“Lavender blue dilly dilly”
“Lavender blue dilly dilly” is a phrase
from the lyrics that Burl Ives did in
the 60s. But its origins are way back: from England in the 1600s; lavender was neither “blue” or “dilly”. But the
song is a soothing lullabye.
Lavender
is actually a soothing plant, some are close to blue, and the aroma wafts from
all 39 species of the genus Lavendula.
It grows in France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Australia and
the Mediterranean region, as well as in the United States. But it is
most often associated with Provence, France.
This is a
multitasking herb, crossing aromatic, culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and even
detergent purposes yet. Although used primarily for perfumes, it is also part
of Herbes de Provence, a classic herb
mix, an acne treatment, an antidepressant , dog medication and pet skin
shampoo, washing and even an off label use: floor wash .
However, all
is not well in the center of Lavender Country: Provence, France. You see, there
is a EU proposal to require labelling of lavender essential oil products as
dangerous due to skin sensitivity. The key chemical in lavender is linalool, alleged to have that property (C&E News, Oct 2014, p.19)
Lavender farmers argue that their lavender
should be classified as an agricultural, not a chemical, product. Web sites of lavender growers in
Provence raise the alarm: “This is a call for help to save lavender, aromatic and medicinal plants from
the destructive effects of new European regulations.” (http://www.lavande-provence-aoc.com/)
This news leads to agita, so ‘tis
time to actually use lavender in large quantities. The best way to do that is to visit large lavender gardens
and inhale deeply.
Three within a vacation’s reach
are on the Eastern Seaboard.
Lavender by
the Baywww.lavenderbythebay.com/
Cape Cod Lavender Farm www.capecodlavenderfarm.com/
Hope Hill Lavender Farm www.hopehilllavenderfarm.com/
There are festivals
at most of them this month. Let me know of one you explored-it will appear
In The
UrbanHerban (blog: http:/urbanherban.blogspot.com)
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