Several people claim that you can safely smoke lavender, and some even call it a healthy practice. However, there hasn’t been any recent research that has proven the health benefits of smoking lavender. People have been asking, ‘can you smoke lavender?’ and most content online has been saying, ‘you can!’
But it’s a marketing tactic of sorts for selling lavender-based products. Yes, lavender plays a crucial role in both herbal medicine and aromatherapy – moreover, the same can be used in different ways. However, when you smoke lavender, it exposes you to a few of the same health issues associated with generic smoking, such as an increased risk in terms of lung cancer as well as respiratory issues.
Keep reading to find out about the potential benefits, risks, and more associated with smoking lavender.
So, Can You Smoke Lavender?
Can you smoke lavender leaves? How do you do it? Is it safe? To be honest, it is possible to smoke some lavender leaves just like regular tobacco. You can easily grind the lavender leaves into smaller pieces and simply roll them up into a lavender cigarette!
You can also just crush the leaves and blend the same with other herbs. It is also possible to add tobacco or cannabis to the mixture. Smoked lavender technically smells very similar to lavender that’s fresh. It has a smokier, deeper, more intense fragrance like incense. The same type of lavender also has a very strong flavor.
Let’s find out more about this miracle plant!
Lavender 101:
Lavender has a scientific name just like most plants – it’s known as Lavandula Angustifolia. It’s a flowering plant and medicinal herb which also happens to be a part of your regular mint family. The plant is blessed with an aromatic, strong smell accompanied by a distinctive color. Grown in small bushes as a flower, lavender is mostly found in the Mediterranean region, northern Africa, and the Indian mountains.
Today, you can find lavender almost anywhere in the world, owing to its rising popularity, very similar to peppermint or sage. Lavender leaves are often utilized in several cultures across the globe, especially in the growing aromatherapy industry. People are also using the plant in herbal teas and essential oils, further increasing its popularity of the same.
How Do You Smoke Lavender?
The question is not, ‘can you smoke lavender?’ The question is, ‘how do you smoke lavender?’ Keeping all its “regular” uses aside, smoking lavender leaves as a part of herbal cigarettes or herbal mix, especially when blended with marijuana, is something that has been quietly growing as a part of the tobacco-free subculture in recent years.
As more and more recreational smokers are steering away in general from tobacco and finding natural alternatives for rolling their spliffs, lavender or other popular herbs such as Uva Ursi, Damiana, Oregano, Mugwort, and even Wild Dagga is also experiencing a solid increase in popularity.
Unlike smoking tobacco cigarettes, smoking an actual herbal blend that has lavender will definitely be 100% tobacco-free. The same has also been recognized as an alternative in natural treatments focused on stopping people from smoking.
Is Smoking Lavender Healthier Than Tobacco?
Many people actually smoke lavender in place of tobacco because they tend to think that lavender is a healthy choice. Not a single study has been done to test this fact or even find support for this particular claim.
One benefit of smoking lavender as compared to smoking tobacco is that there’s zero nicotine content. Nicotine is one substance that makes tobacco absolutely addictive. For individuals who want to stop smoking tobacco, herbal cigarettes that are free from nicotine help with quitting smoking. However, this does not indicate that smoking lavender is actually healthy.
Smoking Lavender: Health Benefits And Risks
The question ‘can you smoke lavender’ has been asked again and again. Yes, you can smoke it, but before you look for some lavender, you can smoke, it is best to find out what the health benefits are and what the subsequent risks associated with smoking lavender are.
Scroll down to find out now!
Smoking Lavender: What’s Healthy About That?
There hasn’t been any clear evidence that smoking lavender can prove to be healthy for your body.
In fact, smoking lavender leaves might actually allow someone to inhale a little bit of lavender-flavored essential oil with all the smoke, but there’s technically no evidence to support this – moreover, there are many more safe methods of using this plant. For instance, people can diffuse or apply some lavender essential oil instead.
While smoking lavender technically has no proven benefits, there’s plenty of evidence that the use of lavender-flavored essential oil might have certain health benefits. A review from 2019 notes that older studies have managed to find it might help with anxiety, headaches, wound healing, and sleep.
Several studies have suggested that lavender-flavored essential oil might be able to fight certain infections. For instance, a laboratory study in 2017 discovered that lavender oil had several antibacterial properties in terms of human cells. The oil managed to kill and, in some cases, even reduce the strength of dangerous species, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
However, these studies did not actually test the essential oil on any human participants, and moreover, there is presently not enough matter for confirming that it manages to work reliably like a medicine. Research on lavender-flavored essential oil is still going on.
Smoking Lavender: Risks Associated
The primary health risk related to smokeable lavender is exposure to toxic elements such as smoke or other types of potential carcinogens.
Smoking tobacco can expose an individual’s lungs to lots of harmful chemicals obtained from tobacco and cigarette additives. Lavender cigarettes naturally do not really contain any such additives. However, it was discovered that herbal cigarettes have the same levels of carbon monoxide as compared to tobacco cigarettes.
Smoke of any type is a kind of air pollution – naturally, it is considered harmful when you choose to inhale it. Smoking anything creates tiny gases and particles which can get inside your lungs. These particles are likely to irritate your lungs and subsequently cause damage over a sustainable period of time.
Is It Safe To Smoke Lavender Around Pets Or Children?
No studies have actually talked about the safety of smoking lavender cigarettes. However, inhaling any kind of smoke is harmful to the body, especially for people whose lungs are in the development phase.
The risks associated with inhaling secondhand smoke are as follows,
- Increasing risk of sudden infant death syndrome in small children and babies.
- Lung damage in children and babies.
- Increased frequency of Bronchitis, Ear Infections, and other problems.
- Increased frequency of Asthma attacks.
- Increased chances of Cancer in dogs and cats.
Although no studies have been done to test the impact of secondhand smoke that comes from lavender cigarettes, inhaling the same will have certain risks, especially if an individual blends tobacco and lavender.
Is Smoking Lavender Safe During Pregnancy?
Likewise, there hasn’t been any research for testing the safety of inhaling lavender smoke during pregnancy. However, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) advises pregnant women to avoid inhaling any smoke since doing so harms both the fetus and the pregnant woman.
Pregnant people must speak with their doctors before actually smoking anything or even using essential oil products that contain lavender.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Check out the most frequently asked questions related to smoking lavender mentioned below!
Lavender is good for several reasons. Some of the most popular ones are as follows,
• It helps to improve sleep,
• It treats skin blemishes,
• It offers various natural remedies for treating pain,
• Reduces heart rate and blood pressure,
• Relives symptoms of Asthma, and
• Reduced hot flashes during Menopause.
Lavender actually helps with your anxiety, mood, and even depression. The plant is known for its calming abilities – it can calm your nervous system, reduces blood pressure, and lifts the mood. However, research is still going on in terms of the plant’s benefits in reducing both depression and anxiety.
Lavender is famous for its ability to create an atmosphere that’s relaxing. One of the major benefits of the plant is that it can calm you down without any sedation. Yes, it can induce a serene, calm state of mind, but it is better known for reducing anxiety by toning your fight-or-flight response.
It’s often mentioned how the lavender plant is associated with lucid dreaming and even nightmares. When used with essential oils, these products are just concentrated versions of the oil obtained from the concerned plant. However, research is still going on the several effects and possible side effects of the lavender plant.
Puff, Puff Pass…But Let’s Stay Tobacco-Free!
The world will soon be a tobacco-free place, or at least we can hope so! So when the question ‘can you smoke lavender or any other smokable herb?’ is asked, you should understand that the world is changing. Today, people want to live a healthy life and take a wellness-oriented approach to life.
Naturally, the demand for alternatives to tobacco has increased – and when you can smoke natural herbs, why smoke anything else? In fact, blend it with some other herbs and enjoy or spice things up by adding some THC-effective strain to the mix – don’t forget to crush it right!
In the meantime, tell us what you think about smoking lavender, and don’t forget to share your experience of the same in the comments below.
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