Soothe & satisfy

Called "blue gold" by the French, lavender matches its preciousness with a remarkable versatility. This delicately scented herb can relieve stress, treat burns and bug bites, clear up blemishes, promote sleep and, of course, it makes a subtle, elegant perfume.

"When you inhale lavender essential oil, it affects you on a psychological level and works as an antidepressant and calming agent," says Leyla Bringas, spokeswoman for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy. "But when you apply the oil topically, it has analgesic, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties."

Bringas suggests these simple, lavender-redolent home remedies:

* To treat bug bites, burns, cuts or pimples, apply a few drops of lavender oil to the affected area.

* For a tension-easing bath, add 10 drops of lavender oil (blended with a nickel-sized amount of olive oil) to a full tub.

* If you have trouble sleeping, blend 20 drops of lavender oil with an ounce of jojoba oil. Rub the mixture into your chest, the back of your neck and the bottoms of your feet just before crawling into bed.

Finally, to keep the soothing sweetness of lavender close at hand, try Farmhouse's new line of laundry sachets, linen sprays and soaps (sweetgrassonline.com). In the car, tame road rage with an herb-stuffed Lavender Meadows key chain (lavendermeadows.com).

lavender
iced-tea sangria

Serves 4

In the new Lavender Cookbook,
chef Sharon Shipley presents
such enticing seasonal recipes
as shrimp with lavender-honey
marinade, lavender-custard
ice cream and this spring-perfect
cocktail:

4 cups water
4 lavender black tea bags
4 to 5 tablespoons sugar
1 peach or apple, peeled, pitted or
  seeded, and chopped
4 large strawberries, hulled and
  cut in half
1 orange, peeled and chopped into
  3/4-inch pieces
1 cup dry red wine (substitute
  grape juice for a nonalcoholic
  alternative)

1. Bring the water to a boil in a
medium saucepan, Remove from
the heat and add the tea bags.
Steep for 3 minutes, then remove
the tea bags. Pour the tea into a
pitcher and add the sugar. Stir
until the sugar is dissolved, Cool,
cover and refrigerate.

2. In a bowl, mix the peach or
apple with the strawberries and
orange, Divide fruit among four
16-ounce glasses and add ice. Add
the wine to the pitcher and serve.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group