The name of this plant is derived from the Latin lavare which means wash. The ancient Romans burned lavender in the rooms of the sick and thus disinfected the houses during epidemics. This method was used later, during major epidemics in Europe.
Interestingly, the French chemist Gattefosse, who was testing essential oils, immersed his burnt hands in a nearby container of lavender oil during an explosion in a laboratory. Thus, he discovered that lavender oil not only has an antiseptic effect, but also accelerates wound healing and burns. His experiments, published in 1937 in the book Aromatherapy, proved that lavender oil is more effective than chemical antiseptics, and also helps to remove dead tissue.
Medicinal lavender or despic, female or real lavender is most valued when it grows on slopes between 400 and 1800 meters. The one we find in the lowlands is called wild lavender.
