Close your eyes while the aroma envelops your nostrils, spreading all around you, the scent of lavender. And in a moment you feel like you are in the middle of a wonderful lavender field of Provence. In fact, maybe you are sitting comfortably on the sofa at home, sipping lavender tea. But this special brew not only has an incredible aroma, it is also a valuable ally against anxiety, stress and depression. This emerges from a recent scientific research that appeared in the journal Complementary therapies in medicine thanks to the work of an Iranian team (Bazrafshan et al, Complement Ther Med, 2020).
The calming properties of lavender
Lavender is believed to be able to stabilize mood. Anxiety and depression are growing conditions, especially in the elderly. So, the hypothesis is that a tea prepared with lavender can help improve mood. To verify this hypothesis, the researchers of the study we are talking about today have developed an experiment, let's try to understand better.
Lavender tea drives away anxiety and depression, even in the elderly
60 elderly people have been recruited, representing the segment of the population most affected, at present, by anxiety and depression. The volunteers were divided into two groups. The first group was asked to take an infusion prepared with a 2-gram sachet of lavender for two weeks, twice a day, morning and evening. The second group was used as a comparison. Study participants underwent questionnaires and tests to assess conditions of anxiety and depression. Well, what emerged was that drinking lavender tea helped reduce both depression and anxiety.
Conclusions
The study concludes with a consideration by the authors that lavender tea is easily accessible to everyone and inexpensive while it has been shown to be effective in improving mood. Therefore, lavender tea could be a good choice to adopt in very stressful times, when we feel gripped by anxieties and sadness. Noteworthy is the fact that lavender tea is also beneficial in the elderly, often the most affected when it comes to anxiety and depression. To prepare the lavender infusion, bring a liter of water to a boil, then remove from the heat and add a handful of dried lavender flowers. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes then filter. The herbal tea thus obtained can be drunk up to 3 cups a day.
