Lavender oil

Short description: Essential oil distilled from lavender flower spikes

"Lasea" redirects here. For the taxonomic synonym of a genus of molluscs, see Lasaea (bivalve).

A glass vial of lavender oil

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. It is commonly used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and as a flavoring or fragrance in consumer products. A standardized oral preparation known as Silexan is also used for the treatment of anxiety disorders.[1]

There are over 400 types of lavender worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms of lavender oil are distinguished, lavender flower oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 g/mL; and lavender spike oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having a density of 0.905 g/mL. Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate.

Lavender oil has been used in perfumes, aromatherapy, massage therapy, and topical skin applications, though these uses lack strong clinical evidence of effectiveness. It may cause allergic reactions in massage therapy. Silexan is approved in Germany for anxiety-related restlessness and has shown some clinical effectiveness in reducing anxiety symptoms, though its overall efficacy remains debated. Although generally recognized as safe, lavender oil may act as an endocrine disruptor, is toxic if ingested, especially for children, and can cause poisoning symptoms, skin irritation, and drug interactions.

Historically, spike lavender oil was used as a solvent in oil painting before turpentine became common. Lavender oil is primarily produced through steam distillation of harvested lavender blooms—typically between late June and August—with leading global producers including Bulgaria, France, and China. Lavender oil is among the most commonly adulterated essential oils.

## Contents

* 1 Production
* 2 Uses
* 3 Adverse effects
* 4 Phytochemicals
* 5 Adulteration
* 6 References

## Production

Pure lavender essential oil is produced through steam distillation.[2][3] This generates a greater amount of oil compared to other methods due to reduction of polar compound loss.[4] Harvest of lavender blooms is typically between late June and August.[5] The cut lavender flowers and stems are compacted into a lavender still. A boiler is then used to steam the bottom of the lavender flower filled still at a very low pressure.[2] The lavender flower pockets containing oil are broken from this heating process and a pipe of cold water is run through the center of the still.[2] The hot lavender oil vapor condenses on the cold pipe with the cold water and is collected into a holding tank where it is allowed to settle.[2] Due to polarity and densities of the water and oil, these two will separate in the holding tank whereupon the water is piped out, leaving just lavender essential oil.[6]

Lavender oil is produced around the world, with Bulgaria, France and China leading its production.[7][8]

## Uses

Lavender oil has been used as a perfume, aromatherapy, and skin application,[9]: 184–186 but these uses have no clinical benefit.[10] Lavender oil is used in massage therapy as a way of inducing relaxation through direct skin contact, although allergic reactions may occur.[10] There is no good evidence to support the use of lavender oil aromatherapy for treating dementia.[11]

In Germany, Silexan is approved as a medicine for restlessness associated with anxiety.[12][13] A 2024 review found that an oral 80 mg dose of lavender oil per day reduced symptoms in people with anxiety disorders compared to placebo.[1] The effectiveness of using oral lavender oil for treating anxiety remains undetermined.[10] Lavender oil may be useful for treating depression.[14]

Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common.[15]

## Adverse effects

Although lavender oil is generally recognized as safe for its intended uses,[16] it is a potential endocrine disruptor that may affect breast development in children.[17]

Many essential oils, including lavender oil, can be poisonous if swallowed.[18][19] In general, 5 millilitres (0.17 US fl oz) of a diluted essential oil may cause toxicity in adults, whereas 2–3 millilitres (0.068–0.101 US fl oz) can be toxic in children.[20] Over 2014-18 in New South Wales, there were 271 reported cases of lavender oil poisoning – mostly in children – accounting for 6.1% of all essential oil poisoning cases.[19] The main toxic constituents of lavender oil are linalyl acetate and linalool.[18][21]

Symptoms of lavender oil poisoning by ingestion include blurred vision, difficulty breathing, burning pain in the throat, burns to the eye, confusion, decreased level of consciousness, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, and rash.[18] Topical application of lavender oil may cause contact dermatitis.[20]

Ingestion of lavender oil may cause interactions with prescription drugs, including anticoagulants, statins, and anticonvulsants.[22]

## Phytochemicals

The phytochemical composition of lavender oil varies from species to species (table), consisting primarily of monoterpeneoid and sesquiterpeneoid alcohols.[22] Linalool (20-35%) and linalyl acetate (30-55%) dominate, with moderate levels of lavandulyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol and lavandulol, 1,8-cineole, camphor, limonene, and tannins.[22] Lavender oil typically contains more than 100 compounds, although many of these are at negligible concentrations.[22][23]

The composition of lavender essential oil as obtained by chromatography:[24]

Family  | Composition  | Lavande officinale
Lavandula angustifolia | Lavande aspic
Lavandula latifolia

|
|
|

Terpenes /
Monoterpenols  | 150px
Linalool | 28.92 % | 49.47 %
α-Terpineol | 0.90%  | 1.08%
γ-Terpineol |  | 0.09%
Borneol |  | 1.43%
Isoborneol |  | 0.82%
Terpinen-4-ol | 4.32%  |
Nerol | 0.20% |
Lavandulol | 0.78%  |
Terpenes /
Terpene esters  | 130px Linalyl acetate | 32.98 % |
Geranyl acetate | 0.60%  |
Neryl acetate | 0.32%  |
Octene-3-yl acetate | 0.65%  |
Lavandulyl acetate | 4.52%  |
Terpenes /
Monoterpenes | Myrcene | 0.46% | 0.41%
α-Pinene |  | 0.54%
β-Pinene |  | 0.33%
Camphene |  | 0.30%
(E)-β-Ocimene | 3.09%  |
(Z)-β-Ocimene | 4.44%  |
β-Phellandrene | 0.12%  |
Terpenes /
Terpenoid oxides  | 120px
Eucalyptol
(1,8-cineol) |  | 25.91 %
Terpenes /
Sesquiterpenes  | β-Caryophyllene | 4.62%  | 2.10%
β-Farnesene | 2.73%  |
Germacrene | 0.27%  |
α-Humulene |  | 0.28%
Ketones | 60px
Camphor | 0.85% | 13.00 %
3-Octanone | 0.72%  |
120px
Cryptone | 0.35% |

## Adulteration

Lavender oil is among the most commonly adulterated essential oils.[25][26]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Baseline symptom severity and efficacy of Silexan in patients with anxiety disorders: A symptom-based, patient-level analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials". European Psychiatry 67 (1): e23. March 2024. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.16. PMID 38425206.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lis-Balchin, Maria (August 2002) (in en). Lavender: The Genus Lavandula. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-203-21652-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=TmvkY60iESkC&q=lavender+still+steam&pg=PA106.
3. ↑ (in en) Digest of Comments on The Pharmacopœia of the United States of America and on the National Formulary for the Calendar Year ... 1905-1922. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1919. https://books.google.com/books?id=sfFReCRbKs8C&q=lavender+oil+steam+distillation&pg=PA345.
4. ↑ "Cleaner production of essential oils by steam distillation". Journal of Cleaner Production 13 (8): 833–839. 2005-06-01. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2004.02.039. ISSN 0959-6526.
5. ↑ Simmons, Adelma Grenier (1989) (in en). Country wreaths from Caprilands: the legend, lore, and design of traditional herbal wreaths. Rodale Press. ISBN 978-0-87857-792-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=lT_o0nNL1LgC&q=lavender+june+harvest.
6. ↑ "Influence of oil polarity on droplet growth in oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by a weakly adsorbing biopolymer or a nonionic surfactant". Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 247 (1): 167–76. March 2002. doi:10.1006/jcis.2001.8110. PMID 16290453. Bibcode: 2002JCIS..247..167C.
7. ↑ Mihala, Lorelei (2020-07-30). "Bulgarian lavender: The sweet smell of success" (in en-GB). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53493550.
8. ↑ Giray, Handan (November 2018). "An Analysis of World Lavender Oil Markets and Lessons for Turkey". Journal of Essential Oil-bearing Plants 21 (6): 1612–1623. doi:10.1080/0972060X.2019.1574612. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331664982.
9. ↑ The New Perfume Handbook (2nd ed.). Blackie Academic & Professional. 1997. ISBN 978-0-7514-0403-6.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Lavender". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 August 2020. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender.
11. ↑ "Aromatherapy for dementia". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020 (8). August 2020. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003150.pub3. PMID 32813272.
12. ↑ Kasper, Siegfried; Müller, Walter E.; Volz, Hans-Peter; Möller, Hans-Jürgen; Koch, Egon; Dienel, Angelika (2018-08-18). "Silexan in anxiety disorders: Clinical data and pharmacological background". The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 19 (6): 412–420. doi:10.1080/15622975.2017.1331046. ISSN 1562-2975. PMID 28511598. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15622975.2017.1331046.
13. ↑ "Lasea Fachinformation" (in de). Fachinfo Service GmbH. https://fachinfo.de/fi/pdf/012741/lasea-r.
14. ↑ Sarris, Jerome; Ravindran, Arun; Yatham, Lakshmi N.; Marx, Wolfgang; Rucklidge, Julia J.; McIntyre, Roger S.; Akhondzadeh, Shahin; Benedetti, Francesco et al. (2022). "Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Taskforce". The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry 23 (6): 424–455. doi:10.1080/15622975.2021.2013041. ISSN 1814-1412. PMID 35311615. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15622975.2021.2013041.
15. ↑ The Grove encyclopedia of materials and techniques in art. Oxford University Press. 2008. pp. 605–606. ISBN 978-0-19-531391-8.
16. ↑ "Sec. 182.20 Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates)". FDA. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=182.20.
17. ↑ "Endocrine disruptors" (in en). National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US National Institutes of Health. 2 June 2023. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 "Lavender oil". MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health. 13 November 2021. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002711.htm. "Poisonous ingredient: It is mainly the linalyl acetate and linalool in lavender oil that are poisonous."
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Essential oil exposures in Australia: analysis of cases reported to the NSW Poisons Information Centre". The Medical Journal of Australia 212 (3): 132–133. November 2019. doi:10.5694/mja2.50403. PMID 31709543. "We found that essential oil exposures are frequent in Australia, and that more than half involve children. ... severe toxicity can be caused by as little as 5 mL".
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Essential oil poisoning". Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. July 2021. https://www.rch.org.au/clinicalguide/guideline_index/Essential_Oil_Poisoning/. "Volumes of 5-15 mL are likely to cause toxicity in adults"
21. ↑ "An overview of the biological effects of some Mediterranean essential oils on human health". BioMed Research International 2017. 5 November 2017. doi:10.1155/2017/9268468. PMID 29230418.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 "Lavender". Drugs.com. 22 October 2021. https://www.drugs.com/npp/lavender.html.
23. ↑ "Characterisation of lavender essential oils by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with correlation of linear retention indices and comparison with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography". Journal of Chromatography A 970 (1–2): 225–34. September 2002. doi:10.1016/S0021-9673(02)00653-2. PMID 12350096.
24. ↑ Marincaş, Olivian; Feher, Ioana (2018-12-01). "A new cost-effective approach for lavender essential oils quality assessment" (in en). Industrial Crops and Products 125: 241–247. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.09.010. ISSN 0926-6690. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669018308082.
25. ↑ "A novel approach for lavender essential oil authentication and quality assessment". Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 199. May 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2021.114050. PMID 33831738. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S073170852100162X.
26. ↑ Pokajewicz, Katarzyna; Lamaka, Darya; Wieczorek, Piotr P.; Bortkiewicz, Olga; Paluch, Emil (December 2024). "Lavender essential oil market integrity: A comprehensive study of commercial Lavandula angustifolia essential oils adulteration and assessment of industrial standards". Industrial Crops and Products 222. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2024.119744.

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender oil. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chemistry:Lavender_oil&oldid=4244022"