This little purple flower has left its scent¹ on the world.

We most commonly associate lavender with its bath-time purposes, using the scent as a fragrant² ingredient in soap, shampoo,or lotion³. In fact, many believe the word lavender comes from theLatin "lavare," which means to wash. In ancient times, Romans sprinkled the pale purple flowers into their bath water to give it a glorious scent and as a way to refresh the skin. Romans also crushed the leaves and burned them during religious rituals and offerings.

However, since the time of the Greek Empire, lavender has been used not only for its aromatic⁴ smell but also for its medicinal powers.The Greek physician Dioscorides prescribed lavender as a treatment for heart problems. When the plague swept across Europe, glove makers⁵ added lavender to their gloves in order to ward⁶ off the disease. Doctors have recently confirmed that lavender indeed repelled⁷ the bugs⁸ which helped spread the disease that wiped out millions of people. In Victorian England, women would fill their pillows with lavender to help them relax and fall asleep. During the two World Wars, lavender oil extracted from the flower petals⁹ was used on the battlefield to protect wounds from infection and as a pain relievert. Many even used it as an ingredient in cooking. Queen Elizabeth I, for example, insisted that lavender jam be present at every meal.

Today, lavender is used to treat a number of medical ailments¹⁰, induding insomnia,depression, and hair loss. The oil is also often used in massage¹¹ therapy due to the relaxing effects it has on people.Apparently¹², there's more to lavender than meets the nose.

一提到成衣草.我们鱿会想到它的沐浴功能.即利用它的香味来作为肥皂、洗发刘或乳浪的芳香成分。事实上，许多人认为熏衣草(lavender)这个词来自拉丁文的lavare意指“洗涤”。古时候，，马人将淡紫色的花朵撒入沐浴水中.使其散发出高雅的香味.并川来修复疲劳的肌肤。罗马人也会在祭祀众神的仪式中，将树叶压碎然后焚烧。

然而，自希腊帝国起，熏衣草不只因其香味受到青睐，它的疗效也受到重用。希腊的一名医生迪奥斯柯立兹将熏衣草作为治疗心脏病的处方。当瘟疫横行欧洲时，手套制造者将熏衣草加人到手套里。医生们最近证实了熏衣草的确有助于驱赶能散播瘟疫的害虫。那场瘟疫在当时夺走了数百万条的人命。在英国的维多利亚时代，仕女们会将熏衣草装人枕头里，来帮助放松和人睡。在第一次和第二次世界大战中，从花瓣中提炼出的熏衣草油被用在了战场上来保护伤口避免感染，同时也当作止痛剂用。许多人甚至把它用来当作烹饪的食材。举例来说，伊丽莎白女王一世每餐都坚持要吃熏衣草果酱。

如今，熏衣草被用来治疗一些疾病，包括失眠、优郁和掉发。熏衣草油也因具有令人放松的功能而被用在了按摩上。熏衣草的功能显然比我们嗅到的多得多。