lavender...myrrh is just another plant oil
Hi Trojan, glad to see you still around (occasionally)!

As Robert for some reason deleted the starting post, I'm unsure if this has been said already, but what the hell..

Yeah, I'd forgotten about lavender actually being named after one of its main uses (washing = Latin lavare I fink). Just occurs to me that lavatory has the same root - a "clean" word made "dirty" by association, perhaps.

For those who are even moderately into aromatherapy, lavender is a fantastic general use oil, especially noted for treating burns, but good for skin conditions of all sorts, as well as being relaxing. Associations with old ladies don't do fresh lavender oil justice at all.

Myrrh, on the other hand, is rather less useful. It is quite strong smelling, slightly bitter and musky. Not bad, but not nice. However, it's a powerful antiseptic and must be a good preservative, as it was used for embalming bodies. It is incorporated in some home-made toothpaste recipes, although I haven't a clue why teeth would need embalming.


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