Vitamin App ReferenceSource-linked nutrient and bioactive reference
Menu
HomeSearchVitamins & MineralsFoods & BioactivesGoalsConditionsTagsSafety
Compare
Compare BioactivesPopulation Compare
References
About This ReferenceSource LibraryReview DashboardEvidence LegendEditorial StandardsUpdate PolicyQuality & Purchasing GuidelinesPrivacy & Feedback
For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified medical professional before taking any supplement, herb, vitamin, mineral, or bioactive, especially if you use medications or have a medical condition. Read the full disclaimer.
Back to Foods & Bioactives
PromisingReviewed

Herbs & Botanicals

Lavender

Plants used as foods, spices, teas, or traditional supplements. Botanical effects vary by plant part, extract, dose, and medication context.

Page last reviewed: 2026-07-23 - next review due: 2027-01-23

Western herbalismaromatherapy

Safety Flags

sedatives, pregnancy/breastfeeding, allergy, children

Source Coverage

Included: US reference
Review gap: Canadian reference
Add or verify Health Canada context where an official Canadian reference exists.
Review gap: EU reference
Add or verify EFSA or EU health-claim context where an official EU reference exists.
Included: Clinical / safety source

Function

Aromatic flower used as tea, essential oil, or standardized oral oil in relaxation and anxiety research contexts.

Natural Sources

Lavender flowers, lavender essential oil, lavender tea.

Food vs Supplement Context

Natural sources describe where this item appears in foods, culinary ingredients, or traditional preparations. Concentrated supplements can differ by dose, extract type, preparation, standardization, and medication context, so they should be evaluated separately.

Testing & Monitoring Context

  • No routine lab test establishes a required daily need for most foods and bioactives; monitoring is usually based on the intended outcome, dose, medical history, and adverse effects.
  • Sedation context: watch for next-day drowsiness, impaired driving, alcohol overlap, or sedating medication combinations.

Suggested Guidelines When Purchasing

What to look for: For botanicals, plant part, extract ratio, standardization marker, preparation type, and medication cautions matter more than the herb name alone.

Use caution or avoid: Avoid casual use when these flags apply: sedatives, pregnancy/breastfeeding, allergy, children.

  • Prefer ordinary food sources first when they provide the intended compound in a practical way.
  • For supplements, require clear labeling of active ingredient, dose per serving, serving size, and other ingredients.
  • Prefer products with third-party testing or transparent contaminant testing, especially for concentrated extracts, algae, mushrooms, minerals, and sports products.
  • Do not let marketing claims override the evidence, safety flags, source coverage, or dose context on this page.

Intake Guidance

No official DRI

No official RDA, AI, or RDI has been established for this bioactive as a required daily intake.

Evidence Summary

Anxiety symptoms and relaxation context

Promising

NCCIH summarizes lavender research as showing possible anxiety benefits for some preparations, especially oral lavender oil, but study quality and preparation differences matter.

Dose context: Oral lavender oil, teas, massage oils, and inhaled aromatherapy should not be treated as equivalent.

Caution: Sedative medications may increase drowsiness; allergy, pregnancy, and pediatric contexts need review.

Studies/sources: Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches: What the Science Says (2026-08-03), Anxiety and Complementary Health Approaches (2026-08-03)

Evidence Legend

Established use: Supported by official guidance, regulatory claim context, strong consensus, or repeated human evidence for a specific use.
Promising: Human studies or reviews suggest benefit for specific outcomes, but evidence is not broad enough to treat as settled general guidance.
Emerging: Early human, mechanistic, or mixed evidence; worth tracking, but not strong enough for confident user-facing claims.
Traditional use: Historically or traditionally used, but modern clinical evidence may be limited, mixed, or product-specific.
Category example: Included to describe a supplement or food category, not because a strong health claim is attached yet.
Note: Oral products, aromatherapy, massage oils, and teas are not interchangeable; sedative combinations can increase drowsiness.

Sources