Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).Plant Part Used: Dried flower buds.Dominican Medicinal Uses: The dried flower buds are traditionally prepared as a tea and taken orally for anxiety/nervousness, stomach ache, indigestion, gas, menopausal hot flashes, common cold and flu.Safety: Lavender is generally regarded as safe when used in moderation. Potential adverse effects include drowsiness, gastrointestinal upset and skin irritation.Contraindications: Excessive internal use of this herb is contraindicated during early pregnancy due to its emmenagogue effect demonstrated in laboratory studies. Due to lack of sufficient data on safety, avoid use during lactation and in small children.Drug Interactions: Concomitant use of this herb with sedative or tranquilizing drugs, such as pentobarbital, may potentiate their effects based on evidence from animal studies. Additional herb-drug interactions may occur in medications with effects similar to those demonstrated by this plant clinical and preclinical studies (see below).Clinical Data: The following effects of this plant have been investigated in human clinical trials: antianxiety, antidepressant, anti-stress, anxiolytic, dysmenorrhea treatment, hypnotic, insomnia treatment, retrospective pain perception and sedative.Laboratory & Preclinical Data: This plant has shown the following biological activities in laboratory and preclinical studies: acaricidal, antibacterial, anticonvulsant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antineoplastic, antitumor, sedative and hypolipidemic.* See entry for Alucema in “Part 3: Dominican Medicinal Plant Profiles” of this book for more information, including references.
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