Generally, no, lavender essential oil is NOT safe to eat or ingest, even if it's "organic." This is a critical distinction to understand when it comes to culinary use of lavender.
Here's a breakdown of why and what the safe practices are:
Why Lavender Essential Oil is Not Safe to Eat:
-
High Concentration: Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. A single drop of essential oil contains the essence of a large amount of plant material. Our bodies are not equipped to process such high concentrations of compounds internally.
-
Potential for Toxicity: Ingesting essential oils, including lavender, can lead to various adverse effects, from mild (nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headaches, burping, diarrhea) to severe (confusion, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, seizures, even coma in larger doses, especially for children).
-
Irritation: Undiluted essential oils can irritate mucous membranes in the mouth, throat, esophagus, and digestive tract.
-
Lack of Regulation: While some essential oils are marketed as "food grade" or "culinary grade," these terms are largely marketing terms and are not regulated by the U.S. FDA in the same way food ingredients are. This means there's no guarantee of what's truly in the bottle or its safe internal use. The FDA's "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) list applies to substances used as food additives in very minute, specific quantities, not typically to essential oils for direct consumption.
-
Interactions with Medications: Essential oils can interact with certain medications, potentially increasing or decreasing their effects.
What IS Safe to Eat (and what "organic" means in this context):
When people talk about eating lavender, they are almost always referring to the dried or fresh flower buds of specific culinary lavender varieties, not the essential oil.
-
Culinary Lavender (Flower Buds): The safe and delicious way to use lavender in food is by using the flower buds of English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). This variety has a low camphor content, giving it a sweet, floral, and less "soapy" taste compared to other lavenders.
-
"Organic" Culinary Lavender: If this lavender is organic, it means it was grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. This is highly desirable for any plant material you intend to eat, ensuring fewer chemical residues.
-
In summary:
-
DO NOT ingest lavender essential oil unless explicitly directed by a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about essential oil internal use and safety, and only with a verified food-grade product at appropriate, highly diluted amounts. For the general public and home use, it is not recommended.
-
DO use organic culinary lavender flowers (buds) (Lavandula angustifolia) in your cooking and baking. This is the safe and traditional way to enjoy lavender's flavor