Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Lavandula angustifolia
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Flower
Taste: Pungent, Bitter
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Dry

On temperature, Gerard (1633), Culpeper (1653) and Salmon (1710) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe externally; internal caution

While breastfeeding

Moderate use regarded as safe. Avoid high internal doses of essential oil.

For children

Safe externally; essential oil diluted only

Cautions

Possible estrogenic effect of essential oil; internal essential oil caution

General contraindications

Generally considered safe externally; internal therapeutic doses caution

Stewardship

Lavender is globally cultivated; Provence and High Atlas Mountains produce the fine essential oil grades. Stewardship: the plant that taught Europe aromatic medicine — cultivate even a small bed for the pollinators and the calming.

In the traditional record

Lavender — possibly referenced as "Spikenard" (nard) in Song of Solomon 1:12; 4:13-14; used in ancient Rome and Egypt

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.