Lemon Balm: More Than a Tasty Herb
Have you heard of Lemon Balm? Its Latin name is Melissa Officinalis, and is sometimes referred to as Melissa. But if you’re a gardener of any sort, you might know this herb for its ability to keep away insects. Lemon Balm is a variety of mint that is well known for its light citrus flavor.
But even more than this, Lemon Balm is one of the longest used herbs for medicinal purposes, and has been widely used around the world. Because of its variety of properties, this every day herb has many uses in the body and throughout the home.
If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out my posts about why I use herbs, and how I’m building my home apothecary.
The following statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are intended for educational purposes only.
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How to Use Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm for the Body
Lemon Balm is a know nervine, meaning it is calming and supportive to the nervous system. Due to its mild sedative properties, it is known to aid in the relief of anxiety and depression symptoms.
Similarly to its mint relatives, its bright flavor has a cooling effect, which has made it popular for relieving headaches and migraines caused by tension.
Melissa has also been used historically to treat Herpes Simplex Virus. If fever blisters/cold sores are a common problem for you, you may want to jump on this herb.
Uses for Home
Melissa essential oil can be diffused when you’re in need of a mood lift or relief from stress and tension.
As this herb is antimicrobial and antibacterial, it makes a great addition to homemade cleaners! Add a few drops of Melissa Essential Oil or an ounce of your Lemon Balm tincture to a spray bottle with your homemade cleaner, and reap those germ-killing benefits!
My Plans for Melissa
With Spring arriving and summer close behind, the sunlight increases the instance of fever blisters. I am currently infusing an oil and a tincture for this purpose- an oil to make a salve, and a tincture for when I need a drying effect also.
I will also be adding some of the tincture to my all purpose cleaner and reserving some loose leaves for relaxing teas.
Possible Interactions
Lemon Balm is a known thyroid stimulant, and may interact with some treatments for thyroid conditions, diabetes, and epilepsy. If you have any of these chronic ailments or are taking any medications, be sure to consult a trusted physician before adding any herbal remedies to your plan.
Here, we believe that herbs are medicine and should be treated as such. Herbs can interact with medications, and while infrequent, can have adverse effects.
Where to Buy
When sourcing Herbs, its important to buy organic and in some instances, locally sourced. You can buy a good size bag of Lemon Balm from Starwest Botanicals. (This is an Affiliate link)
Thank you for visiting Headed for a Homestead Blog. I’m Rebekah, your creator and author since 2023. As a new blogger in this big space, I’m still learning the ropes, and just as excited as when I began. I hope you’ll take some time to look around and maybe find a recipe or project you’d like to try.
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