Lemon balm

I've got a new friend on my windowsill which I brought back from Wisley yesterday - it's a lemon balm (melissa officinalis) plant, the "All Gold" variety with it's vibrant yellow-green leaves. Sitting on my window sill it look and feels like a cheerful guardian, and the light through it's leaves catches my eye as I'm at my desk working. The International Herb Association voted it Herb of the Year for 2007!

It is said to have a variety of medicinal uses including migraines, insomnia, indigestion, and nervous excitability. So far I've used the dried herb in a tea with vervain and chamomile for calm and sleep. Here are some quotes and links for other uses... I'll add more as I find them.

"Balm is sovereign for the brain. It strengthens the memory and powerfully chases away melancholy" ~ John Evelyn

"Cultivated in the Mediterranean region for the past 2,000 years, this perennial herb was prized for its catchall curative properties. During the Middle Ages, King Charles V of France was said to drink lemon balm tea daily for his health. Paracelsus, a Swiss Renaissance physician, called lemon balm the 'elixir of life'. And in the 17th century, the French Carmelite nuns made their famous Carmelite Water with lemon balm and other herbs to treat nervous headaches and neuralgia. Today, lemon balm is gaining acceptance as a useful herb for modern stress-related maladies" ~ Stephanie Bloyd

As a remedy:

• A tea for allergies ~ a post from Henriette's Herbal
• A tea with peppermint for restful sleep or to improve digestion ~ Rudolf F Weiss
• A soothing tea with hops and chamomile ~ a recipe from Henriette's Herbal
• A tea with  motherwort for depression ~ C. Norman Shealy
• In a lotion as a healing remedy for cold sores

In cosmetics, home and garden:

• In cordial with hyssop, basil, mint and sage ~ a recipe from The Complete Book of Herbs & Spices
• In the bath - 8oz dried herb (or 12oz fresh) to 10 pints of water. Infuse and add to the bathwater. For sleeplessness or nervous heart. Or add 10-20 drops of Melissa essential oil to the bathwater ~ Bartram's Encyclopeadia
• In pot pourri ~ a recipe from the Herb Gardener blog
• Some varieties can act as an insect repellant ~ an article on Mother Earth news
• As a cleanser for oily skin ~ an article on Snowdriftfarm.com

In cooking:

• To make lemon balm vinegar ~ a recipe from the Herb Gardener blog
• Lemon-berry chardonnay cordial (I like the sound of this one!) ~ a recipe from Herbcompanion.com

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