Producing a captivating and evocative fragrance, Lavender is often looked to for its gentle calming properties. The elegant herb is uncommonly versatile with a vast range of uses within culinary, medicinal, aromatherapy and cosmetic preparations. It is believed to have first originated from the Mediterranean, Middle East and parts of India some 2,500 years ago. Its rich history reaches as far back as the Ancient Egyptians, who used Lavender in their perfumes, embalming unguents and cosmetics. Its faint scent was said to still permeate the air when the archaeologist Howard Carter first opened the famed tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amun, over 3,000 years after it was sealed.
The appearance of the unassuming beauty seems incongruent with its natural growing conditions, where it thrives in severe, rocky and very dry terrain. It grows as a small, dense and evergreen shrub with violet-blue to lilac flowers on slender grey stems. It is often referred to as “The Queen of Herbs” and was traditionally used to reduce melancholy and enhance mood.
