Native to northern Africa and the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean, Lavender is now cultivated around the world for is essential oil and medicinal use.

With its silvery-green foliage and spikes of purple, pink, or white flowers, this perennial shrub and belongs to the mint family,Lamiaceae.Lavandulais a genus of 47 known species with the English and French Lavender being the most familiar.

The word “lavender” comes from the Latinlavaremeaning ‘to wash’, where the Romans used the fragrant oil in their baths.

Used in traditional Western Herbal Medicine to:

• Calm the mind
• Relive nervous tension and unrest
• Helps assist mind relaxation and relieve mental overactivity
• Relieve sleeplessness and decrease restless sleep
• Support health sleeping patterns
• Support general health and wellbeing

Lavender has been used for thousands of years for fragrances, therapeutics, and cooking and as an ornamental shrub. Egyptians used lavender oil in embalming, and the Greeks benefited from its medicinal properties. Lavender flowers represent purity, devotion, serenity, grace and calmness.

It is believed that saffron originated and was first cultivated in Greece, but today the spice is primarily grown in Iran, Greece, Morocco, India and Spain.

Saffron describes both the plant and the spice resulting from its dried stigmas. Known as ‘red gold’, it is the most expensive spice in the world. It is valued in refined culinary art and as a dye in textile and woodwork. Saffron has a strong, exotic aroma and a bitter taste and is used to colour and flavour many Mediterranean and Asian dishes, particularly rice and fish, and English, Scandinavian, and Balkan breads.

The name is derived fromzafaran, the Arabian word for ‘yellow’.This versatile plant not only has been used for food, dye agent and perfume, but also recognised for its medicinal properties known to;

• Calm the mind
• Reduce tension and relieve excess nervous energy
• Support emotional and mental wellbeing

In ancient times, saffron was used as a perfume, where it was strewn in Greek and Roman halls, courts, theatres, and baths; it became especially associated with the hetairai, a professional class of Greek courtesans. The streets of Rome were sprinkled with saffron when Nero made his entry into the city.