Dried Lemon Balm
Dry Lemon Balm (
Melissa Officinalis) is flavorful herb that is widely cultivated today both for its scent and its practical uses. This herb has many culinary and medicinal uses.
Historically,
Lemon Balm was used by the Greeks and Romans to drive away evil spirits and for its ability to attract bees. The colonists brought this useful herb with them to the New World and it appears in the American edition of Pereiara's Materia Medica as an herb that induces sweating in fevers and in regulating menstruation.
Lemon Balm leaves can be combined with other lemon herbs such as lemon thyme,
lemon basil, and
lemon verbena and added to vinegar for a uniquely sweet taste.
Dried Lemon Balm is one of the ingredients in Benedictine and Chartreuse liqueurs.
Medicinally,
Lemon Balm is used in tea for fevers, to help digestion, and for tension headache. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy for depression, melancholy, and nervous tension. Externally in salve, it has been effective in relieving symptoms of herpes simplex, sores, and painful swellings. A compress is good for gout. An interesting development is that this very common plant is being investigated along with common sage as herbs with memory-improving properties.
As with any herb or supplement, a physician should be consulted prior to use.
Also available:
Lemon Balm Seeds
Lemon Basil Seeds
Lemon Catnip Seeds
Lemon Ginger Tea Blend
