How to Make Lavender Lemonade to Help Relieve Headaches And Anxiety

Headaches are very common and almost every person suffers from some type of headaches from time to time. Also, anxiety is a common mental health issue as well.

These problems are treated with various medications, but these often fail to deliver a positive outcome and bring about numerous adverse side- effects.

Lavender lemonade is one of the most delicious natural ways to treat headaches and anxiety.

If you spice up your lemonade with lavender, you will enjoy its medicinal properties and its pleasant aroma that relaxes the senses. You can use the flower or lavender oil, which is an extremely healthy essential oil. It is potent but gentle, so people who have tried it love it!

Its chemically complex structure consists of more than 150 active constituents. It has powerful antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidepressant, antiseptic, detoxifying, analgesic, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, hypotensive, and sedative properties.

A study conducted in Florida has shown that lavender oil soothes anxiety and lowers pulse rates in nursing students before taking stressful tests.

Moreover, in hospital settings, lavender aromatherapy has been found to lower pre-surgery distress and to be even more calming than a massage.

Lavender essential oil helps in the case of insomnia, labor pains, hangovers, sinus congestion, and depression.

“Much prior research on lavender has focused on the administration of lavender via an olfactory route. The anxiolytic activity of lavender olfaction has been demonstrated in several small and medium-sized clinical trials. The efficacy of aromatherapy of lavender is thought to be due to the psychological effects of the fragrance combined with physiological effects of volatile oils in the limbic system.”

Due to these calming effects, lavender has been traditionally used for centuries.

The following examples contain findings from clinical trials on lavender aromatherapy:

1. Lavender aromatherapy, with or without massage, lowers the perception of pain and the need for conventional analgesics in adults and children.

2. People who were receiving lavender oil (10%) olfaction for 3 minutes felt greatly more relaxed and their anxiety levels were lowered, their mood improved, and their scores of alpha power on EEG (an indicator of alertness), and speed of mathematical calculations were enhanced.

Studies have shown that lavender oil aromatherapy has anxiolytic activity in patients in intensive care units. Patients were given at least 1 session of aromatherapy with 1% lavender essential oil.

In the first treatment, researchers noticed significant anxiolytic effects.  Yet, it was not that effective in the following two treatments.

4. A study of lavender oil in burner use on staff mood and stress in a hospital setting found that 85% of respondents believed that lavender aroma improved the work environment.

5. Studies have also shown that people claim that the aroma of lavender is very pleasant and is linked to changes in the autonomic nervous system.

A study which involved the effects of aromatherapy with lavender oil effects on depressed mood and anxiety in female patients treated with chronic hemodialysis.

They estimated the effects of aromatherapy using the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD) and the Hamilton rating scale for anxiety (HAMA). Lavender aroma significantly reduced the mean scores of HAMA.

Here is how to prepare the lavender lemonade and enjoy its taste and health benefits:

Ingredients

1/4 cup dried lavender. dried, organic culinary lavender  ( or 1 drop lavender essential oil)

6 lemons, peeled and juiced

1 cup raw honey

5 cups pure water

Lavender sprigs for garnish

Instructions:

Boil half of the water in a pan, and then remove it from heat. Add the honey and the dried lavender. Leave it to steep for 20 minutes, strain, and pour it into a larger container.

Next, add the lemon juice and the rest of the water, and stir. Keep the lemonade in the fridge.

You can use lavender in other ways and improve your health as well:

Add 2 drops of Lavender per ounce of your favorite unrefined organic oil, and prepare a natural body oil which will relax your mind, keep insects at bay, help you sleep better, and improve your skin.

Add 5 to 6 drops of lavender essential oil to your bath water and hydrate your dry skin.

To naturally relieve stress, diffuse 10-12 drops of lavender into the air.

After Reading This, You’ll Never Look at a Banana in The Same Way Again!

Bananas contain fiber and three natural sugar types — sucrose, fructose and glucose. You probably know that this fruit boosts your energy instantly. However, energy is not the only thing you can get when eating a banana, moreover this exotic fruit can help you stay fit and healthy.

A number of studies have proven that bananas are quite efficient in overcoming and preventing a lot of diseases and health issues, and today it is the number one fruit with the world’s most popular athletes — after reading this article, you would probably start saying ‘a banana a day keeps the doctor away’.

We have explained some of the main health benefits you can enjoy with a single banana.

Depression

A recent research conducted by MIND (a well respected and popular mental health charity) involved a group of people struggling with depression. The results showed that the people surveyed felt much better after eating a banana.

Bananas are rich in tryptophan, which is later converted into serotonin, known for its ability to relax the body, improve the mood and make you feel much happier. This is an excellent back up for the research which claimed that the imbalance of serotonin can cause depression. Actually, serotonin is often called ‘the happy hormone.’

Constipation

Bananas are rich in fiber, so the regular consumption can restore the normal bowel function, eliminating any need of laxatives.

Blood Pressure

The matching between high potassium level and low salt level contained in bananas is quite amazing, and it makes this fruit a powerful natural aid in the treatments of high blood pressure. US Food and Drug Administration has now permitted the banana industry as a whole to be able to make official claims, regarding the ability of this fruit to reduce the risk of stroke and high blood pressure.

Hangovers

Banana milkshake or smoothie is the perfect remedy for terrible hangovers. It is super quick, easy and healthy, and you can also add some honey to sweeten it. This fruit has a calming effect on the stomach, and when combined with some honey it can rebuild the depleted blood sugar level, and the milk will efficiently soothe and re-hydrate your organism.

Ulcers

Banana is the top food for people who suffer from intestinal disorders, mostly because of the soft and smooth texture. It coats the lining of the stomach and thus neutralizes any acidity and irritation.

Heartburn

Studies have shown that bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body. Try treating a bout of heartburn with a banana, and enjoy the quick, natural and soothing relief.

PMS

Some good news for all the ladies — throw those pills away! A single banana will sure improve your mood, because the high levels of vitamin B6 will regulate your blood sugar level.

Nerves

Bananas are rich in several B vitamins, essential for the nervous system. The Australian Institute of Psychology conducted a study which found that the pressure at work can make you reach for a comfort food like chocolate or chips. The study involved 5,000 hospital patients, and the researchers found that the most obese patients had a high-pressure job.

In their report the researchers concluded that “to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady”. So be sure to take a banana with you when you go to work.

Anemia

Bananas are rich in iron, which is essential for the stimulation of hemoglobin production in the blood, so this fruit is a natural aid in the treatments of anemia.

Mosquito Bites:

Banana skin can be an amazing alternative to insect bite creams when it comes to treating irritating mosquito bites -just rub the inside of a banana skin directly on the affected area.

This is a natural way of reducing swelling and irritations.

Temperature Control

Some cultures recognize bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit, considered as powerful in lowering both physical and emotional temperature of pregnant women. In Thailand pregnant women eat bananas on a regular daily base to ensure that the baby will be born with a cool temperature.

Morning Sickness

Bananas are the perfect snack between your meals. They will help you keep the blood sugar level up and significantly reduce the morning sickness.

Brain Power

A study conducted in 2013, in a school in Twickenham, England, involved more than 200 students who had exams. The students ate bananas for breakfast, at mid-morning break and for lunch. The study found that this fruit significantly helped the students with their energy and concentration, which goes in favor of the research which found that high level of potassium helps the students learn better, by making them more alert.