Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is an upright perennial belonging to the mint family. It is has a strong and really gorgeous lemony-mint scent which follows through into a light refreshing flavour. It grows to around two feet tall and is loosely branched with insignificant pale yellow flowers.

Cultivation

This plant likes well-drained soil, and partial shade. Most people wouldn’t consider it ornamental, it’s too straggly for that but it does well in a container in a shady area. Water normally during the growing season, but keep on the dry, cool side during winter. It’s easy to grow from seed but plants can be divided in spring or autumn. Some gardeners find it invasive.

Parts Used

Dried leaves and flowering shoots.

Uses

The leaves are used both fresh and dried as a seasoning in salad dressings, sauces, soups, meats, vegetables, desserts, and confections. Dried leaves are often used in potpourris. As a flavouring agent, it has traditionally been used in alcoholic beverages and liqueurs and in herbal teas. Two teaspoons of dried leave or four of fresh leaf, boiled in a pint of water and allowed to steep can relieve upset stomachs and promote appetite.

As a medicinal plant, lemon balm has traditionally been employed against catarrh, fever, flatulence, headaches, influenza, and toothaches. Recent evidence suggests that lemon balm has a depressant or sedative action. Oil of balm has also been shown to have antiviral, antibacterial, and antispasmodic activity and both the plant and the oil have been reported to be an insect repellent. German housewives hang bunches over their doors to stop insects entering.

Lemon balm photograph by Crysti from flickr under a creative commons attribution licence.