Lavender has been one of the most used plants in aromatherapy since ancient times with its eye-catching color, magnificent scent, therapeutic and cosmetic properties, has been preferred as an ornamental and hedge plant with its flowers that create a visual feast. and has been used to add flavoring to food.
Lavender is a plant of high economic value, belonging to the family Lamiaceae / Labiatae, whose essential oil is one of the most produced essential oils in the world today. There are many species of lavender plant that grow naturally in different parts of the world, and it is cultivated intensively in France, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, England, USA, Austria, Russia and many countries of North Africa.
There are 5 important species of lavender plant cultivated in the world. These are:
- Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis or Lavandula vera – English lavender, The 7 most well-known lavender varieties of the Lavandula angustifolia species are “Sevtopolis”, “Drujba”, “Yubileina”, “Hemus” , “Hebar”, “Raya” and “Karlovo”.
- Lavandula dentata-French lavender
- Lavandula stoechs-Spanish lavender
- Lavandula latifolia or Lavandula spica (Spike lavender)- Broadleaf Portuguese lavender
- Lavandula intermedia or Lavandula hybrida or Lavandin - (formed by hybridization of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia, also called hybrid lavender)
The economically useful part of the lavender plant is its flowers. The most important active ingredient of lavender flowers is the colorless and slightly yellow essential oil. Most of the lavender essential oils produced in the world are used in the perfumery and cosmetic industries. Lavender essential oil also has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic (painkiller), antifungal, antibacterial and cell regenerative properties (Biesiada et al., 2008) and in the pharmaceutical industry, it is used to control the central nervous system. in the composition of regulatory drugs and to give fragrance to some preparations. In addition, lavender essential oil is the most used essential oil in aromatherapy, an alternative form of holistic therapy to help heal and balance both emotionally and physically.
The two most important components found in lavender essential oil are linalyl acetate and linalool. The ratio of linalyl acetate in lavender essential oil is between 20% and 60%, and the ratio of linalool is between 20% and 35%. The high ratio of linalyl acetate component in the essential oil adds value to the oil in terms of use in cosmetics and especially in the perfumery industry, while linalool has a sedative (soothing) effect and lavender essential oils with high linalool content are used in the pharmaceutical industry (Yusufoğlu et al., 2004; Sönmez et al. ., 2018). Cineole, another active ingredient in lavender essential oil, is also used as a stimulant and expectorant in the pharmaceutical industry.
Since camphor (camphor), one of the components in lavender essential oil, is harmful to human health above a certain amount in content (the upper limit is 1.2% according to the European pharmacopoeia) in case of internal use, essential oils rich in this component, such as lavandin, are more valuable to the insecticide industry rather than to the pharmaceutical and food industries.
Three different types of essential oils are obtained from lavender species. These are:
- Essential oil obtained from Lavandula angustifolia species: Lavender oil
- Essential oils obtained from Lavandula hybrida species: Lavandin oil
- Essential oils from the Lavandula latifolia species: Spike Lavender oil
The most commercially produced lavender oil in the world is lavandinoil obtained from a hybrid species, Lavandula hybrida . The best quality lavender oil is lavender oil obtained from the Lavandula angustifolia species. The main feature that distinguishes lavender oil from lavandin oil is that lavender oil does not contain camphor or is well below the specified limits, therefore it is preferred both in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and perfumery industries. In the food industry, lavender flowers and lavender oil of the genus Lavandula angustifolia find their way into modern kitchens in beverages, ice cream, confectionery, chocolates and bakery products, incorporating teas and coffees, and even flavoring chefs' main courses. Lavandin is mostly used in the production of detergents and cleaning materials, especially soap, to add a pleasant smell to the products. Lavandula dentata and Lavandula stoechas species are used in landscaping as ornamental and hedge plants with their eye-catching colors and pleasant scents. For this purpose, it is widely produced especially in North African countries (Beus, 2006).
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