Lavender is one of the most versatile essential oils. It can be used in the bath to fight tension, sprayed on a pillow help ease you into slumber, and even applied to the skin to heal and fight infection. Here are 10 fun facts about the history and origins of lavender.

 

1. Lavender was said to have been brought over from Arabia to sell to Greek traders approximately 600 BC, later reaching the Hyeres Islands off the coast of France.

 

2. Lavender was used 2500 years ago in the mummification process in Ancient Egypt.

 

3. It is also speculated that Cleopatra used a perfume infused with lavender to seduced Julius Caesar and Mark Antony!

 

4. Romans used the lavender flower to scent their homes, in the bath, to ward off insects and even cook with.

 

5. The name lavender originated in its Latin form as either lavare--to wash, or livendula--livid or bluish.

 

6. Queen Victoria used to require that her furniture be polished with a lavender-based solution, and she also sipped tea infused with lavender to settle her stomach and ease her headaches.

7. During London’s great plague, people would tie bunches of lavender to their wrists to fight infection and bacteria.

 

8. In Europe, lavender’s cultivation dates back to the middle ages and even as far back as the Mediterranean.

 

9. Today it is farmed across the globe. Lavender farms are situated everywhere from Australia, England, Asia, Europe and the United States.

 

10. Rene Maurice Gattefosse was one of the first people to document the healing powers of lavender in the early 1900s.

 

Click here to learn about the full benefits of Escents lavender line.