LOVELY LEMON BALM!

 

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm Tea!

We love lemon balm for it's calming qualities! It may support a nervous stomach and it's so soothing to sip before bed! It is very gentle, and the fragrance is intoxicating!

LEMON BALM ICED TEA!🍋

1 heat proof - 64oz. pitcher

4 heaping tablespoons of Lovely Lemon Balm

32 oz. boiling water

6 cups ice

Raspberries and rosemary or mint to garnish!

Heat 32 oz. of water to boiling. Put lemon balm in a tea filter or infuser basket. Add boiling water. Steep 10 minutes.

Remove tea filter and fill remaining pitcher with ice!!

Lemon Balm Tincture

Take 2 handfuls of clean lemon balm, 2 cups boiling water

cover & turn off heat, steep for 20 min or more

strain add 2 cups raw sugar bring to a boil & skim if needed.

Pour in sterilized jars. Add 1/8 ascorbic acid option. Use within months, keep

in fridge. Add to your sparkling water, tea, or drinks.

Lemon Balm Herbal Remedies & Recipes

Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits of lemon balm, let’s talk about how to use it!

Lemon Balm Tea Recipe

“Lemon balm makes a delightful tasting tea that can be drunk simply for pleasure or for its mood elevating and nervine effects.”

Ingredients:

3-5 fresh lemon balm leaves or 1 teaspoon dried organic lemon balm leaves

1 cup boiling water

Directions: Pour boiling water over the leaves and let them steep for 5-10 minutes. Strain out the leaves and sweeten with honey, maple syrup, or any other sweetener if desired, then serve.

Note: Lavender blossoms work synergistically with lemon balm for easing stress and overall tension. If you’d like to include lavender in this tea, add 1 teaspoon of dried blossoms.

Lemon Balm Tincture Recipe

Tinctures are one of the easiest ways to incorporate herbs into a full schedule. I like to add a dropperful of lemon balm tincture along with an adaptogen like eleuthero to help me stay calm, focused and stress-resilient during the day.

Ingredients:

½ cup freshly chopped lemon balm leaves or ¼ – ⅓ cup of dried lemon balm leaves

1 cup of 80-proof vodka

Directions: Place the lemon balm leaves in a clean 16-ounce mason jar. Next, pour the vodka over the leaves. Once the leaves have settled, there should be at least ½ an inch of alcohol covering the top of the leaves – if not, then add more to meet that amount. Securely place the lid of the jar and shake well. Place the jar in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks. When the tincture is ready, strain out the lemon balm and label the jar.

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How To Make A Lemon Balm Poultice For Bug Bites, Bee Stings, & Scrapes

As I mentioned in this post on plantain herb benefits, the simplest way to support wound healing is to pluck some fresh from your garden, chew it, and pop it onto a bee sting, scrape, etc. While lemon balm is a delight to chew, not everyone is a fan of spit poultice’s (including my kids).

With that in mind, here’s another way to make a poultice:

Use a mortar and pestal or your food processor/blender, mix the fresh lemon balm leaves with just enough water to make a slurry.

Once the slurry is ready, place it on the affected area (if it is a sting, ensure there is no stinger left behind). Cover with cheesecloth and bind with gauze wrap to secure it in place. Leave the poultice on for 20-30 minutes. Refresh with a new poultice if desired, then clean the area.

A couple of things to note: If you are allergic to lemon balm and have a dermatitis reaction to it (aka, you break out in a rash when you come in contact with the plant), you shouldn’t use it as a poultice. Also, while lemon balm could be used for small cuts, most of the time it’s safer and cleaner to use lemon balm poultices on small closed wounds, bumps, and scrapes (essentially when it is no longer bleeding).

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Culinary Uses of Lemon Balm

You can brew it into tea (recipe above), use it instead of lemon in soups and sauces, or add it to marinades and salads.

Lemon Balm

(Melissa officinalis)

Lemon balm is an attractive herb with yellow or variegated leaves

smelling strongly of lemons. Is is a great addition to any garden

since it is very attractive to bees. A tea made from the leaves is

said to relieve tiredness, sooth headaches, and calm nerves.

Description

This vigorous plant will readily spread throughout the border. It

reaches a height of 3 feet with a spread of 2 feet. The oval, almost

heart-shaped leaves have slightly serrated edges and a pronounced

network of veins; they can be up to 2½ inches across. The flowers,

which bloom from mid- to late summer are small, white, and

insignificant.

Cultivation

Seeds are slow to germinate and are so fine that they hardly need

covering at all. An alternative method of propagation is to take

cuttings in late spring and root them in water. Plant in warm, moist

soil in a sunny location. Good sun and moisture are necessary for the

production of essential oil and good fragrance. Cut back to soil

level in the fall to encourage strong growth. The plant will not

tolerate high humidity. Lemon Balm performs well in containers.

Culinary Uses

Use fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish for fish and other

dishes. When candied, the leaves make attractive cake decorations.

Chopped leaves can be added to fish and chicken dishes and sprinkled

over fresh vegetables. Add the leaves to cooked dishes in the last

few minutes. They can also be added to summer drinks and fruit

salads, and make a good substitute for lemon peel in recipes.

Medicinal Use

Lemon balm is traditionally used to restore nerves. It helps relieve

anxiety attacks, palpitations with nausea, mild insomnia and phobias.

It combines well with peppermint to stimulate circulation, and can

also be used for colds and flu.

Other Uses

An infusion of leaves makes a refreshing skin toner and can be used

in rinse water for clothes. A stronger infusion makes a good rinse

for oily hair. Use as a facial steam for dry skin. Dried leaves add a

lemony scent to Potpourris.

from Garden Guides

Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis

aka: Sweet Balm, Garden Balm and Melissa

Melissa is a Greek word meaning "honey bee". Officinalis indicates 

that the plant is medicinal in nature. 

History

This member of the mint family has been recognized for both its 

soothing smell and medicinal qualities for as far back as the ancient 

Greeks. In the Elizabethan times, Londoners carried Tussie Mussies 

filled with Lemon Balm and other sweet smelling herbs and flowers.

Today, Lemon Balm is used for its sedating and calming properties. 

Use it to relax the nervous system, relieve cramping and many other 

stomach problems. Lemon Balm has also been found to increase blood 

circulation and is great for treating colds.

Lemon Balm is an easy to grow perennial with small white flowers that 

bloom from July through September. It can reach a height up to 3 feet 

and can tolerate most types of soil. It propagates easily by seeds 

and root division. It requires minimum attention but does need plenty 

of water. Both the leaves and the flowers have the sweet lemony scent 

and can be used fresh or dried.

When it dies back in the winter, cut the long dried out stems to the 

ground. Then wait until spring when it comes back to life. Lemon Balm 

can easily take over your garden; good thing it does so well in 

containers.

Medicinal Uses

Lemon Balm has many uses including restoring the nervous system, 

relieving anxiety attacks, palpitations, phobias and insomnia. It 

also supports the female reproductive system by regulating menstrual 

cycle, easing cramping and it's antidepressant properties helps with 

emotional upsets.

Lemon Balm is a great tea for feverish patients suffering from the 

flu. It increases sweating and helps reduce fever. It has also been 

found to increase blood circulation and is great for treating colds.

Medicinal Properties Include:

Calmative, Nervine, Antispasmodic, Antihistamine, Carminative, 

Sedative, Antidepressant, Diaphoretic, Febrifuge, Antiviral, 

Antibacterial, Antimicrobial.

Dried Herb Usage

Tea - Drink for colds, fever, indigestion, PMS and insomnia.

Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried crushed herbs per cup of boiled water. 

Steep 10 minutes. 

Skin - Use dried Lemon Balm for a lightly astringent facial steam. 

Rub fresh leaves on the skin to treat cold sores, insect bites and 

for a natural mosquito repellent. Careful, can attract Bees.

Bath - It's antihistaminic abilities make it beneficial to allergy 

sufferers and those that suffer from upper respiratory difficulty. 

Make a strong infusion then add to bath water. Also great for 

purifying baths.

Potpourri - A great addition of scent to any potpourri or Tussie 

Mussies.

Culinary - Use fresh leaves in salads, salad dressings or as a 

garnish. Add chopped leaves to the last few minutes of cooking fish 

and chicken or sprinkle over vegetables.

Essential Oil Usage

Inhalation: Use in a diffuser to balance emotions, strenghten the 

mind and remove mental blocks.

Skin - Great for cold sores and other herpes viruses outbreaks.

Circulatory System - Increases blood circulation. Add 8 drops to 

bath, soak 15 minutes.

Cautions:

It is not suggested to use Lemon Balm when pregnant because of its 

effect with balancing the menstrual cycle.

It may irritate skin if used in large quantities, use on infected 

areas only; avoid surrounding areas of skin. 

Anti-Depression Drink

1 cup lemon balm leaves (you can substitute lemon juice)

large pitcher

1 bottle white wine OR 1 quart lemonade

plastic wrap

1 bottle ginger ale

lemon slices

Put the lemon balm/juice in the pitcher. Pour the wine/lemonade over them

and chant:

Wine and herb now mix together

Bring my spirit sunny weather

As I sip you, blues be gone

By breeze, earth,sea, and shining sun.

Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least one

hour. Fill a tall glass with ice, then pour it half full of the earlier

prepared wine and lemon. Finish filling the glass with ginger ale, stir and

garnish with a lemon slice or two. Hold the glass high in a toast to the

deities and chant:

A happy life I grant myself

The joy of fairies, sprites and elves!

As I sip depression leave!

As I will so mote it be!