![Lavender field in Provence, France](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/5-things-to-do-with-lavender.jpg?fit=700%2C525)
5 Ways to Put Lavender’s Healing Power to Work
A perennial shrub with spikes of purple or light blue flowers, lavender has a long history of healing. Having trouble sleeping? The dried flowers can be sewn into a pouch and tucked under your pillow to promote rest and relaxation. Feeling anxious or tense? Lavender can help with that, too. Here are five more handy-and healthy-uses for lavender that can make a difference in your life.
![Crippling headache](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/use-lavender-to-treat-headaches.jpg?fit=700%2C768)
1. Use Lavender to Ease Headaches
Not relief from a crippling headache? Apply a little lavender oil to each temple and massage it in.
![Upset stomach](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/use-lavender-to-settle-your-stomach.jpg?fit=700%2C768)
2. Soothe an Upset Stomach with Lavender
German doctors often recommend lavender tea as a digestive aid. The oils relax the smooth muscles of the digestive tract and soothe after-meal cramps in the stomach and intestine. Lavender also helps to ease intestinal wind. To make an infusion, steep a heaped teaspoon of lavender flowers in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain.
![Scraped knee bandaged](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/use-lavender-to-care-for-cut-or-scrape.jpg?fit=700%2C525)
3. Fight Infection with Lavender
The tannins in lavender kill bacteria and help to prevent minor cuts and scrapes from becoming infected. Soak a clean cloth in a lavender infusion and apply the compress to the wound.
![Woman with back ache](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/use-lavender-to-treat-aches-and-pains.jpg?fit=700%2C525)
4. Relieve Aches and Pains with Lavender
Lavender oil has minor pain-killing properties. It appears to reduce the transmission of nerve impulses that carry pain signals. Mix a few drops of the oil into a tablespoon of carrier oil and rub it in. Lavender also relieves itching, thanks to its anti-inflammatory action. It’s the perfect remedy for insect bites and stings.
![Healing lavender](https://www.readersdigest.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/use-lavender-to-treat-swimmers-ear.jpg?fit=700%2C525)
5. Use Lavender to Soothe Swimmer’s Ear
The same chemical compound in lavender that fights skin infections will knock out the itch and irritation of swimmer’s ear.
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