You likely have a cream, lotion, or spray that includes the calming scent of lavender, but have you ever enjoyed a cup of lavender tea? Settle down with a hot cup and see for yourself these 4 lavender tea benefits.
What does Lavender Taste like?
Picking out the scent of lavender is easy for many of us, but what about the taste?
Depending on the type of lavender you choose, the flavor will range from sweet to bitter. Being a member of the mint family, there are subtle mint flavors in the flowers, but other more distinct aromas appear as well.
English lavender {Lavandula angustifolia} is the most common lavender used for culinary purposes, in food or tea. The flavor of English lavender could be described as floral, minty, slightly citrus-y, and earthy.
Using Lavandula intermedia, or lavandin, would offer a much stronger aroma that could taste almost "soapy". This is most often used for cosmetics and for its scent, not in teas or for culinary use.
What are the health benefits of lavender?
Many studies have been done on the effects of lavender extracts and essential oils, while few have been completed on the benefits of consuming lavender in tea form.
Drinking lavender tea allows you to experience the benefits of ingesting the active compounds in lavender and while also enjoying the aromatherapy effects.
Below are Four potential health benefits you could see from enjoying lavender tea.
1. Improved Mood
There is new and promising research that drinking lavender tea can help to decrease depression and improve overall mood.
New moms were rated on perceived fatigue, depression symptoms and bonding with their newborn baby while on a regimen of drinking one cup of lavender tea each day for two weeks. The tea drinkers reported less perceived fatigue and depression symptoms and greater bonding with their baby than the non-tea drinkers (1).
However, the difference was no longer significant once the tea drinking had stopped at the 4 week follow up implying that the positive effects are immediate and not long-term.
A 2020 study found that lavender tea led to reduced depression and anxiety scores in elderly participants. Lavender tea is suggested by researchers as a complementary treatment for depression and anxiety (2).
2. A Better Nights Sleep
Along with sleep hygiene techniques, adding the scent of lavender to your bedtime routine can help you to wake up feeling more refreshed and result in better sleep quality (3).
While aromatherapy is often done with extracts and essential oils, taking the time to enjoy the aroma of a cup of lavender tea before bed can have a similar effect.
Lavender buds can also be added to items such as an eye pillow to help relax before bed.
3. Fight Free Radicals
Free radicals and reactive oxygen species found in the body can lead to cancer and or atherosclerosis if left unchecked. These species are created as normal waste products of metabolism and also from the exposure to toxins, chemicals, smoke, x-rays, and ozone (4).
Antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals so that they do not cause damage to our otherwise healthy cells. The antioxidants found in lavender can help to reduce free-radical damage.
Smelling lavender for 5 minutes was found to increase free radical scavenging activity in saliva and decrease cortisol levels (stress hormone), protecting the body from oxidative stress (5).
4. Calm itchy or inflamed skin
Lavender's anti-inflammatory properties make it the perfect antidote for itchy, sunburned, or irritated skin.
While you could use a lotion, salve, or soap that contains lavender oil, you can also make you own "tea bath" to soothe irritated skin and muscles. Combine dried lavender flowers with epsom salt in cheesecloth. Run warm bath water over the tea bag, soak, and relax.
Other Possible Benefits of Lavender Extract
Based on the active constituents in lavender as well as anecdotal evidence, these are other possible benefits of lavender. However, more research is needed to prove the validity of these claims:
- Skin healing
- Acne
- Upset stomach, gas, bloating
- Headache relief
- Disinfect cuts and wounds
- Menstrual cramp relief
How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Lavender Tea
Brewing the perfect cup of lavender tea is easy to do! All you need is a tea pot, dried lavender, and a tea ball or a strainer.
- Boil 1 cup of water and pour into a mug.
- Place 1 teaspoon of dried lavender into the tea ball (or just into the cup if you don't have a tea ball).
- Cover the tea cup with a small plate or saucer and let steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea ball or strain the lavender flowers from the cup.
- Add milk or honey if desired.
- Take the time to smell the tea and relax while sipping to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits of the tea!
Lavender Tea Side Effects and Safety Concerns
While lavender is considered mostly safe to use, there are a few potential concerns you should know about.
There is some potential for allergic skin reaction when using lavender. When trying any new product on skin it is a good idea to test a small area first.
While there are no known dangers of using lavender with pregnancy or breastfeeding, it is a good idea to ask your doctor and to use caution or avoid as there has just not been enough research done to prove its safety.
Pre-pubescent boys should avoid use of lavender as there has been some evidence of hormone disruption in this population potentially leading to enlarged breast tissue (6).
As lavender has the potential to slow down the nervous system, caution should be taken before and after anesthesia use.
Some essential oils claim to be safe to ingest, but due to the incredibly high concentration of constituents in the oils, it is never a good idea to ingest essential oils unless under the direction of your medical doctor. When making tea, be sure to use fresh or dried flowers, not essential oil.
Where to Find Lavender Tea
Lavender is widely grown all over the world. You can grow your own using organic growing practices and harvest to use in tea. If you don't happen to have lavender growing in the garden (like me!) then you can easily purchase dried lavender flowers from a reputable source like Mountain Rose Herbs, Bulk Herb Store, or a local apothecary.
As always, remember that I am a dietitian, but I am not your dietitian. I am not a medical doctor and the use of any herbal supplement or remedy should be done only after consulting with your medical doctor.
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