Lavender + Honey
Wildflower honey and other herbal honey are becoming more popular today. Natural herbal honey is sourced from bees that frequent the nectars of a particular flower. You can also prepare homemade herbal infusions of herbs and honey to create this delicious and nutritious treat. Lavender and Honey make an iconic duo when it comes to herbal remedies.
Herbal honey is more decadent than regular honey and imparts unique flavors too. It also amps up the healing properties of the herb, in the form that is delicious to take.
Lavender honey is one of the easiest and delectable herbal honey to make. It produces a distinctive floral, soothing aroma of lavender that is too indulgent not to try.
Therapeutic Benefits of Lavender Honey
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a well-valued plant in herbal medicine for its stress-relieving properties. Taken before bedtime, it induces quality sleep to make your waking moment more energized.
Lavender is mostly cultivated for essential oils and used in cosmetics, perfumery and herbal medicine. Even the honey produced by honeybees that consume lavender flowers are of superior quality.
Pure and natural lavender honey is unmatched. But, you can also produce a similarly delicious and aromatic honey by infusing it with lavender buds.
The volatile oils in lavender produce a powerful remedy when soaked with honey. The medicinal uses of lavender-honey infusion can be used in:
Inducing Sleep
Lavender-infused honey may help induce sleep with its powerful sedative effect. Studies support the efficacy of lavender, either taken internally or inhaled, in relaxing the body and improving sleep quality. It contains volatile compounds like linalool and linalyl acetate that inhibit the brain’s neurotransmitters to encourage a good night’s sleep.
Long deep sleep isn’t a whim, but a necessity. Your whole life is influenced by good sleep. Mine as well. It’s one of the first lessons I learned since I became a herbalist. Not only Lavender promotes sleep. You’d be surprised to find out how these 4 ingredients of Nicole Apelian’s tincture will influence your sleep in minutes!
Easing Anxiety and Depression
Oral administration of lavender honey may help in managing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Lavender may be one of the easily accessible complementary medications for these. The compounds in lavender interact with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain, which regulates fear and anxiety responses. Its aromatic compounds can calm the mind to ease anxiety, restlessness and agitation.
With the polyphenol compounds in honey, lavender honey also activates certain brain parts to improve mood.
⇒ The Tincture That Improves Cognitive Function and Helps Against Stress-Related Insomnia (Nicole’s Apothecary)
Soothing Cough and Cold
Honey is a time-honored remedy for treating many respiratory problems. When combined with lavender’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, it produces a powerful and effective medicine. Lavender honey soothes a sore throat, reduces mucus secretion and suppresses cough, especially in children over one year old.
Healing Skin Problems
Lavender-infused honey is not only good for internal use but also makes a good topical for alleviating different skin problems. Its antiseptic and antifungal properties help clear and prevent further infection and skin irritation. Including lavender honey in your skin regimen hydrates and plumps up the skin while reducing the appearance of wrinkles.
Improving Hair and Scalp Health
If you have lackluster hair or dandruff or notice significant hair loss, apply lavender and honey to your scalp. The volatile oils in lavender and the therapeutic and prophylactic effect of honey can ease scalp problems and stimulate hair growth. Lavender honey may also be used as a moisturizing hair mask to reverse hair fall, which may eventually lead to baldness.
Alleviating Headache
Headache happens for different reasons and may sometimes result in a chronic condition. Taking honey and lavender with a glass of warm water can alleviate a throbbing headache, whatever its cause. It is particularly excellent for headaches caused by chronic stress.
Relieving Digestive Symptoms
Lavender-infused honey is also great for soothing minor digestive issues. Its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties can effectively reduce pain and aid digestion. It may ease flatulence, swelling of the intestinal cavity, constipation, diarrhea and other related problems.
Only YOU can tell if your digestive system needs a restart. If you feel bloated, your stomach hurts or you are too sensitive to some foods, you might need to take greater care of your gut. I use the Balanced Gut Tincture to repair my gut naturally without lab-made pills.
Boosting the Immune System
Lavender and honey are a haven of vitamins and nutrients essential for the body. Lavender contains polyphenolic compounds that naturally support the immune system and boost resistance. When flu season is around or contagion is on the air, take a tablespoon of lavender honey daily to reduce your chances of getting sick.
May Prevent Cancer
Cancer is caused mainly by the damaging free radicals in the body that cause oxidative stress. The flavonoids in lavender and antioxidants in honey may help reduce this risk by scavenging free radicals and flushing them away.
Relieving Pain and Inflammation
Lavender honey helps counteract different types of pains like muscle and joint pains. It has highly effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties for resolving stiffness and discomfort.
DIY Recipe
Preparing a lavender honey is straightforward. You only need to wait a few weeks to let the lavender infuse into the honey and maximize its benefits.
Some recipes require heating honey for the infusion. Heating honey decreases its viscosity and makes it more liquid to extract more properties from the herb. It is also easier to strain honey if it is less viscous.
But, heating honey is such a controversial topic so you may want to ask if it is healthy.
According to bee experts, honey generally degrades in temperatures over 37°C (98.6°F), destroying its nutritional value. Heat over 40°C (104°F) can kill the enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
So, if you need to heat honey, warm it below the temperature over indirect heat to keep its nutrients intact. Warming honey is only appropriate for dense and woody herbs, barks, or roots to extract the herbal properties well.
You should use dried lavender buds and add those to honey. Fresh buds contain water particles, which may lead to mold later on if not kept properly. That’s how you improve the shelf life.
What you need
What you need- Pint-size mason jar or any glass jar with a lid
- Wooden chopstick for stirring
- Strainer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried lavender blossoms
- 1 cup raw honey
Steps
- Put the lavender blossoms in a clean mason jar.
- Pour honey over the lavender and mix well with a stirrer to cover the buds completely.
- Cover the jar and place it in a warm spot away from direct sunlight. Let the honey and lavender infuse for 1 to 4 weeks, turning the jar over regularly for the honey to coat the lavender well. You can infuse it longer if you want a more intense flavor and aroma.
- If the flavor intensity is already right for you, strain the infusion into another jar or bowl and store it in a cool place.
To use: Take a tablespoon of lavender honey to alleviate common colds, coughs, sore throat, tummy problems and aching joints. For cough and sore throat, swallow the lavender honey slowly to allow it to coat the throat and cleanse the irritants and bacteria.
There are also many ways to use lavender honey by slipping it into a healthy diet or skin routine.
- Sweeten tea, lemonade and other beverages
- Flavor dressings and marinades
- Fruit drizzle or dip
- Pair it with a warm biscuit, pancake or toast
- Topping over yogurt, oatmeal or cereal
- Apply on burns and skin irritations
- Use as shampoo
- Use as a facial wash
Lavender honey is safe when used in food amounts, so consume it in moderation. This recipe is not recommended for children under one-year-old because honey contains Clostridium bacteria that cause botulism.
If you have diabetes or health conditions that concern blood glucose or sugar, consult your doctor before using lavender honey. It still contains natural sugar that may raise sugar levels.
I live in the country and have been using local raw honey for a couple of years. Last month I stopped by a local lavender farm and bought some dried lavender. I have been using it as tea for evening after dinner drinks sweetened with honey. I add the honey as the tea cools below 100 degrees. I didn’t do this for any particular issue, it just seemed like common sense based on all the other advice I have gained from Nicole over the past 6 years. It seems to be working well. I recommend it.
Do I use freshpicked lavender or dried lavender