Lavender

Today I was doing some research on how to keep cats out of the yard.  My husband and I live in an apartment complex and the neighborhood cats come and try to eat the birds that congregate around our feeders.  Besides this, they pee on everything and make a lot of noise.  I believe in humane methods of dealing with pests, so the research began.  I was astonished to find that one of the methods listed to take care of cats is to plant lavender.  I love lavender.  It has so many uses, and they just keep popping up, so I decided to share about the marvels of lavender.  The two types of lavender that I will be talking about are the English and French types; Spanish lavender has properties differing from these.

The most common use for lavender throughout time has been aromatic. The live blossoms attract butterflies, and as mentioned previously, scare away cats.  My research showed that ants also dislike the scent so it can be used as a natural ant control.  Dried, the blossoms continue to give off a pleasing aroma, however, the benefits go further than mere pleasure. Lavender is a leading scent used in aromatherapy, using both dried plants and oils.  Phyllis Balch (2002) notes in her book entitled Prescription for Herbal Healing that lavender tea and oil have been used is medicinal ways as well.  She tells us that lavender can be used in treated acne, headaches, psoriasis, anxiety, insomnia, bronchitis, burns, digestive discomfort and gas, and bacterial infections.  Lavender is an antihistamine and an antiseptic.  In addition to this, lavender can be used as an herb in preparing meals.  It belongs to the same family as mint, sage, and thyme, so it can be used in the same dishes as those herbs.  I have also read that lavender can be used as a natural cleaner because it has the bacteria killing properties.

My recommendation:  Research lavender a little more for your own personal use.  Plant a bush and learn to use it.  The benefits of using natural remedies far outweigh spending money on inorganic materials.




Balch, Phyllis A. (2002) Prescription for Herbal Healing. New York: Avery.
Beaulieu, David (2012) "English Lavender Plants" http://landscaping.about.com/cs/flowerseed/p/lavender.htm