Lemon Balm Bliss

Melissa Officinalis

The ancient Greeks named this lovely, lemon-scented plant Melissa after the honeybee and no doubt Lemon Balm will bring sweetness to your life! A gentle— yet powerful— healer, Lemon balm is a mild remedy perfect for kids, the elderly, and anyone looking to invite happiness to the heart. Lemon balm’s bliss starts with your first sip of tea: a light, pleasant taste of earthy sweetness with a kiss of citrus. From there, the plant’s therapeutic properties can take many forms.

For thousands of years, people have called on lemon balm to lift the spirits and comfort the heart. Known by herbalists as a calming nervine, lemon balm both restores and relaxes the nervous system— proving helpful for anxiety, minor headaches, nervousness, and insomnia. As a cardiovascular relaxant, Lemon Balm calms nervous heart complaints. Chinese medicine believes Lemon balm operates where the nerves, heart, and blood intersect.

Like its other cousins in the mint family, lemon balm has a carminative action that improves digestion— perfect for a nervous or upset tummy— and also functions as a diaphoretic hot tea for colds & fevers. Because of its mood-boosting and antispasmodic properties, Lemon balm is a supportive friend for depressive PMS and throughout menses. Energetically bright and cheery, lemon balm is a fantastic remedy for general irritability. At Flaming Thistle Press, we’ve found Lemonbalm to be a great aid for increasing focus, and often use it in formula with Schisandra and Hawthorne berries for those with ADHD.

Externally, lemon balm can be used for cold sores and inflammations of the mouth. The plant’s antiviral polyphenols combat the herpes simplex virus when applied topically as an infused oil or a compress of the tea. Flaming Thistle Press has a special lemon balm product in the works for outbreaks— be on the lookout!

True to the name Melissa, the bees love lemon balm. planting this easy-to-grow mint-family herb is no doubt a great way to invite pollinators to your garden. Standing up to 5ft tall, Melissa’s leaves grow with optimistic abundance, inviting us to do the same.

CAUTIONS: Use with caution during pregnancy due to its mild uterine stimulant effect.

Sources:

Chevallier, Andrew. Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2001

Ganora, Lisa. Herbal Constituents : Foundations of Phytochemistry. 2nd ed., Louisville, Colo., Herbalchem Press, 2021.

Skenderi, Gazmend. Herbal Vade Mecum : 800 Herbs, Spices, Essential Oils, Lipids, Etc., Constituents, Properties, Uses, and Caution. Rutherford, N.J., Herbacy Press, 2004.

Holmes, Peter. The Energetics of Western Herbs : A Materia Medica Integrating Western and Chinese Herbal Therapeutics. 4th ed., Cotati, Calif., Snow Lotus Press, 2007.

Moore, Michael. Herbal Materia Medica. 5th ed., 1995.