The word "lavender" is derived from the verb "to wash," perhaps from the Italian "lavando" (the act of washing). Romans already used it to preserve linen and perfume baths.
The term "lavandière" (washerwoman) has also remained in our vocabulary.
Beyond its fragrance, its purifying properties were also highly sought after. Did you know, for example, that in a 5% solution, Fine Lavender can overcome the Eberth virus responsible for typhoid, certain staphylococci, or the Loeffler bacillus responsible for diphtheria?
A legend tells that a fairy named Lavandula lived at the top of Lure mountain. Looking for somewhere else to settle, she scanned a notebook of landscapes. She stumbled upon a desolate depiction of the uncultivated lands of Provence. Tears streamed from her eyes, staining the pages of the notebook blue. To rectify this mistake, she drew a large blue sky above the blue of her tears, thus creating a typical landscape of the Provencal hinterland.
Known as the blue gold of Provence, it has been cultivated on the stony and sunny soils of southeastern France since the Middle Ages. Linked to the rise of perfumery, its cultivation intensified from the 19th century onwards, notably under the impetus of Grasse. It was gradually replaced by Lavandin, which was cheaper, had a higher yield, and was just as fragrant.
It was also a perfumer who highlighted its healing properties. In the early 20th century, René Maurice Gattefossé, a perfumer-chemist, was the victim of an explosion in his laboratory and soon developed gangrene. As a last resort, removing his bandages, he applied Lavender essential oil to his infected wounds. The results were astounding; they confirmed his intuition: Lavender essence possesses real antiseptic and healing properties…
Lavender has a good yield in distillation. 100kg of plant material are needed to obtain 850mL of essential oil.
You will find the latter under several names: Fine Lavender, True Lavender, or Officinal Lavender. These are all the same plant and therefore have the same chemical composition.
Discover the benefits of this universal essential oil thanks to our reference authors.