The Benefits of Using Non-Camphorous Lavender
There are many varieties of lavender grown in New Zealand for essential oil production. The oil ranges from high-grade medicinal quality with no camphor, to the extremely camphorous that is used in insecticides and disinfectants.
The essential oil produced from L. angustifolia varieties is non-camphorous and highly sought after.
Delphi Lavender grows and distils only the non-camphorous Lavender varieties. This oil is used in aromatherapy, and may be used directly on your skin to help with treatment for cuts and abrasions, insect bites, cold sores, sunburn and other skin ailments.
We have added them in therapeutic quantities to our soaps, creams and lotions. So not only do you get the wonderful, uplifting fragrance of lavender in our products, but you also get the soothing and calming benefits of this ancient healing balm.
Uses
Historically, the soothing scent of lavender is known for harmonising, calming and soothing the body and the soul. The essential oils we produce may be used in a vaporiser, massage oil or bath to help relieve insomnia, nervous tension and mild anxiety. The oil may also give temporary relief from headaches. The lavender oil may also assist in the treatment of skin disorders such as cuts, grazes and minor wounds, and give temporary relief to the symptoms of dermatitis.
History
Lavender has a long history of cultivation and use worldwide. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed lavender had antiseptic qualities and used it for washing, bathing and cleansing wounds.
It is thought the word 'lavender' is derived from the Latin 'lavare' - to wash, but it could also have come from the Roman practise of spreading washing to dry over bushes of lavender.
In sixteenth-century England women and men had the flowers quilted into their hats to ‘comfort the braines’. Herbalists of the time prescribed the essential oil for head pains, apoplexy and cramps. Doctors prescribed it in a diluted form for stomach gases and cramps. Victorian ladies kept lavender water or oil handy to sniff in case they felt faint.
Lavender is best known, however, as a fragrance, and its use as a perfume began as far back as 1200BC with the ancient Phoenicians and Egyptians.
Lavender’s natural habitat is the dry, well-drained soils of the Mediterranean area, and is now cultivated in gardens in temperate climates throughout the world.
Cooking With Lavender
Centuries ago, lavender was a popular culinary herb. It gave bland dishes a light flavour and lavender tea was said to help relieve headaches. In earlier times, long before refrigeration, it also helped cover the disagreeable flavours of semi-cooked or half-rotten meats.
Today we are returning to lavender as a culinary herb because of its delicious, unique flavour, its versatility and its colourful originality in the kitchen. It's flavour has been described as a combination of vanilla, bergamot, orange, pine, lemon and rose but use it carefully - too much and it can be overpowering and add a bitterness to the food.
Its versatility comes from the fact that as a flavour it is just as good in sweet dishes as it is in savoury ones.
L. angustifolia has the sweetest fragrance of all lavenders, and is the one most usually used for cooking. A very delicate flavour is achieved when using lavender in some dishes, most notably ice-cream.
Lavender sugar is an appealing and easy way to cook with lavender. You can experiment by substituting the plain sugar (or half the plain sugar) with lavender sugar in baking recipes.
Other ways to introduce the flavour of lavender are to steep the flowers in warm milk, cream or sugar syrups. Then use these liquids to flavour whipped cream, ice-cream, jams & jellies, fruit syrups, shortbread, glazes on cakes or tarts, sorbets and cheesecakes.
Lamb responds to the flavour of lavender, especially when used in an Herbs de Provence which traditionally includes rosemary, basil, oregano, sage, fennel and lavender. It also enhances chicken and fish dishes.