Melissa officinalis | Lemon Balm, Balm Mint
See my 2019 video on drying herbs for tea.
Melissa officinalis | Lemon Balm, Balm Mint
Lamiaceae (Mint Family) Pronounced Lay-mee-aye-see-eye
The name 'Melissa" is Greek for "honey bee."
The name "officinalis" is Latin for "of the shop" in that it was sold as an herb and an herbal remedy.
I love Lemon Balm for everything! We mostly drink it as a warm tea in the evenings before bed. Both my husband and I enjoy it. I have grown spearmint for many years (although I removed it in 2024) and it pairs well with Lemon Balm for a bit of tea. Otherwise I did not have much use for the spearmint.
It is such a mild and friendly herb that it goes with just about everything. It is my favorite herb to use of those that I have grown. I like to put it in homemade mashed potatoes as it just makes it look wholesome. It also goes well in shortbread cookies and scones. It can be sprinkled on almost anything and combined well with other flavors.
Lemon Balm is known for containing chemicals that have a calming or sedative effect, so it is often used as a holistic ingredient. Some people say it helps with anxiety, stress, insomnia, and indigestion as well. There are many claims that this herb treats.
The flower is a small white flower. The aroma reaches its peak just before flowering, so it is best to harvest before the plant flowers.
This plant is a perennial. My plant has come back faithfully year after year.
The leaves are heart-shaped with a rough vein surface and scalloped edges.
People use it as essential oils too. I have simmered it in water for a room aroma.
Lemon balm is grown to attract bees for the making of honey. Honey takes on the flavor of what the bees visit during creation of that honey. It was used for this purpose from ages ago.
The plant is ancient! It is mentioned in Greek writings in 300 BC as "bee-leaf." Now that's really ancient! It was mentioned in writings in the middle ages and during the early eras of England. The colonist brought it to America and Thomas Jefferson even grew it in his Monticello garden.
An English botanist Culpepper suggested it would cause the heart to be merry, among other remedies.
2024
This is what the flower of the Lemon Balm looks like, although it is not recommended to let it flower as it should be picked before it goes to flower for best taste.
2020
Oh, there is rosemary I grew in that bowl next to the lemon thyme. The lemon balm is to the left.
2019
This was when I was growing lots of different kinds of herbs. I have settled on Lemon Balm as our favorite.
