Lavender

Lavender, so beautiful yet so powerful. Lavender is one of those versatile herbs that should always be on hand. Lavender has so many benefits it is almost unbelievable that something that smells so good could have so many health benefits. Lavender is an analgesic, anti-depressant, anti-viral, decongestant, sedative and insect repellant. It relieves stress, reduces inflammation, promotes sleep, prevents infection, mosquito repellant, calms anxiety, pain relief, speeds up the healing process of cuts, burns and sunburn, alleviates headaches and reduces acne.

It can be used in a tea, infused in honey, used in a bath, diffused for a relaxing scent throughout the house, used in cooking, added to salves, soaps and much more.

My daughter makes a lavender tea and after my granddaughters bath she wipes her down with the cooled off tea. My granddaughter is calm and sleeps like a baby (no pun intended, haha).

Try this delicious lavender-lemonade recipe for a relaxing refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day.

1 tbsp. dried Lavender
4 c water
½ c Honey (buy local)
1 ½ c freshly squeezed organic lemons

Add Lavender to boiled water and let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain and when water is warm add honey and stir to dissolve, add lemon juice and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.