Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), celebrated for its wide range of uses in the garden, kitchen and medicine cabinet.
Previously overlooked due to its aggressive tendencies, lemon balm is currently enjoying a revival by both herbalists and chefs alike, and its calming sensibilities are endearing themselves to our stressed-out, over-taxed bodies and minds. Indeed, as a healthy herbal tea, there can be no better tonic for uplifting spirits and relieving tension.
The mildly sedative tea eases headaches, indigestion and nausea and
causes a slight dilation of the blood vessels, thus helping to lower
blood pressure.
Ancient and more modern herbalists alike were well aware of the plant’s healing and restorative powers. Gerard and the ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist Dioscorides both used the leaves steeped in wine to treat snakebites and scorpion stings. Maud Grieve gave a nod of scientific proof to those ancient uses in her book A Modern Herbal. She wrote in 1931, “It is now recognized as a scientific fact that the balsamic oils of aromatic plants make excellent surgical dressings: they give off ozone and thus exercise anti-putrescent effects. Being chemical hydrocarbons, they contain so little oxygen that in wounds dressed with the fixed balsamic herbal oils, the atomic germs of disease are starved out, and the resinous parts of these balsamic oils, as they dry upon the sore or wound, seal it up and effectually exclude all noxious air.”
Lemon balm’s popularity continued throughout the centuries, and it was enjoyed as a tea to combat mental confusion and as an elixir thought to extend lifespan. So widespread was lemon balm’s reputation for promoting longevity and dispelling melancholy that by the 17th century, French Carmelite nuns were dispensing their Carmelite Water to a faithful following. The lemon-balm infused “miracle water” was thought to improve memory and vision and reduce rheumatic pain, fever, melancholy and congestion.
Introduced into Great Britain by the Romans, lemon balm is now found in both England and North America, brought by colonialists who had come to rely on it for teas and flavoring. American Shakers grew lemon balm as a relief from mild fevers. One of the herbs grown in Thomas Jefferson’s gardens, lemon balm was well established as an important culinary herb, one especially suited to syrups and beverages.
This salve helps with:
Happy Herbal Healing!
A History of Healing
Native to the Mediterranean region, lemon balm has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Its genus name, Melissa, is derived from the Greek word for bee; ancient Greek author Pliny the Elder and 16th-century herbalist John Gerard both observed that lemon balm is useful in attracting and keeping bees. Officinalis refers to its place in the official apothecary. The common name ‘‘balm’’ is shortened from ‘‘balsam.’’Ancient and more modern herbalists alike were well aware of the plant’s healing and restorative powers. Gerard and the ancient Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist Dioscorides both used the leaves steeped in wine to treat snakebites and scorpion stings. Maud Grieve gave a nod of scientific proof to those ancient uses in her book A Modern Herbal. She wrote in 1931, “It is now recognized as a scientific fact that the balsamic oils of aromatic plants make excellent surgical dressings: they give off ozone and thus exercise anti-putrescent effects. Being chemical hydrocarbons, they contain so little oxygen that in wounds dressed with the fixed balsamic herbal oils, the atomic germs of disease are starved out, and the resinous parts of these balsamic oils, as they dry upon the sore or wound, seal it up and effectually exclude all noxious air.”
Lemon balm’s popularity continued throughout the centuries, and it was enjoyed as a tea to combat mental confusion and as an elixir thought to extend lifespan. So widespread was lemon balm’s reputation for promoting longevity and dispelling melancholy that by the 17th century, French Carmelite nuns were dispensing their Carmelite Water to a faithful following. The lemon-balm infused “miracle water” was thought to improve memory and vision and reduce rheumatic pain, fever, melancholy and congestion.
Introduced into Great Britain by the Romans, lemon balm is now found in both England and North America, brought by colonialists who had come to rely on it for teas and flavoring. American Shakers grew lemon balm as a relief from mild fevers. One of the herbs grown in Thomas Jefferson’s gardens, lemon balm was well established as an important culinary herb, one especially suited to syrups and beverages.
Basic Lemon-balm Tea Recipe
The
leaves of this herb have long been appreciated for their flavor. Pour a
generous cup of freshly boiled water over 1-2 teaspoons of dried
lemon-balm leaves and steep, covered, for 10 minutes. Keep the leaves
covered to prevent most of the essential oils from escaping. Drink a
total of 3-4 cups over the course of a day, preferably before meals.
Lemon Balm and Calendula Salve
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup Dried Lemon Balm & Calendula (Just throw in a couple handfuls of each until you get 3/4 cup- try to use equal parts of each.)
- 1/2 Cup Beeswax
- 3 TBSP. Coconut Oil
- 2 TBSP. Shea Butter
- 5 Drops Tea Tree Oil
- 5 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
*I do not add preservatives. Many of the ingredients contain
natural preservatives, so your salve will have a shelf life of 1-2
years.
Directions:
- Add dried herbs, olive and coconut oil into crock pot and heat on low for 3-4 hours.
- Strain oil through cheesecloth and return to (clean) crock pot on low heat.
- Microwave beeswax and shea butter in 1 minute increments until fully melted.
- Immediately add melted beeswax and shea butter into crock pot & mix well with wooden spoon. If the wax starts to harden up turn the crock pot up to the high heat setting and stir until completely liquified.
- Add in tea tree and lavender essential oils and mix well.
- Pour mixture into small containers with lids and keep lids off until salve becomes solid.
- Minor Burns
- Bug Bites & Stings
- Inflammation
- Itching
- Chapped Lips
- Cold Sores
- Dry Skin
- Athletes Foot
- Warts
- Cracked Heals
- Sunburn
- Stretchmarks
- Hemorrhoids
- Shingles
- Muscle Aches & Menstrual Cramps
Happy Herbal Healing!
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