoy!  

Rosemary Gladstar’s Dream Pillow – By Rosemary Gladstar

These pillows are made with special herbs to enhance the dreamer’s dreams. They are fragrant, soothing, and comforting.

Ingredients

• 2 parts Lavender
• 2 parts Rose petals
• 1 part Chamomile
• 2 parts Mugwort
• 1/2 part Hops
• 1 part Rosemary

Instructions

• Mix the herbs together and pour into an 8″ X 8″ or 4″ X 4″ fabric pouch. Use non-synthetic fabric like organic cotton, silk, or muslin.
• It is best to ruffle the pillow a little before sleeping to release its scents and energies.

Notes from Rosemary:

“Many people like to scent dream pillows with essential oils. When I sold them in my herb store, I generally scented them for marketing purposes. But, in truth, I prefer them unscented. The natural scent of the herbs is what excites and inspires dreams. If you do decide to scent your dream mix, use pure essential oils that are harmonious to the basic herbal blend. For instance, use Lavender, Rose, Chamomile, or Mugwort essential oil.”

Missed our other Herbs of the Month? Check them out!:

July: Burdock

June: Calendula

May: Cleavers