Plant Profile: Lemon Balm

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Lemon Balm

(Melissa Officinalis)



Other Common Names: Melissa

Family: LABIATAE

 Energetics: Cooling, Drying

 Taste: Sour

 Parts Used: Aerial Parts (plant above ground) (dried or fresh)

Body Systems Affected: Central Nervous System, Skin, Lungs.

Preparations: 
  • Infusion (2-3 teaspoons dried or 4-6 fresh leaves per 8 oz boiling water or 1 oz per pint. Infuse 10-15 minutes)
  • Tincture (2-6 ml 3x per day). Can make tincture from dried but is more powerful when made from fresh plant.
  • Herbal Oil
  • **Best used fresh**

Key Components: Essential oil containing: citral, citronellal, geraniol, linalol; Bitter principles; Tannins; Polyphenols, flavonoids, Resin, Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, catechin 

Actions:

 Foundational: Aromatic. Relaxant.
Primary: Carminative. Diaphoretic. Emmenogogue. Hypotensive. Nervine.
Secondary: Antidepressant. Antispasmodic. Anti-viral.


Medicinal Uses:
  • Useful in dyspepsia (indigestion) caused by stress, anxiety, tension and/or depression.
  • Has a tonic effect on the heart and circulatory system causing mild dilation of the peripheral vessels which lowers the blood pressure. 
  • Removes surface tension from the body.
  • Calms an overstimulated mind/body. 
  • Good for people who feel defeated by life.
  • Supports cognitive function.
  • Also beneficial in fevers due to flu. 
  • A calming diaphoretic that is great for treating fevers in kids
  • Make an ointment with Lemon balm to help relieve the symptoms of Herpes Simplex
  • Hyperadrenalism
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Heart palpitations
  • A-Fib
  • High Blood pressure
  • Aneurisms
  • May help with conception. 
  • May help with addictions of all kinds
  • Panic attacks with heart palpitations, manic thinking and shortness of breath.
    Chicken Pox/Shingles (Herpes-Zoster Virus)
  • Has been studied extensively for its anti-viral properties specifically against Herpes simplex 1 & 2 (cold sores & genital sores). Lemon balm can lessen the severity and speed healing of an acute occurrence and can prevent future outbreaks when it is taken regularly. 

Anxiety: Nervousness, Insomnia: Can be used for frayed nerves, stress, season affective disorder and general feelings of “being on ones last straw”. Panic attacks with heart palpitations where the panic feels “buzzy”. (Blend to try: lemon balm, passion flower & a small amount of lavender in a tea). Grief (equal parts lemon balm, oats, chamomile, hawthorn) Mild to moderate depression: Add st. John’s Wort to blend above. Specific for sexual trauma. Strength & releasing rage. (use bath, glycerin, tincture or tea. Hyperactivity: Known aid for ADD & ADHD. Children with reoccurring nightmares (warm chamomile bath, massage with lavender body oil & tablespoon of lemon balm glycerite. Viral infections, bug bites, nervous digestion: Calms the nervous & digestive systems. A simple tea is a great remedy for stomach distress and nervous exhaustion. Can help relieve tension headaches, back pain and other mild pain due to tension. Its aromatic and carminative properties give it the ability to relieve stagnant digestion, ease abdominal cramping and generally support and promote the digestive process. fevers, coughs Hyperactive thyroid, Grave’s disease Helps people who are addicted to foods, activities, drugs, somehow help them to pull back from the compulsion that has them frantically attached to self destructive activities. Mild Emmenagogue to promote late menstruation as well as relieve cramping. Children who are teething. wash cloth soaked in tea or lemon balm popsicle. Herpes simplex 1 & 2 (virus that causes coldsores & genital sores) can lessen severity of an outbreak (Use a double infused oil). When taken regularly can prevent future outbreaks. Apply externally to chickenpox sores. Useful for measles or mumps. Can combine with licorice for this purpose too. Food: Add to salads, soups, grain dishes, smoothies. 

 Essential oil: Yes

Flower Essence: Helps you to wind down and ease fears and feelings of anxiety. Especially good when you feel overwhelmed from the stress from our modern lifestyle and from being around too many people for too long. When you're feeling there world may be a bit too "people-y". When you feel stretched too thin. 

 Combines well with: 
  • For digestive issues combines well with Hops, Chamomile or Meadowsweet
  • For tension & stress combines well with Lavender and Lime Blossom
  • For hot flashes due to menopause combine with peach leaf
  • For overactive thyroid combines well with bugleweed and motherwort. 
  • For sedative actions combine with passionflower and lavender.
Contraindications: None (however there is some debate as to whether or not people who suffer from hypothyroidism should use it and I've heard both sides of the argument. Some feel it is best avoided in this situation, others have found that Lemon Balm seems to know and is able to act accordingly to an over or under active thyroid. In the book The herbal Apothecary by JJ Pursell, he states that lemon balm and other herbs with similar actions seem to normalize both high and low thyroid actions).  

Personal Experience: Dried plant infusion (3 tsp/8 oz hot water infused for 15 minutes). It has a very light lemon scent. Even just inhaling the infusion is slightly calming. Though that could just be the intentional deep breathing as I'm inhaling the steam. Either way, lets go with it! The flavor is not strong at all and I can see why this would be a good choice for a child. As I continue sipping my warm concoction I can feel myself relaxing. I was tired to begin with, it being 10:15 at night and I woke up to go to work this morning at 5 am and I am NOT a morning person. In between sips I think I can feel the cooling action of the plant, despite the infusion being hot. I've been under a LOT of stress lately and this feels good. I'd love to taste a blend with perhaps some lavender and chamomile, maybe even some orange peel? I have not read about an astringent quality to lemon balm and yet I feel like there might be (or maybe I just burned my mouth a bit?). It is a drying herb, perhaps that drying is caused by an astringent quality. I'll have to look more into this...

Fresh plant infusion: Mmmmmm. The smell is amazing. Far superior to the dried. The taste is light. I can definitely feel the drying (astringent?) quality on my tongue. I definitely prefer to use the fresh plant when I can get it and I'm definitely glad now that I decided to tincture some fresh plant tonight! It's going to be wonderful! 

 Identifying: As a member of the mint family, Lemon Balm has the expected square stem. It has oval shaped toothed leaves and white or yellowish flowers. The leaves have a distinct lemony smell when crushed that give Lemon Balm it's name. 
Growing: As a member of the mint family, Lemon balm is a fast growing perennial. It is a hardy plant and can be grown in a wide variety of locations though zones 4-9. Prefers a shady spot with a rich moist soil. Once you have a few plants established it should self-sow with few, if any, issues. It grows well in partial shade. If you want to sow the seeds directly into the ground, plant them in fall, or you can wait and start seeds indoors in the spring and transplant after danger of frost has passed and the seedlings are at least 4 tall. You can also divide roots. In fall, add compost or leaf mulch to enrich the soil and give it some winter protection. 

Harvesting: It can be harvested at anytime in the season but is most potent and flavorful before the plants flowers bloom.  

History: Melissa is a Greek name meaning "honey bee". Melissa was a nymph in Greek Mythology. Lemon balm produces a lot of nectar and  is much loved by bees. It has actually been used by bee keepers to prevent swarming.
Pliny, Hippocrates, Galen, Culpepper and Shakespeare all spoke of its medicinal properties and There are records that it was also grown in the gardens at Thomas Jeffersons Monticello. Incidentally, if you're ever in Virginia, I HIGHLY recommend a visit to Monticello. It is a beautiful place with amazing gardens. The house tour was interesting enough to hold even my kids attention and it's just an all around great experience. 
Whenever you see "officinalis" in the latin name, it means the plant was once a part of the official US Pharmacopeia. 

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