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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Leaves.
Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked. A pleasant lemon-like aroma and flavour, they are used mainly as a flavouring in salads and cooked foods[5, 7, 8, 9, 14, 27, 183]. A lemon-flavoured tea can be made from the fresh or dried leaves[21, 183]. A bunch of the leaves can be added to china tea, much improving the flavour, the leaves are also added to fruit cups etc[4]. They are used as a flavouring in various alcoholic beverages including Chartreuse and Benedictine[238].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antianxiety; Antibacterial; Antidepressant; Antiemetic; Antispasmodic; Antiviral; Aromatherapy; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Digestive; Emmenagogue;
Febrifuge; Sedative; Tonic.
Lemon balm is a commonly grown household remedy with a long tradition as a tonic remedy that raises the spirits and lifts the heart[254]. Modern research has shown that it can help significantly in the treatment of cold sores[254]. The leaves and young flowering shoots are antibacterial, antispasmodic, antiviral, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, febrifuge, sedative, and tonic[4, 7, 9, 21, 165, 238]. It also acts to inhibit thyroid activity[238]. An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers and colds, indigestion associated with nervous tension, excitability and digestive upsets in children, hyperthyroidism, depression, mild insomnia, headaches etc[4, 9, 238]. Externally, it is used to treat herpes, sores, gout, insect bites and as an insect repellent[238]. The plant can be used fresh or dried, for drying it is harvested just before or just after flowering[9]. The essential oil contains citral and citronella, which act to calm the central nervous system and are strongly antispasmodic[254]. The plant also contains polyphenols, in particular these combat the herpes simplex virus which produces cold sores[254]. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is 'Female aspects'[210]. It is used to relax and rejuvenate, especially in cases of depression and nervous tension[238]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Melissa officinalis for nervousness and insomnia (see [302] for critics of commission E).
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Other Uses
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Essential; Pot-pourri; Repellent.
The growing plant is said to repel flies and ants[14]. It is also rubbed on the skin as a repellent[238], though the essential oil would be more effective here[K]. An essential oil is obtained from the plant[100] (the exact part is not specified, it is probably the entire plant and especially the flowering stems). It is used medicinally. The whole plant is very pleasantly aromatic, the aroma lasting for a long time after the plant has been harvested. It is therefore a very useful ingredient in pot-pourri[4].
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Cultivation details
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A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position[200]. It prefers a light rich moist soil[37, 52],a warm position[27, 37] and partial shade[4]. Once established, this is a drought tolerant species[190, 200], it is a useful plant to try in difficult dry places[187], usually succeeding in the dustiest of soils once it is established[190]. Lemon balm is often grown in the herb garden, and sometimes also commercially[46], there are some named varieties[183]. Plants can often self-sow so freely as to become a menace[187]. If the plants are cut back hard after flowering, they will produce a fresh flush of leaves[238]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233]. A good bee plant[4, 8, 24]. A good companion plant, especially for brassicas[14].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. Germination can be slow[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when the plants are at least 15cm tall[K]. If there is plenty of seed it can be sown in an outdoor seed bed in April. Plant out into their permanent positions the following spring. Division in spring or autumn[111]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring. Cuttings in July/August.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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50200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[5]Mabey. R. Food for Free.
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Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[8]Ceres. Free for All.
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Edible wild plants in Britain. Small booklet, nothing special.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[14]Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs.
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A good herbal.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
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Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
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[27]Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden.
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A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
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[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.
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Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
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[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
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An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
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[52]Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round.
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A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
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[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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[111]Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials.
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A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
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[165]Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
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An excellent small herbal.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
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Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
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[190]Chatto. B. The Dry Garden.
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A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[210]Westwood. C. Aromatherapy - A guide for home use.
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An excellent little pocket guide. Very concise.
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[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
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A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.
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[302]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Commission E
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_E
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Subject : Melissa officinalis
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