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 phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate.
Production
Pure lavender essential oil is produced through steam distillation. This generates a greater amount of oil compared to other methods due to reduction of polar compound loss. Harvest of lavender blooms are typically around June. Lavender flowers are compacted into a still. Fewer air pockets in the still result in greater oil yield. A boiler is then used to steam the bottom of the lavender flower filled still at a very low pressure. The lavender flower pockets containing oil are broken from this heating process and a pipe of cold water is run through the center of the still. The hot lavender oil vapor condenses on the cold pipe with the cold water and is collected into a holding tank where it is allowed to settle. Due to polarity and densities of the water and oil, these two will separate in the holding tank whereupon the water is piped out, leaving just lavender essential oil.Uses
Lavender oil has long been used as a perfume, for aromatherapy, and for skin applications. Lavender oil is used in massage therapy as a way of inducing relaxation through direct skin contact.Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common.
Lavender oil is also available in capsule form as a prescription and non-prescription anxiety medication. There is evidence that lavender oil may help with subthreshold anxiety
Adverse effects
In rare cases, lavender oil in soaps, shampoos, and other skin applied medications may cause prepubertal gynecomastia. Other potential adverse effects include a sedative effect and contact dermatitis as an allergic reaction, possibly resulting from major lavender oil constituents, camphor, terpinen-4-ol, linalool and linalyl acetate.In Australia lavender oil is one of the many essential oils that have been increasingly causing cases of poisoning, mostly of children. In the period 2014-2018 there were 271 reported cases in New South Wales, accounting for 6.1% of essential oil poisoning incidents.
Composition
The exact composition of lavender essential oil varies from species to species but consists primarily of monoterpeneoids and sesquiterpeneoids. Of these linalool and linalyl acetate dominate, with moderate levels of lavandulyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol and lavandulol. 1,8-cineole and camphor are also present in low to moderate qualities. In all lavender oil typically contains many more than 100 compounds, although a great many of these are present at very low concentrations.The composition of lavender essential oil as obtained by chromatography:
| Family | Composition | Lavande officinale Lavandula angustifolia | Lavande aspic Lavandula latifolia |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Linalool | 28.92 % | 49.47 % |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | α-Terpineol | 0.90% | 1.08% |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | γ-Terpineol | 0.09% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Borneol | 1.43% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Isoborneol | 0.82% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Terpinen-4-ol | 4.32% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Nerol | 0.20% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenols | Lavandulol | 0.78% | |
| Terpenes / Terpene esters | 32.98 % | ||
| Terpenes / Terpene esters | Geranyl acetate | 0.60% | |
| Terpenes / Terpene esters | Neryl acetate | 0.32% | |
| Terpenes / Terpene esters | Octene-3-yl acetate | 0.65% | |
| Terpenes / Terpene esters | Lavandulyl acetate | 4.52% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | Myrcene | 0.46% | 0.41% |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | α-Pinene | 0.54% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | β-Pinene | 0.33% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | Camphene | 0.30% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | -β-Ocimene | 3.09% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | -β-Ocimene | 4.44% | |
| Terpenes / Monoterpenes | β-Phellandrene | 0.12% | |
| Terpenes / Terpenoid oxides | Eucalyptol | 25.91 % | |
| Terpenes / Sesquiterpenes | β-Caryophyllene | 4.62% | 2.10% |
| Terpenes / Sesquiterpenes | β-Farnesene | 2.73% | |
| Terpenes / Sesquiterpenes | Germacrene | 0.27% | |
| Terpenes / Sesquiterpenes | α-Humulene | 0.28% | |
| Ketones | Camphor | 0.85% | 13.00 % |
| Ketones | 3-Octanone | 0.72% | |
| Ketones | Cryptone | 0.35% |