“Hi, my name is Lavandin, not Lavender.”
Lavandin is a soft and gentle feminine energy. I call her the “Stop-Calling-Me-My-Sister’s-Name” oil, or better yet, the “Stop-Telling-Me-How-Much-I-Remind-You-Of-My-Mom” oil. Yet, peaceful and calming Lavandin would never complain or correct you for that is not her style. If she were a person, and you called her Lavender, she’d gently hug you and smile at your mistake. She would never anger in you calling her something she is not. She’d honor her roots and the compliment of the comparison of Lavender, and then, speaking straight from her heart, she’d calmly remind you that she is Lavandin. This is because she is the vibration of love, harmony, and connectedness.
Lavandin is often confused as Lavender (and many companies will put her in a bottle and sell her as Lavender because of her similar smell yet cheaper production rate). This confusion is understandable for reasons I will explain below, but I am here to today to speak on Lavandin’s behalf, putting her on the pedestal she deserves to be on and honoring her for all that she is as her own separate form of medicine that is not Lavender.
Lavandin is part of the Lavender family. In fact, she is the love child of the Lavender plant. Her parents are Lavender: two Lavender plants fell in love and had a baby, and Lavandin is their love story.
I used to think of Lavandin as a Romeo and Juliet story with a happy ending. Two lavender plants from two different lavender plant families came together and created a new plant. This “marriage” was maybe not something originally encouraged or thought to be natural, but love will always bring together something beautiful and create something magical when the time is right, and Lavandin is the magic of this cross-creation.
The vibration of Lavandin is special. She holds many of the healing properties of Lavender, yet she gives us other, different gifts. True to her roots of her Lavender parents:
She is a nervine calming the brain and bringing harmony. Her color therapy is green leaves with purple flowers: a plant that energetically opens our heart and helps create a connection to the brain, so the two can work together. A result of this is an antidepressant and anxiety fighter. Her purple flowers (crown chakra medicine) calm the brain, help release worry, stress, and nervousness. Those who suffer from anxiety know that anxiety’s best buddy is depression and the two often like to hang around one another. Lavandin not only works with the nerves and panic that can live within us but also helps combat depression, stagnation, boost self esteem/hope and the will to find joy in life. Use her as a “nerve tonic” to calm the nervous system and/or as a happiness brain boost to fight the heavy sadnesses that the brain can experience.
“Lava” means to clean, and true to her and her parent’s name she is antiseptic. Pour her directly on a cut and not only will not it not sting as she gently calms the pain (she is also analgesic which reduces pain and inflammation) but she will clean and disinfect helping stop infection. She also is great for cleaning the home/car/things. I personally hate to clean, but when I use her (mix a few drops of her in water), the aromatherapy makes cleaning more pleasurable and that of a healing experience to me as she talks to me through her smell: She reminds me that to clean is to release and releasing is important for our body and mind to stay calm and open. Meditate on that message as well: if she can clean your floors, your clothes, your dishes….imagine what she can clean internally for you in your heart and your head.
Lavandin helps to lull you to sleep and is an ideal friend for those with insomnia or those that have a tough time getting to sleep at night. Aside from the chemical components inside of her that bring calm to the body and mind, I have experienced this power first hand. One night I couldn’t sleep and so I grabbed my lavandin innocently thinking “Ok, Lavandin I read you can handle this issue, and I need your help, so do your thing.” The bottle poured out about 10 drops and then next thing I remember is the morning. I fell asleep solidly (I didn’t even have time to think “Hey is this going to work?”) and I woke up feeling refreshed. Spray her on your pillows and sheets and let her hug you each night as you drift off to sleep (symbolically, she is my favorite cuddle partner of the flower kingdom).
She also is powerful for skin regeneration. Her oil improves blood circulation and encourages the growth of new skin cells which contribute to its natural anti-scarring properties. You can use her with sunburn, acne, or other types of scaring. I, too, learned this power through first-hand experience having burnt my entire chest (ironically) distilling oil in a copper still that accidently exploded on me. I now only have a tiny, pea-shaped scar when my entire chest was raw and burnt. I put large quantities of her on my chest every day and now there is not much of a sign of my injury.
These healing components (and there are more!) were passed down to her from her parents and do just as good of a job as her parents do when addressing these conditions, but the Earth has a reason for all of its creations and so we must honor that Lavandin was not created simply to mimic something the Lavenders were already doing…
Lavendin teaches us love. Because she comes from two different Lavender plants, she teaches how love can only multiple and create more love. There is no cap on love and the more we love, live love and let love, the more beautiful and powerful effects can be made. She reminds you to follow your heart, take risks, listen to your heart and do and go where love guides you: even if it doesn’t make sense or isn’t what the masses are doing. Why would we ever need two Lavender plants to have a baby? Because love only breeds more love. She gets into your cells with this message and will be there as your cheerleader helping you choose only love.
Because she is the product of two different families she brings harmony in relationships. She is the vibration of understanding. I like to use her when communicating. She’ll help you see different perspectives that may be very similar but are very different. Think of her parents: pretty similar on the outside but different nonetheless. She teaches us to honor the sameness and difference of us all, and this is the medicine for keeping calm in relationships and finding harmony in all the relationships in your life.
Think about the tough times you have with others: most times what we are dissatisfied in someone is a mirror of something within us we are dissatisfied with our self. Lavandin will help us see this so we can make internal changes as opposed to creating more pain or blockages or hurt to others. She is also a great support system with family issues and miscommunications in the family setting.
Lavandin shows us the power of honoring your roots yet being boldly proud of YOU. Lavendin is a gift to the Earth that was created from the combination of two things who at some point in time felt the need to be connected to each other. This is the same as you as a human. We all have a birth mother and birth father. We all come from creation. We all hold parts of our birth mother and birth father within us: we all have a lineage, a family tree, a root system that plays a part on who or what we believe or are, yet this is only one small part of us. Lavandin is one of the most relatable plants on the Earth to humans as she comes from two different birth parents and has stepped into her own. She proudly honors the gifts her parents gave her yet is her own. She will show you to respect your roots, use the beautiful parts of them to better the world, and loving, unapologetically be yourself not afraid to show what else you can do that is different from what was passed on to you. She does this is in a calming way: she is not aggressive or defensive. This is a priceless gift for all humans to have and understand. Imagine if someone constantly called you your sister’s name or when they complimented you they did only acknowledging something that you “got from your mother.” Lavandin smiles at the blessings of these gifts while gracefully being her own: she is not dramatic. She is proud and she is gentle and she simply does it by not telling anyone how she is different or correcting them, but by being it: actions speak louder than words, and she embodies this.
The world is complex and humans tend to make things sometimes more complicated than they need to be. Lavandin has a much less complex chemistry than her parents. While her parents have about 160 chemical constituents, she has around 60. We sometimes think simple is not good enough. Lavandin shows us a powerful truth: simple is divine. Her divinity in being good at what she is a good at in a way that isn’t overly complex or intimidating is very healing.
Lavandin is easy. We all know (or you may even be) a person that is just “tough.” She is not a high maintenance plant. She grows easily (as does love and she is nothing but love). She teaches us to be easy, to take it easy, and to live simply. If you struggle in these areas of your life, invite this plant into your life.
Lavandin is very giving. When she is distilled she yields MUCH more plant medicine then her parents. This allows her to reach the masses in a more affordable way. I relate to her deeply as there is a lot of healing that needs to happen in the world and she makes it accessible.
When you are feeling unheard, when you have a hard time connecting with others, when your nerves or your brain is getting the best of you, Lavandin is your soul sister. She will use her gentleness to show you the beauty of all and remind you that everything is all ok and we all have a place.
Copyright, Yoga With Shawna, 2018