Phytoria

True Lavender
(Lavandula angustifolia)

Which herb did you first use as medicine? For me as a child this was True Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). It was pure joy to run my hands through the flowering stems in my parents' garden as I walked past and inhaled the scent. Later on, I learned that the scents are essential oils, such as monoterpene linalool. Scientific research links these substances to relaxing changes in the autonomic and central nervous system in people who experience the smell as pleasant. Moreover, they appear to have a strong antioxidant effect, stimulate digestion and can be used for pain, wound healing and skin allergies. Lavender is therefore one of my favorite herbs in my first aid kit.