Original Sources:
Materia Medica Monthly by Sajah Popham, founder of the School of Evolutionary Herbalism
The Earthwise Herbal Vol. I and II by Matthew Wood
Common Name: Lemon Balm, Melissa
Latin Name: Melissa officinalis
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Parts Used: Leaves
Geographical Distribution: Originated in Europe but grows well pretty much everywhere across North America.
Taste: Lemon Balm is an awesome example of the sour flavor which is quite reminiscent of lemons- hence its common name.
Used historically in European folk medicine, the Arabic tradition, and North American medical herbalism.
In the words of my teacher, Sajah Popham:
“This is one of those plants that should be grown in every yard and known how to be used by every household in my opinion, for its gentle nature is acceptable by most people, it has a fantastic taste, and given our current cultural situation, could benefit a wide range of individuals.”
Primary actions of Lemon Balm:
Nervine Sedative: Lemon Balm can be used to gently calm the nervous system throughout the day without generating any kind of drowsiness. A good way to think of it is that it takes the “edge” off the nervous tone. Lemon Balm also helps to replenish, rebuild, and strengthen depleted and burned out nerves.
Relaxant Diaphoretic: Lemon Balm is a classic fever remedy used throughout European folk medicine, especially for young children. Tastes great as a tea. You can also put some tincture in a cup of warm water to bring out this action. Best when fever is high with insomnia, irritability, redness, sensations of heat, and a rapid pulse. Can also be coupled with tightness in the body and mind. By relaxing tension throughout the entire organism (predominantly through its nervine sedative action), Lemon Balm can help the blood to flow to the surface, relax the pores of the skin, and release any internal heat leading to the fever.
Carminative: Lemon Balm is rich in aromatic oils, like most members of the mint family. It has a highly effective carminative action on the digestive system, meaning that it helps to relax spasm and cramping, increase circulation, and dispel excessive gas and wind.
Antispasmodic: Lemon Balm can help by gently relaxing tension throughout the entire system, but specifically in the heart, vasculature, and digestive tract. It can gently ease cramping and spasm in this regard. Provides support in easing headaches, cardiovascular constriction, and digestive spasm.
Antiviral: Constituents in the volatile oils of Lemon Balm have a distinct antiviral action. In this regard it is commonly used for viral based infections- especially the common cold in children- but is also frequently used topically for herpes type viral infections.
Nootropic: A nootropic is something that can effectively assist in elevating cognitive function. There are a few different ways that a plant can do this. Lemon Balm can be considered to be in the category of nootropics that tend to be calming to the nervous system and help take a scattered mind and focus it.
Physical Organs, Systems and Tissues: These are the primary organs, systems and tissues Lemon Balm has an affinity for.
Nervous System: This is the primary affinity for Lemon Balm, as it calms the entire nervous system down gently, helping it to switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic.
Heart: Through its influence on the nerves it affects the heart as well, specifically in regards to the rhythm and its electrical dynamics.
Digestive System: It influences a carminative effect upon the stomach and intestinal tract.
Immunity/Febrile Mechanism: The relaxant diaphoretic and antiviral effects have immunological effects.
Energetics: Energetics give us a way to distinguish how a specific plant will affect the temperature, moisture, and tonal quality in a person. A plant’s temperature quality can either be warming or cooling. Its moisture quality can either be drying or moistening. Its tonal quality can either be relaxing or tonifying. There are of course plants that can be neutral in a certain quality.
The effect of Lemon Balm upon the temperature quality is that of being cooling. The sour flavor helps to cool excessive heat and irritation within the tissues themselves, as well as having a constitutionally cooling effect that is quite refreshing on a hot summer day.
Its effect upon moisture, like many other herbs, is drying.
Its effect upon the tone of the tissues is relaxant. This is primarily due to its nervine sedative properties which will help to ease the sympathetic nerve response (which leads to tension) and increase parasympathetic activity (which leads to relaxation). This contributes to a very mild antispasmodic effect, which at the very least will relax tension in the nerves, muscles and definitely the mind.
Contraindications: Lemon Balm is a very safe plant. Some things to take note of:
- Lemon Balm may reduce the efficacy of people taking synthetic thyroid hormone. Do not take Lemon Balm if you have a hypothyroid condition.
- Because of its nervine properties, it is generally recommended to be cautious in using Lemon Balm with other sedatives, like barbiturates or benzodiazepines.
Personally, I use this herb in tincture form every morning and multiple times throughout the day. It helps me take the “edge” off, so I can stay relaxed but still focused. I also distinctly notice the carminative action on my digestion. I really love this plant in particular as I tend towards feeling warm and even overheating in the summer. Lemon Balm cools me down, but at the same time it warms up my digestion. I take 1-3 dropperfuls daily and even up to 5 dropperfuls in the summer months when it gets hot. I also enjoy drinking tea which I brew from the fresh leaves. I love working with Lemon Balm. It is one of my favorite plants. It smells so fragrant and everytime I’m around it I get this feeling of peace and serenity. I feel like it helps me reconnect to my inner child and allows me to fully experience the present moment without getting lost in the endless loops of thought that our minds often cloud our reality with. In the truest sense, it helps me drop down from the mind into my heart. In my personal experience I can say that Lemon Balm is a powerful ally that I never leave home without.
If you’re interested in experiencing the power of this plant for yourself, check out our shop! Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I hope you learned something new.
See you on the next post,
Patryk Chrzanowski
In-house Herbalist