Lemon Balm
(Melissa officinalis)
bee balm, balm mint, cure all, garden balm, sweet balm, Melissa

Description: A bushy perennial with square stems up to 2 feet tall. Light to medium green leaves are opposite, oval, round-toothed, smaller at the top and strongly lemon-scented. The small hooded, late summer flowers are from white, yellow or pale blue, growing in whorls. New flowers bloom higher up the stem, long after older blossoms have matured to seed. Found throughout the U.S. in moist, shady places, cultivated in gardens.

Edible, Medicinal: The fresh leaves add flavor to many dishes, oils, vinegars and liqueurs, potpourri, herb cushions, perfumes and in closets to deter moths. It is a antispasmodic, calmative, carminative, diaphoretic, and sedative. It helps in mood swings, to relieve cramps, gas pain, chronic fatigue, nervousness, emotional stress, sleeplessness, headaches, colds, menstrual cramps, diarrhea, herpes, and viral infections. Use 1 teaspoon of the chopped herb or leaves to 1 cup boiling water, drink warm as needed. Promotes longevity. Attracts bees, if rubbed on empty hives it encourages new tenants.