The Lemon Balm Plant

Melissa officinalis

The Lemon balm plant is also known as Sweet balm, Blue balm, Balm, Garden balm, Cure-all, Dropsy plant, Honey plant, Sweet Melissa, Sweet Mary, and Balm mint.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND INFORMATION:

The Lemon balm plant is a perennial herb and a Mediterranean member of the mint family. It is a hardy bush that grows one to two and a half feet high with crinkly, serrated, heart-shaped leaves, which taste, and when the leaves are rubbed, smell of lemon.

Lemon balm herb is a low-growing plant and has small white flowers that appear in summer and bloom until autumn.

Lemon balm herb works mainly as a gentle sedative and digestive aid. The appealing flavor makes it a good remedy for children. It is one of the earliest medicinal herbs, Paracelsus called it the ‘Elixir of Life’.

The Lemon balm leaf can be added to soups, salads, chicken and fish dishes, vinegars, oils, and to fruit and wine cups. Its leaves are also used to flavor herb butters, fruit drinks, custards, casseroles, and sorbets. It is also one of the vital ingredients in the liqueurs Benedictine and Chartreuse.

TARGET AILMENTS

* attention deficit disorder (ADD)

* Grave’s disease

* irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

* Alzheimer's disease

* chronic fatigue syndrome

* anxiety

* depression

* heart flutters

* stomach nerves

* high blood pressure

* nausea

* colic

* flatulence

* colds

* influenza

* fevers

* mumps

* headaches

* acne

* eczema

* bee stings

* painful menstruation

* insomnia

* cold sores

* genital herpes

* oral herpes sores

Apply externally for:

* cold sores

* genital herpes

* oral herpes sores

PREPARATIONS:

The Lemon balm plant is available in tincture, tablets, tea, essential oil, ointment, and bulk herb.

It can be used as a tea and infusion.

Parts used: Lemom balm Leaf

Collection: Leaves are harvested in the afternoon when oils are strongest.

Constituents: Eugenol, tannins, terpenes, volatile oils (citral, citronellal), falconoid, polyphenols

Actions: Anti-viral, antiseptic, antibacterial, digestive tonic, stimulant, expectorant, diuretic, sedative, carminative, diaphoretic, febrifuge, antispasmodic, nervine

Combinations: Lemon balm herb combines well with Basil, Chamomile, Frankincense, Geranium, Ginger, Lavender, Rosemary, and Ylang-Ylang.

SAFETY AND SIDE EFFECTS:

* Anyone with glaucoma should not use this herb until more studies have been done.