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Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas Balm
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedHerb, leaves Description of Plant(s) and CultureBalm is a perennial plant; the stem is upright, hairy, quadrangular, and branched and grows as high as When bruised, the whole plant smells like lemon. The leaves of this plant, similar in appearance to those of Catnip, are best identified by the strong, pleasant lemony scent. Where FoundCommon in the Mediterranean area and the Near East but is also naturalized to some places in the United States. Mostly, it is cultivated as a culinary herb, but it grows wild in fields, barnyards, old house sites, open woods, gardens and along roadsides, from Maine to Florida and west to Kansas. Medicinal PropertiesAntispasmodic, calmative, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, stomachic, febrifuge, sedative, antidepressant, nervine Biochemical InformationVolatile oil (including citronellal), polyphenols, tannins, bitter principle, flavonoids, rosmarinic acid Legends, Myths and StoriesThe great Paracelsus called this herb the elixir of life, and combined it with carbonate of potash in a mixture known as Primum Ens Melissae. It is recorded that one of Louis XIV's physicians, Lesebure, tried this out on an elderly chicken, which within a few days lost its tattered plumage, grew fresh feathers and started to lay eggs again. He had earlier tried it, with equally dramatic results, on two old servants, but did not complete the experiment. Another of Paracelsus's elixirs, the Primum Ens Sanquinis, contained human blood and Alcahest, a universal medicine based on caustic lime, alcohol and carbonate of potash. Eau de Carmes, a fashionable 17th century perfume, was a distillation of balm leaves and spirits of wine, to which were added lemon peel, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Balm oil is still a favorite scent throughout the Middle East. The botanical name melissa is from the Greek word for honey. Bees are particularly fond of this plant. Among the ancient Greeks it was a practice to place sprigs of balm in bee hives to attract a swarm. John Hussey of Sydenham, England, who lived to the age of 116, breakfasted for Balm and bees have been linked since ancient times. Melissa comes from the Greek for "honey bee", and lemon balm has the same healing and tonic properties as honey and royal jelly. Gerard said the the herb "comforteth the hart and driveth away all sadnesse," and it was a favorite in medieval "elixirs of youth;" the alchemist Paracelsus made a preparation called primum ens melissae, and even in the 18th century, it was still thought to "renew youth." Originally grown in the Orient, Arab traders introduced this herb to Spain. It was later brought to Germany by Benedictine monks. Still popular in Europe, lemon balm is now grown in parts of the United States. The famous 17th century herbalist Culpeper thought so highly of lemon balm that he wrote, "Let a syrup made with the juice of it and sugar...be kept in every gentle woman's house to relieve the neighbours." Essential oil: the concentrated essence of lemon balm has the same properties as the leaves but is far more potent; a few drops make an excellent antidote to depression. Pure essential oil is difficult to obtain commercially; it is often adulterated with lemon or lemongrass oils. UsesBalm is a remedy for common female complaints and is useful for all sorts of nervous problems, hysteria, melancholy, and insomnia. Use balm tea to relieve cramps, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, liver, spleen, bladder troubles, chronic bronchial catarrh, and some forms of asthma. Try it also for migraine and toothache, and, during pregnancy, for headaches, tension, and dizziness. The warm infusion has diaphoretic effects. An infusion of the leaves added to bath water is also said to promote the onset of menstruation. It is a cooling drink for feverish colds fever, and flu. Use the crushed leaves as a poultice for sores, tumors, swellings, milk-knots, and insect bites. Balm promotes sweating, and is a valuable stand-by when fever is present. Balm is also used in herb pillows because of its agreeable odor.
Experimentally, hot-water extracts have been shown strongly antiviral for Newcastle disease, herpes, mumps; also antibacterial, antihistaminic, antispasmodic, and anti-oxidant. Formulas or DosagesCollect the plant before or after flowering. The fresh plant is more effective than the dried. Infusion: use Cold extract: use Extract: mix Use the dried herb to make tea, or drink Tincture: the dose is Powder: take How SoldSold in commercial antiviral preparations in Germany.
This herb is widely available in tea, dried herb, and extract.
Resource LinksLiveStrong.com: Lemon Balm Tea in Pregnancy University of Maryland Medical Center: Lemon Balm National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Sleep Disorders Bibliography
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Balm mint
Back to Eden
, by Jethro Kloss; Back to Eden Publishing Co., Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994
, by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.