Lavender's Soothing Scent Could Be More Than Just Folk Medicine.

[elleng]

In mice, researchers found that some components of lavender odor had effects on anxiety similar to taking Valium.

''Lavender bath bombs; lavender candles; deodorizing lavender sachets for your shoes, car or underwear drawer; lavender diffusers; lavender essential oils; even lavender chill pills for humans and dogs. And from Pinterest: 370 recipes for lavender desserts.

Take a deep breath. Release.

People like lavender. We’ve been using this violet-capped herb since at least medieval times. It smells nice. But Google “lavender” and results hint at perhaps the real fuel for our obsession: “tranquillity,” “calm,” “relaxation,” “soothing,” and “serenity.” Lavender has purported healing powers for reducing stress and anxiety. But are these effects more than just folk medicine?

Yes, said Hideki Kashiwadani, a physiologist and neuroscientist at Kagoshima University in Japan — at least in mice.

“Many people take the effects of ‘odor’ with a grain of salt,” he said in an email. “But among the stories, some are true based on science.”'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/science/lavender-scent-anxiety.html?

[Siwsan]

1. My Dad wore an aftershave that had a lavender base

It took me a while to connect why I find the scent of lavender so comforting, then I remembered that aftershave. I now grow a LOT of lavender, outside, and have potted lavender in the house.

[elleng]

2. Nice

[TreasonousBastard]

3. We have farm out here named "Lavender" and guess what it is acres and acres of...

The neighbors are upset about the traffic jams when the stuff is in season.

But it does smell nice around there.

[csziggy]

4. Funny, it is not soothing for me - all I do is sneeze non-stop when I smell lavendar