Lavender is the common name for a group of plants belonging to the Lamiaceae (mint) family of plants. Like many mint plants, lavender is associated with an essential oil that gives a distinctive aroma. Lavender is a plant associated with a relaxing calming effects and the essential oil of lavender is often used in aromatherapy for its relaxing and calming properties. However, lavender taken orally may also have relaxing effects. Studies on humans and animals have suggested that the essential oil of lavender is an anxiolytic agent, and may act through its ability to alter GABA levels in the brain. In one study, the anxiolytic effects of orally administered lavender were investigated on subjects following exposure to a film that was chosen to cause anxiety in the subjects. Subjects took 100 or 200 μl of organic Lavandula angustifolia oil prior to watching the film. The results of the study showed that the lavender extract was significantly able to reduce the anxiety experienced by the subjects at the 200 μl dose.
Lavender essential oil contain linalool, which has been suggested to be partially responsible for the anxiolytic effects of lavender. Interestingly carotenoids in tea are converted to linalool during the manufacture of black tea, and the presence of linalool in black tea may also explain some of the anxiolytic effects of black tea. Linalool blood levels peak roughly 20 minutes after consuming lavender orally.
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