Lavender oil

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. Two forms 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 density 0.905 g/mL. Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of naturally occurring , including linalool and linalyl acetate. Kashmir Lavender oil is famous for being produced from lavender at the foothills of the Himalayas. As of 2011, the biggest lavender oil producer in the world is Bulgaria.

Lavender oil has long been used in the production of perfume.

In aromatherapy lavender oil produces a significant decrement in performance of working memory and impaired reaction times for both memory and attention based tasks compared to controls.

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

Lavender oil has been found to potentiate GABA_A receptor currents in vitro. It has been found to have anxiolytic effects comparable to lorazepam in small clinical studies, which in animals were blocked by a 5-HT_1A receptor antagonist but not by a GABA_A receptor antagonist. Lavender oil may be useful for alleviating anxiety and sleep disorders. It also has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mood alleviating effects.

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