Lavender ORIGINS A flowering plant in the mint family, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is the quintessential aromatherapy plant. Its refreshing floral scent makes for a relaxing essential oil, and it also has many medicinal and household uses. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region.
HISTORY/LORE The ancient Greeks used lavender in embalming practices. The ancient Greeks and Romans used lavender for healing as well as for cleansing purposes. In 1910, while working in the lab at his family’s cosmetics company, the French chemist and scholar René-Maurice Gattefossé (1881–1950) burned his hand and then plunged it into the nearest tub of liquid, lavender essential oil. Later, he was astonished to see how quickly his burn healed, and with very little scarring.