Lovely Lavender
Have you ever had the wonderful experience of visiting a lavender farm? The rows and rows of lavender plants offer an exhilarating view that fills the air with the lovely fragrance of lavender plants in full bloom. If you are lucky, the lavender farm also has a shop that offers delicious cupcakes topped with lavender buttercream frosting and sprinkled with speckles of culinary lavender. Perhaps the shop also has of a variety of lavender hand or body creams, or lavender shampoo, or those wonderful dryer sheets that give your clothes a hint of lavender. Lavender in any form is simply lovely.
Studies show that lavender has a wide array of benefits. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Ancient cultures believed lavender purified the mind and body. It was used as a bath additive in ancient Persia, Rome, and Greece. Today you might find a complementary bottle of lavender essential oil on the pillow of your hotel room after a weary day of travel. Just another unused amenity? Not so fast! It’s not always easy to fall asleep after a hectic day of travel, work at the office, or the never a moment to yourself days of child care. As you try to fall asleep, your mind is racing with what filled the day and what needs to happen tomorrow. The lovely smell of lavender can help with falling asleep, waking energized to take on another day. Just think of the benefits of a good night’s sleep!
Lavender aromatherapy has been shown to alleviate the severity of migraine headaches and reduced levels of anxiety and depression. While diffusing is a perfect way to take in the benefits of inhaling the fragrance of lavender, just holding a bottle of lavender to your nose and inhaling also reaps benefits.
Lavender essential oil combined topically with aloe has been used to treat acne and burns. Other skin conditions that seem to be helped by topical use of lavender are eczema, psoriasis, and rashes. It also has been shown to promote the healing of wounds. Now, just a caution here. Everyone is different, so what works well for many in a controlled study may not work for you. So, be sure to consult your doctor before using any essential oil on a skin condition or wound.
doTERRA offers several lavender products. Be sure to give these products a try. Bring the joy of a lavender farm to your home and take in the fragrance and benefits of lavender. You just may join me in calling this amazing essential oil Lovely Lavender!
1 cup vanilla coconut milk ice cream
½ banana
¼ cup blueberries
½ teaspoon raw honey
2 cups full fat coconut milk
Sprinkle of cinnamon
4–6 drops Lavender or Lemon oil
Instructions
Using a blender, blend all ingredients together until smooth.
Serve in tall glasses.
Tip: Freeze fruit for a thicker consistency. For low fat coconut milk, combine 1 cup water with 1 cup coconut milk
Lavender Blackberry Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is a smooth and creamy gelatin dessert. This recipe is flavored with blackberry syrup and Lavender oil for a floral and colorful panna cotta. Whether you want to enjoy it yourself or serve to impress others, this dessert is full of sweet, floral flavor.
This particular panna cotta recipe is dressed down and simplified, using Greek yogurt rather than heavy cream, and is intended to be eaten out of the dish it is served in rather than taken out of the mold. However, if you want to go the traditional route, substituting cream for some of the milk results in a more rich and smooth dessert. To then unmold the panna cotta, make sure to lightly coat the inside of the dishes you are using with a flavor-neutral oil before pouring in the mixture. After the panna cotta has set, dip the base of the dish in hot water for five seconds just before unmolding.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons water
2½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1½ cups milk
½ cup honey
Blackberry syrup, to serve
1 drop Lavender oil
Instructions
Pour water into a small bowl. Stir in gelatin and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together all of the yogurt and 1 cup of milk.
Bring remaining milk and the ½ cup honey to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in the water-gelatin mixture and remove from heat, then whisk into yogurt mixture.
Add Lavender oil and stir until well combined. To add some color to the panna cotta, stir in about 2 tablespoons blackberry syrup with the Lavender oil.
Pour mixture into shallow cups, ramekins, or bowls. Set in fridge for 3–5 hours or overnight.
Drizzle with blackberry syrup just before serving.
Tip: For a vegetarian friendly dessert, substitute agar-agar for gelatin in equal amounts.