The Go-To Oils: Lavender and Peppermint

As two of the first oils that doTERRA ever offered, both Lavender and Peppermint essential oil are popular because of the myriad of benefits they contain (sort of like Swiss army knives). Most of their usefulness comes down to science—their chemical components are just suited for many things. Take a further look and learn more about using Lavender and Peppermint below:

Lavender

Lavender mainly comes from the Esseterre distillery in Bulgaria, where the climate is ideal for the perennial lavender plants. The leaves are evergreen on this aromatic shrub, and the flowers are the lovely purple shade that lend their name to the color lavender. It may surprise you to learn that lavender is actually of the Lamiaceae, more commonly known as mint, family. The specific species of doTERRA Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia is known as true lavender, and it is native to the Mediterranean.

Even though you’ve probably seen lavender plants growing as common ornamental plants, 30% of the chemical makeup of Lavender is linalool. If you have ever heard much about linalool, you know one thing—it makes Lavender an excellent sleep aid because of its ability to create soothing and relaxing atmosphere.

Peppermint

Peppermint comes from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and other parts of the world. The plant itself has brilliant green leaves, and stems that are tinged with purple.

Most of what Peppermint is able to do comes down to simple chemistry. The main chemical component of Peppermint is menthol, a chemical that, when ingested, interacts very well with the ion channels of the body.* Ion channels control the flow of ions through a cell membrane, which controls nerve impulses and muscle contraction.* Among other benefits, this means it can help the smooth muscles of the colon relax to ease movement of the bowels and help with occasional looseness of the bowels.*

If you’ve ever been too hot, you know you would do almost anything for relief. Put the icepacks away, menthol also gives Peppermint oil its cooling properties. You can simply add some Peppermint to lotion or a spray bottle with Fractionated Coconut Oil and water and apply it to your skin for instant relief.

Bonus tip: Add Lemon to Lavender and Peppermint, and what do you get? TriEase^® Softgels for seasonal issues.