Lemon balm is quite the tasty little herb. If you haven’t had the opportunity to pick off a fresh leaf, crush it a bit, give it a good smell, and then pop it in your mouth - you are missing out! Lemon balm gets it’s common name from its lemony aroma. It’s latin name Melissa officionalis tells us a bit more. Melissa comes from the Greek for bee (1) and officionalis shows us that this plant has long been an official herb of apothecaries (4). Other names it has earned are: “The Gladdening Herb” (1) and “The elixir of life” (4). Not too shabby for this mint family perennial plant!

Growing Lemon balm:

Lemon balm is so easy to grow, it makes a fantastic first addition to many an herbal garden. It grows so well in fact, that it is often considered a troublesome weed. Growing lemon balm in a container is a great way to keep it in check. I personally let it grow in my garden alongside my other mint family herbs and give them all regular trims for personal use.

If you live in zones 4-9, lemon balm will come back year after year and will self sow easily. If you are in a colder climate, lemon balm is a fantastic annual plant. (4) Lemon balm likes well drained soil and partial to full sun. When it flowers, you will also see many bees and other pollinators in your garden.

Harvesting Lemon balm:

Lemon balm can be harvested as long as there are leaves for the taking. The leaves can be clipped off before, during, or after flowering but are more flavorful before going to flower. The leaves can also be dried and used during the cold months making a fantastic tea. Fresh is best with this herb as many of Melissa’s healing qualities are found in the essential oils which are abundant in the raw plant material. A word of caution for your thyroid and your checkbook, Lemon balm essential oil is very expensive and using this highly concentrated medicine can have harmful effects on your thyroid function if you tend towards low function. Never use essential oils to treat medical conditions without consulting a qualified healthcare provider who knows your medical issues quite well. I’ve personally treated many essential oil injuries over the years, so do be careful and talk with your doctor/herbalist first.

Lemon balm and Hyperthyroidism/Grave’s Disease:

Lemon balm can be used as part of a treatment for overactive thyroid function and works on several different levels. If some of the following words are a bit unfamiliar to you, be sure to read my article all about healthy thyroid function .

First, lemon balm is soothing to the nervous system which helps counter the anxiety, agitation, heart palpitations, and gastrointestinal effects of high thyroid function. Lemon balm also directly affects thyroid function too. Here, it inhibits binding of TSH to thyroid receptors, interferes with the creation of T4 by getting in the way of iodine binding to thyroxine, and finally, it slows the conversion of T4 into its more active sibling T3 in peripheral tissues. In addition to these activities, lemon balm constituents have also been found to block the stimulating autoantibodies made in Grave’s disease! (5)

Lemon balm and Anxiety/Stress/Insomnia/ADD/Depression

Lemon balm is soothing. Energetically, it is both cooling and drying (the opposite of a hot, red, sweaty person in the throws of an overactive thyroid). (3) The essential oils found in these green leaves reduce tension and relax the nervous system making it a nervine tonic.

Dr. Tieraona Low Dog uses lemon balm in children suffering from the symptoms of ADD and AHDH and states, “It is believed that this plant can help filter out excessive stimuli from the body. Melissa probably acts as a homeostatic modulator of nervous input from the inside and outside environment.” (1)

I personally like to crush a few leaves between my fingers and deeply inhale during times of stress or when I’m feeling scatter-brained. This helps me pull my thoughts back together and reset.

Lemon balm is commonly combined with other herbs such as chamomile, lavender, and passion flower to help with sleep. This can be done as a bath, a tea, a tincture or glycerite, massage oil, or even baked into cookies. Herbs are food as well as medicine, and we can get quite creative with them.

Lastly, lemon balm is a mild anti-depressant. This is where the name “Gladdening Herb” comes from. Melissa has long been used as a remedy during heartache and grief.

Lemon balm and Viruses

All mint family plants have anti-viral activity. Lemon balm in particular lowers two of our inflammatory chemicals IL-1( makes you fatigued) and IL-6 (makes you anxious) helping to reduce inflammation. Lemon balm also has strong antioxidant activity which is key in the setting of infection. Research shows lemon balm to have a strong anti-viral effect against the herpes family of viruses when they come into direct contact with lemon balm. This makes an oil infused with lemon balm a great treatment for the sores of chicken pox/shingles and herpes simplex 1 & 2. Soothing effects have also been seen with the blisters on hands and feet seen in Enterovirus 71 infections.

Stephen Buhner author of Herbal Antivirals, Herbal Antibiotiics, and many other great books does promote the use of lemon balm internally as part of a treatment for shingles. (2) Historically, lemon balm has also been used in the treatment of bronchitis.

Personally, I like to make a lip balm that incorporates lemon balm infused oil as I’m prone to herpes sores on my lips. Since I have been making this lip balm, my breakouts are fewer and my healing is much quicker. I will keep lemon balm oil in my list of tricks if and when I develop shingles!

Lemon balm infused water:

This introductory recipe is not tea. This is a cold infusion of crushed lemon balm leaves allowing you to quickly and easily appreciate the flavor or lemon balm.

1. Harvest a handful of two of fresh lemon balm leaves.

2. Roughly chop and bruise the leaves.

3. Add leaves to a pitcher or glass.

4. Cover with room temperature water.

5. Allow to sit on the counter for 1-2 hours.

6. Strain and sip your creation.

7. If you would like to play with this recipe, sliced lemon and cucumbers make a great addition.

I hope you have learned a lot here and are ready to start growing your own lemon balm. I welcome your questions and comments and look forward to hearing from you all.

To our health!

References

1. Bellebuono, H, Women Healers of the World, 2014, Helios Press, New York, NY

2. Buhner, S, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA

3. De La Foret, R Alchemy of Herbs, 2017, Hay House Inc, Carlsbad, CA

4. Gladstar, R, Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, 2012, Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA

5. Tilnger, S, Herbal ABC’s, 2018, Wise Acres LLC, Pleasant Hill, OR