One of my new favorite herbs is lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). The leaves emit a lemon scent when bruised, and they also taste distinctly lemony. The plant will die down in the winter, after blooming from June through October, but is classified as a perennial so it should come back in the following growing season (Note March ’09: Both of my lemon balm plants are coming back, so it is, in fact, a perennial!). The London Dispensary in 1696 stated: ‘An essence of Balm, given in Canary wine, every morning will renew youth, strengthen the brain, relieve languishing nature and prevent baldness.’ And it’s been claimed that ‘balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy. Balm steeped in wine comforts the heart and driveth away melancholy and sadness.’ Drive away melancholy and sadness…part of that could depend on how much wine you steep it with 🙂 .
It has properties that attract beneficial insects like bees, yet acts as a repellent for unwanted insects. The only culture required is to keep them clean from weeds and cut off the decayed stalks in autumn, and then to stir the ground between the roots.
Herbal benefits: It induces a mild perspiration and makes a pleasant and cooling tea for feverish patients with the flu. To make the tea, pour 1 pint of boiling water upon 1 oz. of herb, infuse 15 minutes, allow to cool, then strain and drink freely. It is also good for headaches and in small amounts it has mild sedative properties – larger amounts tend to be stimulatory. I like to mix a tsp of Valerian root with a few leaves of lemon balm (bruised) before bedtime. It also makes a nice tea when mixed with fresh peppermint leaves.
Happy Gardening!
Really nice blog! i like that you explained all about the herb plus gave a tea recipe to use it. I don’t know how easy it would be to find it though? where do you get your herbs from?
I buy my fresh herbs from a local nursery down the street from me, but you can pretty much find herb seeds (if you can’t find the plants themselves) anywhere that would sell them – you could also check places like Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc… I buy my dried and some fresh herbs from a local herb shop (Phoenix Herbs if anyone reading this is in Kansas City, or you can buy online). But you can find bulk dried herbs in organic/hippie grocery stores (the most main stream example would be Whole Foods, but I’m not a huge fan and only go there when I have to), local co-op’s, and also at various online shops like mountainroseherbs.com. Online tea shops such as Choice Organics, http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/herbalteas.asp, has herbal tea blends already made up that you can buy in bulk – proper storage of the teas will prevent them from becoming stale when you buy in bulk. I guess what I would recommend doing first is to google local herb shops or nurseries in your area, and see if you can support some local shops. Then, if that’s a no-go, check online…
Sara check out my pig China (named china because she was rescued from the back of a Chinese restaurant.) She is not even a year old and so big and beautiful. Most people have no idea how big and happy these pork pigs get because they are usually slaughtered well before they reach china’s age.
Judy
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interesting