Lavender has been found to stimulate the production of bile and is therefore beneficial in digestive problems and loss of appetite. As a mild sedative, it is helpful in nervousness and insomnia. The focus of research is on its effect in certain types of cancer and its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Lavender has been renowned for its medicinal properties in India and Tibet. In Tibetan Buddhist medicine, lavender is still used to treat insanity and psychoses. Today, in Europe and the Americas, lavender is often used as an anxiolytic and sleep aid.

The name lavender has Latin origin lavere, which means to wash. In ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome, it was used as a perfume in baths and laundry and as an antiseptic. Ancient Egyptians use it in making mummification casts.

Lavender is commonly used for anxiety, stress, and insomnia. It is also used for depression, dementia, pain after surgery, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses.