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The Science: How using this oil with intention will affect your being:
I believe that the more you are away of the physiological effects, the more you can generate potent intention and tune into the subtle sensations in your body and brain state. This mean you can feel for yourself the power of this amazing plant ally.
1. Nasal Absorption
The nerves in your nose instantly send lavenders ‘messages’ to the emotional processing region of the brain, bypassing the factory default way to regulate which may or may not be functioning optimally and may need gentle redirection.
When you inhale lavender, volatile molecules like linalool bind to receptors in the olfactory epithelium (membranes that make up your sinuses) at the top of the nasal cavity.
Neural Transmission: These receptors convert chemical stimuli (the plants dialect) into electrical signals (the bodies dialect) that travel along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb (think of it as the sense of smells processing facility).
Direct Brain Access: The olfactory bulb has a direct connection to the limbic system (emotional centre of the brain), bypassing the "full system sorting center" (thalamus) that other senses must pass through.
Emotional Impact: The signal reaches the amygdala (emotional processing) and hippocampus (memory), triggering the release of calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and endorphins within seconds. It also reduces the activity (aggravation) in the part of the brain that deals with behaviour regulation, the Cingulate gyrus so you feel less activated and you’re less likely to behave impulsively/aggressively.
The Cingulate gyrus is part of the limbic system (processes emotion), which is directly stimulated by the olfactory bulb (smell processing facility- remember?) when inhaling lavender. By influencing this area, along with the other Regions mentioned above, lavender scent helps to:
Alleviate anxiety.
Promote relaxation.
Reduce the intensity of emotional stress.
Increase the pause before responding to emotional stimulus (triggers.)
Calms the influx of memories that can become attached to emotionality in the present (triggers and PTSD- emotionally activating memories linked to the present moments trigger.) I KNOW! It’s Incredible!
2. Respiratory Absorption
The last step of the anointing ritual is cupping the hands over the face and inhaling deeply- absorbing Lavender molecules into the breathing pathways and crossing from the air in your lungs into the blood stream and straight to your brain.
Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier: Because lavender oil's active compounds (linalool and linalyl acetate) are small and fat-soluble (Remember that the brain is made of fat and mixing fats in possible vs mixing water and fat which doesn’t work), they can easily cross the blood-brain barrier to interact directly with brain tissue which really speeds up the time from application or ingestion of lavender to the onset of action (felt effects.) This is the reason for Lavenders brain protective properties- it brings antioxidants straight into the brain tissue to reduce oxidative stress to neurons and their synapses (bridges that connect nerves).
3. Skin Absorption
When applied topically—such as during the Anointing Ritual—the oil enters through the skin.
Absorption: Lavender molecules penetrate the epidermis and dermis, reaching the local bloodstream (capillaries and veins in your wrists etc)
Systemic Distribution: Once in the capillaries, they are carried throughout the body via the bloodstream. Detectable levels of linalool can be found in the blood within 19 to 20 minutes of anointing your skin.