AROMATHERAPY

Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of naturally occurring phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate. Kashmir Lavender oil is famous for being produced from lavender at the foothills of the Himalayas. As of 2011, the biggest lavender oil producer in the world is Bulgaria.

Uses
Lavender oil has long been used in the production of perfume. In aromatherapy lavender oil produces a significant decrement in performance of working memory and impaired reaction times for both memory and attention based tasks compared to controls.Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common

Research
Lavender oil has been found to potentiate GABAA receptor currents in vitro. It has been found to have anxiolytic effects comparable to lorazepam in small clinical studies, which in animals were blocked by a 5-HT receptor antagonist but not by a GABAA receptor antagonist. Lavender oil may be useful for alleviating anxiety and sleep disorders. It also has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and mood alleviating effects.

There are case reports of topical lavender oil administration producing pre-pubertal gynecomastia. In vitro assessment with human cell lines found that lavender oil has estrogenic and anti-androgenic effects, though an in vivo study with rats found no evidence of estrogenic activity at the doses assayed. A small clinical study found that topical lavender oil in the form of an oil spray was effective in the treatment of young women with mild idiopathic hirsutism.

Reference Source;Wikipedia