Lemon balm is a prolific plant with a clear, lemony scent. It’s additionally extremely helpful on your backyard because it attracts pollinators. Plus, you may harvest and use the leaves to make tea, cleaning soap, lip balm, and extra! Right here’s every little thing it’s worthwhile to learn about tips on how to develop and use the lemon balm plant.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a vigorous wild plant that simply naturalizes within the house backyard. Whereas some could name it a weed, it’s straightforward to like within the backyard, and it has a number of medicinal and culinary makes use of.

I’ve been utilizing and writing about lemon balm for a few years now, and it’s time I put all of it collectively in a single place so you may reference every little thing about lemon balm, together with what it’s good for, tips on how to develop Melissa officinalis, tips on how to correctly harvest the leaves, plus tips on how to use it in tea and different recipes.

This publish will cowl…

LoriAnn’s Inexperienced Blessing

This text was reviewed by herbalist LoriAnn Chicken. This isn’t for use as private medical recommendation; at all times seek the advice of your well being care skilled for particular person considerations.

Here’s what LoriAnn needed to say:

Hippocrates wrote in 400BCE, “You’ll find the drink oxymel very helpful….it promotes expectoration and freedom of respiration.” The Greek phrase ‘oxymeli’ refers back to the combination of acid and honey, identified to spice up the immune system. Many vegetation like lemon balm might be infused for this candy and bitter natural elixir. Fill a jar 1/4 full with dried plant materials and add in equal elements honey and vinegar. Shake and infuse for two weeks, pressure, and add to soda water or scorching teas.

Natural Information to Lemon Balm

Melissa is a member of the mint household (Lamiaceae) and might typically be mistaken for mint. With related heart-shaped leaves and sq. stems like mint, you may rapidly establish it while you run a leaf between your fingers. It has a definite minty/lemony aroma that’s clear and barely antiseptic.

The lemon balm plant is to not be mistaken with lemon verbena, one other lemon-scented herb generally grown within the backyard and in addition used for tea. The scent of lemon verbena is sweeter, extra like lemon meringue pie, the place lemon balm combines lemon freshness with notes of mint.

Herbal Guide to Lemon Balm: Grow, Harvest, and Use a Lemon Balm Plant — Lemon balm seems to be just like mint, however has a definite lemon aroma to it.

Advantages of Lemon Balm for Your Backyard

As with all members of the mint household, lemon balm is exceptionally enticing to pollinators, which is among the main causes I develop it in my backyard and fortunately nurture any volunteers that pop up. Bees and lemon balm, particularly, have an extended historical past of being finest buds, relationship again to the traditional Greeks.

The botanical title is Melissa, which comes from the Greek phrase for bee. In historical past, Greeks revered bees, which had been sacred to the goddess Artemis. They had been additionally related to the nymph Melissae, who discovered the infant Zeus and nursed him with honey. The Greeks believed that nymphs may flip into bees.

This beautiful herb has most of the identical chemical compounds in bee pheromones, so beekeepers and gardeners plant it to attract pollinators to their gardens. Beekeepers will even crush its leaves and use its scent to draw employee bees to a brand new hive.

You could wish to plant it alongside the borders of your vegetable backyard to entice bees to swing by for a nip and pollinate your veggies, too.

Well being Advantages of Lemon Balm

If you’re feeling burdened, exit and decide some recent lemon balm leaves. Breathe within the recent aroma, or make your self a cup of tea (see beneath for the recipe). In relation to stress, Melissa is a must have. It’s helpful for soothing the exhausted and overwhelmed soul.

Moreover, lemon balm may also help to calm the nervous system, ease complications, decrease nervousness, quiet nervous rigidity, and ship you off to a dreamy night time’s sleep.

It’s additionally very calming on your stomach and is commonly used for digestive upset and cramps. It helps to enhance digestion by stimulating the liver.

Lemon balm’s antiviral properties make it my go-to for frequent colds and chilly sores. Its capacity to counteract infections whereas concurrently soothing nervousness is ideal for the winter months.

Ought to I Keep away from Lemon Balm?

These with hypothyroidism ought to keep away from lemon balm, as it might cut back thyroid hormone ranges and reduce the effectivity of thyroid hormone alternative treatment.

Pregnant and nursing moms ought to communicate with their docs earlier than utilizing this herb.

Stephanie Rose and Lemon Balm — Me with a handful of lemon balm.

Develop Lemon Balm

Botanical Identify: Melissa officinalis

Household: Lamiaceae

USDA Zone: 4-7, annual in colder climates

Peak: 12 to 18 inches (30 -45cm)

Spacing: 12 and 15 inches (30 and 38 cm) aside

Gentle: Full solar, will tolerate partial shade

Water: likes wealthy, well-watered soil however tolerant of drought

Warnings: could also be thought of a noxious weed or invasive plant in some areas

The lemon balm plant is extremely straightforward to develop from seed, however it’s possible you’ll be fortunate sufficient to have a patch rising in your backyard. As a result of it’s a prolific, wild plant, it not often must be propagated in lots of elements of North America and Europe.

Soil

It likes wealthy soil that’s stored moist and well-drained however will usually tolerate any soil. If pests like thrips or whiteflies begin to injury the leaves, it’s actually because the soil wants consideration because the plant isn’t strong sufficient to resist them.

Daylight

Vegetation choose a spot with full daylight, however it may additionally develop in gentle shade. Powdery mildew is extra frequent in shadier spots of the backyard. Attempt to get full solar in case you have the area.

Beginning Indoors

Begin lemon balm from seed indoors 6-8 weeks earlier than the final frost. Transplant out in early spring, within the floor, spaced 12 to fifteen inches aside or in containers to regulate their speedy unfold.

A Extremely Prolific Plant

Lemon balm tends to unfold quickly and might take over a backyard plot. One strategy to keep away from that is to develop it in containers. In the event you would favor to develop it within the floor, harvest it frequently and take away its flowers earlier than they set seed.

You can even dig across the vegetation’ edges to stop the roots from spreading additional into the backyard. Typically, the excessive oil focus retains bugs and ailments from bothering it.

Harvest Lemon Balm

Harvesting the vegetation needs to be executed within the morning earlier than the warmth of the day. For probably the most efficiency, harvest leaves earlier than flowering. Depart a few of the vegetation to flower for the bees, and after flowering, in the reduction of as much as two-thirds of the plant to encourage bushier and sturdier vegetation. Harvesting the vegetation at totally different occasions means you should have new, recent development to select from all through the season.

You need to use lemon balm recent from the backyard or dry it to be used all year long. To dry it, strip the leaves from the stems. Lay them on a drying display screen out of direct daylight till crispy. Retailer the leaves in hermetic containers till you’re prepared to make use of them.

flower arrangement with lemon balm — Use lemon balm in your backyard preparations.

Lemon Balm Makes use of

Lemon balm is a well-liked herb in each the kitchen and residential apothecary. In cooking, recent or dried leaves can be utilized as mint can be in sauces, salad dressings, and soups. It’s simply made right into a tea, a tincture, or an infused oil. Listed here are a few of my favorite methods to make use of the lemon balm plant.

Make an Infused Oil

See tips on how to make Lemon Balm Infused Oil right here. This oil can be utilized in skincare recipes or, if a culinary oil is used, in cooking.

Lemon Balm Herbal Oil Infusion — Recent is finest for getting the natural properties of lemon balm.

Lemon Balm Tea

You may make this tea with each recent and dried leaves. Sip it to appease nervousness, insomnia, and digestive troubles. To make lemon balm tea, add 1/4 cup of recent leaves chopped and bruised or a tablespoon of dry leaves into one cup of boiling water.

Enable it to steep for 5-10 minutes, overlaying the tea in order that the risky oils don’t evaporate because it steeps. Add one teaspoon of honey in case you select.

I like making teas from my backyard – learn extra about tips on how to make the proper cup of natural tea right here.

mug with fresh herbs for making tea — Use recent lemon balm on your tea in case you can!

Lemon Balm Pores and skin Care Recipes

Lemon balm is my go-to herb for little crimson spots like chilly sores. The natural properties are finest extracted in an oil infusion utilizing the recent herb. I usually solely make natural oil infusions with dried herbs to keep away from introducing any moisture into the oil that may velocity up spoilage and appeal to unhealthy micro organism development. Nonetheless, lemon balm is stronger as a recent herb. On this case, I take advantage of the oil infusion instantly for recipes.

Learn extra about utilizing lemon balm for chilly sores and tips on how to make lemon balm lip balm right here.

You can even use the oil to make a stunning lemon balm cleaning soap.

Lemon Balm Cleaner

Having such a prolific plant comes with its advantages. I can harvest lemon balm fairly frequently, and I take advantage of it in what’s my favorite pure cleaner for round the home.

To make this cleaner, I infuse the lemon balm in vinegar to create a strong and lemony focus. See how I make it right here.

lemon balm cleaner in an amber spray bottle — I take advantage of this as an all-purpose cleaner.

Lemon Balm FAQ

Does lemon balm come again yearly?

Lemon balm returns as a perennial in zones 4-7. In colder climates, it may be handled as an annual.

Are you able to eat lemon balm leaves uncooked?

Sure, you may take pleasure in lemon balm recent. It has the most effective flavour and is handiest for natural recipes when it’s recent.

What a part of lemon balm is edible?

The entire plant is edible, although most individuals solely use the leaves, as that is the place a lot of the risky oils are saved within the plant.

Are you able to propagate lemon balm in water?

Sure, you may take a stem slicing and propagate your lemon balm in water. For the reason that plant is so prolific, I discover it best simply to divide an current plant because it has so many offshoots.

How do I deal with lemon balm with a fungal illness?

In the event you spot white spots in your lemon balm, merely in the reduction of any affected areas (and a little bit extra for good measure), and it ought to develop again by itself. Lemon balm is invasive at occasions, so it may deal with a heavy clipping.