Informant-Zoe Virant: 18 years old. From Saint Louis, Missouri. Her mother used to use this remedy on her when she was a child. It was passed down to her by her grandmother and was common in their household. Interview was conducted in person.

Folk Medicine: “When I was growing up I used to get really bad headaches. My mom didn’t like that I had to take so much advil and she said she had similar headaches when she was growing up. So whenever I got one, she would give me hot tea with lemon and then take lavender from our garden, crush it up with coconut oil and apply it to my temples. I would fall asleep and when I woke up my headache was gone. She never bought lavender oil because its not what her mother did with her, she did everything the exact same way. I don’t know, it made it feel kind of special in a way. Maybe it was my mothers touch, but I really think it helped.”

Thoughts: I have heard of using lavender oil to cure headaches but never fresh lavender mixed with coconut oil. I love that it was passed down from her grandmother and there was no alterations even though its so easy to buy lavender oil. Lemon water is commonly used to cure a sore throat or cold and is a folk remedy that is used often and my mother gave it to me when I was sick as a child to make me feel better. Zoe told me this folklore when I got a headache one day and I thought it was worth noting.