Lemon Balm

[Lois]

 

Lemon Balm

Botanical: Melissa officinalis (LINN.)

Family: N.O. Labiatae

Description

History

Cultivation

Medicinal Action and Uses

---Synonyms---Sweet Balm. Lemon Balm.

---Part Used---Herb.

---Habitat---A native of South Europe, especially in mountainous situations, but is naturalized in the south of England, and was introduced into our gardens at a very early period.

 

---Description---The root-stock is short, the stem square and branching, grows 1 to 2 feet high, and has at each joint pairs of broadly ovate or heart-shaped, crenate or toothed leaves which emit a fragrant lemon odour when bruised. They also have a distinct lemon taste. The flowers, white or yellowish, are in loose, small bunches from the axils of the leaves and bloom from June to October. The plant dies down in winter, but the root is perennial.

The genus Melissa is widely diffused, having representatives in Europe, Middle Asia and North America. The name is from the Greek word signifying 'bee,' indicative of the attraction the flowers have for those insects, on account of the honey they produce.

 

---History---The word Balm is an abbreviation of Balsam, the chief of sweet-smelling oils. It is so called from its honeyed sweetness It was highly esteemed by Paracelsus, who believed it would completely revivify a man. It was formerly esteemed of great use in all complaints supposed to proceed from a disordered state of the nervous system. The London Dispensary (1696) says: 'An essence of Balm, given in Canary wine, every morning will renew youth, strengthen the brain, relieve languishing nature and prevent baldness.' John Evelyn wrote: 'Balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy.' Balm steeped in wine we are told again, 'comforts the heart and driveth away melancholy and sadness.' Formerly a spirit of Balm, combined with lemon-peel, nutmeg and angelica root, enjoyed a great reputation under the name of Carmelite water, being deemed highly useful against nervous headache and neuralgic affections.

 

Cultivation---Balm grows freely in any soil and can be propagated by seeds, cuttings or division of roots in spring or autumn. If in autumn, preferably not later than October, so that the offsets may be established before the frosts come on. The roots may be divided into small pieces, with three or four buds to each, and planted 2 feet apart in ordinary garden soil. The only culture required is to keep them clean from weeds and to cut off the decayed stalks in autumn, and then to stir the ground between the roots.

 

---Medicinal Action and Uses---Carminative, diaphoretic and febrifuge. It induces a mild perspiration and makes a pleasant and cooling tea for feverish patients in cases of catarrh and influenza. To make the tea, pour 1 pint of boiling water upon 1 oz. of herb, infuse 15 minutes, allow to cool, then strain and drink freely. If sugar and a little lemonpeel or juice be added it makes a refreshing summer drink.

 

Balm is a useful herb, either alone or in combination with others. It is excellent in colds attended with fever, as it promotes perspiration .

 

Used with salt, it had the reputation of cleansing sores and easing the pains of gout.

 

Commercial oil of Balm is not a pure distillate, but is probably oil of Lemon distilled over Balm. The oil is used in perfumery.

Refreshing Drink in Fever---

'Put two sprigs of Balm, and a little woodsorrel, into a stone-jug, having first washed and dried them; peel thin a small lemon, and clear from the white; slice it and put a bit of peel in, then pour in 3 pints of boiling water, sweeten and cover it close.'

'Claret Cup. One bottle of claret, one pint bottle of German Seltzer-water, a small bunch of Balm, ditto of burrage, one orange cut in slices, half a cucumber sliced thick, a liqueurglass of Cognac, and one ounce of bruised sugar-candy.

 

'Process: Place these ingredients in a covered jug well immersed in rough ice, stir all together with a silver spoon, and when the cup has been iced for about an hour, strain or decanter it off free from the herbs, etc.' (Francatelli's Cook's Guide.)

Picture here:

http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/balm--02.html

[patches]

Thanks for the post. I have a patch of balm, but didn't quite know what to do with it.

[Andrea]

This is one of my favorite herbs! Whenever we have green salad I always toss some in and whenever I'm feeling kind of fluey, I crush a few in the bottom of a mug of hot green tea.

 

This is recipe I found in "The Herbal Epicure" and it works as a dressing or marinade. (Sorry, I don't know the author. I photocopied the page out of a library book)

 

Lemon Balm Dressing

 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemon balm leaves (6-10)

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the dressing is a smooth yellow-green.

 

YIELD: 3/4 cup dressing

 

My family seems to like it - at least they've eaten everything I've tried it on.

 

If there are any other recipes out there, please pass them on! Lemon Balm grows year round here and since it's impossible to kill, I always have a steady supply!

[patches]

Andrea,

I was wondering if you can double the recipe and store it. I have glass bottles with the wire stopper attached. Was wondering if they would work. My balm will last till the first freeze, so I'm looking for ways to keep it year round.

[Andrea]

patches,

I don't know how long the dressing will keep. We usually use it all on the day we make it. I do know that you can dry lemon balm (like mint) and I'm assuming you can also freeze it like basil. (Again, I never bother because it grows year round most years) Have you tried bringing some indoors? When I lived in an apartment, I grew lemon balm & mints on my windowsill. Sorry I can't be of more help. - Andrea

[Andrea]

P.S. Before I discovered Lemon Basil, I used lemon balm to flavor chicken & fish. Chicken - I just shove a hand full into the body cavity with whatever other spices I happen to be in the mood for. Fish - I just lay the leaves directly onto the fillet (usually salmon) along with garlic, salt & pepper and bake.

But, that was before lemon basil . . .

[Mother]

Patches, you can dry lemon balm to be used in tea and as flavoring for fish and in recipes but to use in it's fresh like state in this type of recipe I freeze it. I usually chop it, pack it into ice cube trays with water and freeze. Then I pop the cubes out and store them in zip lock bags, taking out just the amount I need for the recipe. It takes only minutes to thaw. I do this with a lot of my herbs that have a fresh use. Basil is particularly good this way. I make pesto with it in the middle of winter and love it's fresh taste on pasta, etc.

[Lois]

even more on LEMON BALM

Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae), Melissa officinalis L.

Source: Simon, J.E., A.F. Chadwick and L.E. Craker. 1984. Herbs: An Indexed Bibliography. 1971-1980. The Scientific Literature on Selected Herbs, and Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Temperate Zone. Archon Books, 770 pp., Hamden, CT.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro...LEMON_BALM.html

 

 

Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis L., a perennial herb native to southern climates of Europe and North America, is presently found in both wild and cultivated states. Several other species of Melissa have been reported from the Mediterranean and central Asian areas, but only Melissa officinalis L. is cultivated. The plant grows erect and reaches a height of 0.5 to 1 meter.

 

 

The reported life zone of balm is 7 to 23 degrees centigrade with 0.5 to 1.3 meters annual precipitation and a soil pH of 4.5 to 7.8 (4.1-31). The plant, which develops best in full sun and deep soil, is sensitive to cold temperature and excessive or inadequate water levels in the soil.

 

 

Horticulturally, lemon balm is grown as an annual or perennial, harvested only once at flowering during the first year and twice in subsequent years. Significant loss of aroma sometimes occurs during drying. Both the white and pink flowers, which blossom from middle to late summer, and the vegetative portion of the plant are known to attract honeybees (1.8-38). The name of the genus, Melissa, comes from the Greek word meaning "bee," attesting to the early recognition of this characteristic (14.1-3). Irrigation does not appear to alter the essential oil in balm (4.5-167).

 

 

The volatile oil, obtained by steam distillation of plant material immediately after harvest, is used only limitedly in perfumery because of perfumers are able to simulate the odor of lemon balm with less expensive extracts of other aromatic plants. The oil content of fresh leaves averages 0.1 percent or less with a large range between 0.01 and 0.13% (14.1-8). Multiple harvests and optimum horticultural practices have been reported to increase the percent of extractable essential oil (4.3-15). The highest levels of essential oil have been extracted in late summer from the lower parts of the plants (4.3-15). The essential oil contains geraniol, citronellol, cintronellal, linalool, eugenol acetate, and nerol. The essential oil is often adulterated with mixtures of lemongrass, citronella, or lemon oil (14.1-8).

 

 

The green, lemony-scented, aromatic 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 flavoring agent, balm is used in some alcoholic beverages and liqueurs and in herbal teas. Several varieties, including a variegated type, are available for ornamental uses, especially as border plants in gardens.

 

 

As a medicinal plant, lemon balm has traditionally been employed against catarrh, fever, flatulence, headaches, influenza, and toothaches. It has also been used as a carminative, diaphoretic, and sedative. Recent evidence suggests that lemon balm has a depressant or sedative action on the central nervous systems of laboratory mice, (7.5-90). Oil of balm has also been shown to have antiviral, antibacterial, and antispasmodic activity. Lemon balm has been reported to be an insect repellent (11.1-96).

 

 

Bee balm (Monarda spp.), often confused with lemon balm, is a separate member of the Labiatae family.

 

 

Lemon balm is generally considered safe for human consumption as a spice/natural flavoring and a plant/oil extract (21 CFR section 182.10, 182.20 [1982]).

 

[Note: References listed above in parentheses can be found in full in the original reference].