materia medica: lemon balm (melissa officinalis)

Lemon Balm is not only one of the most useful herbs for the entire family, it’s also one of the most delicious! It has many uses for illnesses and ailments, it’s delicious added to foods and drinks, and it also makes a very enjoyable cup of calming tea. As a member of the mint family, it’s very easy to grow at home.

The benefits of Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm is a gentle nervine, meaning that it is very calming to the nervous system. This makes it ideal for calming the nerves, helping to have a restful sleep, relieving headaches, and so much more. It’s also the ideal herb for calming restless children.

In addition to being a nervine, lemon balm is also antiviral, making it a useful herb when suffering from a cold, flu or even chickenpox and shingles. One of my family’s favorite uses is for relief from cold sores (see below for how we do that).

Lemon Balm is also a great herb to have on hand for stomach upsets. Its antispasmodic characteristics will help relieve upset tummy cramps. Have a nervous stomach? A cup of lemon balm tea is exactly what you need. Have a bloated belly after a big meal? Lemon balm will gently stimulate the liver to assist with digestion.

Having a patch of lemon balm in your garden is also handy when you get a bug bite! Grab a few leaves, chew them up, apply to an itchy bug bite, and you will quickly find relief. A lemon balm tea will help with other itchy rashes you may suffer, as well.

How to make Lemon Balm tea

In the herb world, a “tea” is an infusion of an herb in water. Sometimes the tea is enjoyed as a beverage, other times it’s used as a topical compress. It’s made the same way, regardless of how it will be used.

Lemon Balm Tea

1T crushed, dried lemon balm leaves (if you are using fresh, be sure to crush them before using)

1 cup almost boiling water (I boil the water and then let it sit 30-60 seconds)

Pour water over the leaves and cover (this prevents the potent volatile oils from escaping)

Steep for 20 minutes and then strain out the leaves.

For a relaxing cup of tea, to ease stomach upsets, or to support a restful night’s sleep, enjoy drinking the tea. Be sure and smell the tea as you sip – those volatile oils are very helpful!

For rashes, cold sores, insect bites and other skin irritations, dip a clean cloth into the tea. Apply to the irritated area. I find it soothing to then cover the tea cloth with a second cloth soaked in warm water. Keep in place for 10 minutes or more. Repeat as needed, several times throughout the day. Store the leftover tea in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours – warming before each use.

This is what my family does for cold sores. We have had much success with cold sores often disappearing after only a few uses. However! It’s important to remember when using herbal remedies – the herbs leave your body, on average, after 3 hours. Therefore, it’s important to continue treatment even after the rash/irritation is gone to keep it from returning. I recommend an additional 3 applications one day after the rash is gone.

Nutritional Benefits of Lemon Balm

The leaves of the lemon balm plant contain flavonoids, terpenes and rosmarinic acid – which are all very useful to your body! With lemon balm’s delicious flavor, it’s great to add it to your diet to take advantage of this boost in nutrition! You can add it to your salads, smoothies, stir fries and soups. You can also add a handful of fresh leaves to a pitcher of water and let it infuse for 30 minutes for a light lemon water taste.

In my refrigerator, you can often find a pitcher of Iced Lemon Balm tea. Using the 1T of lemon balm to 1 cup of water ratio, I infuse a strong batch of 4 cups of hot tea. I’ll often let this steep, covered, for 45 minutes or more. I then strain out the herbs and put the tea in the refrigerator. I personally don’t add any sweetener to the tea, but you could certainly add honey or stevia leaf if that’s your preference.

Lemon Balm Safety

Lemon Balm is considered safe for most people; however, you will sometimes see that caution is recommended for those who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Caution is always warranted by those who are pregnant or those who are nursing.

Adding Lemon Balm to your pantry

As gardening season approaches, consider adding a lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) plant to your garden or to an outdoor container. Another option would be that you could purchase a bag of dried, loose leaf lemon balm to keep in your pantry.

Here is a link to the brand that you'll find in my pantry.  

No matter where you purchase your lemon balm, be sure it’s organic, non-gmo. You wouldn’t want to introduce dangerous chemicals into your body when you are striving to use a healthy, natural remedy to improve your overall wellness.

I’d love to hear from you – are you going to give lemon balm a try? How will you use it? Have any questions? Let me know! I’m here to support you in your wellness journey!

Much love,

Kim

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