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Lavender
Lavender — what the European monograph actually supports, what it is not for, the form and how long it is meant to be used, side effects, and the 2 medicine interactions documented for it.
This is a reference page, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. Herbal products are real pharmacology: they have effects, side effects and interactions with medicines. Tell your doctor and your pharmacist everything you take, including teas and supplements, and never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of anything you read here.
What it is
Lavandula angustifolia Mill. — flower and essential oil (Lavandulae flos, Lavandulae aetheroleum)
Local names across the region this site serves: lavendel (ET) · laventeli (FI) · лаванда (RU).
Grouped here under Sleep, stress and calm. Regulatory position: EU herbal monograph — traditional use.
What the evidence supports
The registered indication: Relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and exhaustion, and to aid sleep; the oil is also registered as a bath additive.
Lavender occupies an unusual middle ground. The dried flower and the essential oil carry traditional-use registrations for mild stress and sleep, based on long use. Separately, a specific manufactured oral lavender-oil capsule is licensed as a medicine in several EU countries for restlessness related to anxious mood — that is a defined preparation that went through a regulatory assessment, and it is not the same thing as a sachet of flowers under a pillow or a bottle of aromatherapy oil. Aromatherapy trials are hard to run well for an obvious reason: you cannot blind someone to a smell.
C — Traditional use only Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it.
What it is not for
Anxiety disorders and panic attacks, which are treatable conditions with treatments that work. Lavender oil is also not a treatment for scalp or skin infections.
Form, strength and how long
Dried flower as an infusion, bath preparations, pillow sachets, essential oil for diffusion or dilution, and licensed oral oil capsules in some countries.
Duration. Short-term use. Persistent low mood, restlessness or broken sleep past a couple of weeks is worth a conversation with a clinician.
No gram figure appears on this page on purpose. The plant part, the extraction solvent and the drug-to-extract ratio together define a preparation, and a number taken from one does not describe another. The reasoning is set out on the hub; the amount that applies to you is the one printed on the pack you are holding, and a pharmacist will read it with you.
Side effects
Skin sensitisation and contact dermatitis from the essential oil, particularly undiluted. Swallowed aromatherapy oil causes nausea and irritation — aromatherapy-grade oils are not formulated to be taken by mouth. Oral capsule products commonly cause a lavender-flavoured burp.
Who should avoid it
Essential oils should not be applied to or near the face of babies and small children. Not established in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Interactions with medicines
| Medicine or substance | What is described |
|---|---|
| Sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines and sedating antihistamines | Additive drowsiness with sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines and sedating antihistamines is the practical caution, mostly with oral preparations rather than a scented room. |
| Alcohol | The same additive sedation applies with alcohol. |
The reverse view — start from the medicine rather than the plant — is in the medicine, food and alcohol interactions reference, and summarised for every herb on this site.
Sources: European Medicines Agency — Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Union herbal monographs · NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — herb fact sheets · checked 2026-09-06
Frequently asked questions
What is lavender used for?
Relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and exhaustion, and to aid sleep; the oil is also registered as a bath additive. Lavender occupies an unusual middle ground. The dried flower and the essential oil carry traditional-use registrations for mild stress and sleep, based on long use. Separately, a specific manufactured oral lavender-oil capsule is licensed as a medicine in several EU countries for restlessness related to anxious mood — that is a defined preparation that went through a regulatory assessment, and it is not the same thing as a sachet of flowers under a pillow or a bottle of aromatherapy oil. Aromatherapy trials are hard to run well for an obvious reason: you cannot blind someone to a smell.
Does lavender work?
Graded C here: Plausible from thirty or more years of use, which is what a traditional-use registration means. No clinical evidence was required and none has settled it. Anxiety disorders and panic attacks, which are treatable conditions with treatments that work. Lavender oil is also not a treatment for scalp or skin infections.
How much lavender should I take?
This reference does not print gram figures, because they do not transfer between preparations of different extract strength. What can be said honestly is the form and the duration: Dried flower as an infusion, bath preparations, pillow sachets, essential oil for diffusion or dilution, and licensed oral oil capsules in some countries. Short-term use. Persistent low mood, restlessness or broken sleep past a couple of weeks is worth a conversation with a clinician.
What are the side effects of lavender?
Skin sensitisation and contact dermatitis from the essential oil, particularly undiluted. Swallowed aromatherapy oil causes nausea and irritation — aromatherapy-grade oils are not formulated to be taken by mouth. Oral capsule products commonly cause a lavender-flavoured burp.
Does lavender interact with medicines?
Yes — documented for Sedatives, Alcohol. Each one is described on this page, with a link to the medicine-side reference where one exists.
Others in sleep, stress and calm
Valerian
Relief of mild nervous tension and to aid sleep.
Chamomile
Mild digestive complaints including bloating and flatulence; as a mouth rinse for minor inflammation of the mouth and throat; on the skin for minor irritation; as a steam inhalation for a cold.
Lemon balm
Relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep; and, separately, mild digestive complaints including bloating and flatulence.
Passionflower
Relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep.
Keep the whole list in one place
TempoLife logs supplements alongside food, sleep and how you actually felt — so the answer to "what are you taking?" is a screen, not a guess.