Lemon Balm 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Lemon Balm – 100 g ($12.99), 50 g ($8.99), 25 g ($5.99)

Benefits:
Research has found that lemon balm has a mild sedative effect, antibacterial and antiviral properties, and an ability to relieve cramps and gas. It is used to heal wounds, ease indigestion, relieve menstrual cramps, fight cold sores, relax nerves, soothe and prevent insect stings, and prevent insomnia. It has also been used for hysteria, melancholia, headaches, and high blood pressure. The tea is also recommended for inducing perspiration and relieving fever due to colds and flu. Externally, lemon balm has been used for rheumatism, nerve pains, as an insect repellent, and for stiff neck. Homeopathic remedies use lemon balm for menstrual irregularities. It is approved by the German Commission E for nervousness and insomnia. This herb is gentle enough for babies and children.

Alzheimer’s disease. In one study, lemon balm was used in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and participants showed improved cognitive function after sixteen weeks of treatment.

Anxiety and stress. Lemon balm teas have been used for generations to relieve anxiety and sleeplessness. In one study where healthy volunteers were stressed under controlled laboratory conditions, a mixture of lemon balm and valerian soothed them and made them less anxious. Each participant took increasing doses of both herbs and was measured serially. The best combination for alleviating anxiety and inducing calmness was at 600 milligrams of a tablet that had 120 milligrams of valerian with 80 milligrams of lemon balm. Other studies have found that when used with valerian, lemon balm hastens sleep and relaxes muscle tension in persons with attention deficit disorder (ADD), without daytime drowsiness. (See VALERIAN.)

Herpes Virus Infection. Treatment of herpes infections is complicated by the fact that the virus can become resistant to drug treatment. Lemon balm expands the possibilities of treatment and is useful when prescription treatments fail. It kills off the virus in the test tube in as little as three hours. In one double-blind study, 116 people with herpes received either a placebo or extracts of lemon balm at a concentration of 1 percent in a cream base. The group receiving the active cream experienced significantly greater improvement in symptoms on day two compared to the group receiving the placebo cream. (Herpes outbreaks are usually most painful on the second day after the outbreak.) By day five of the study, 50 percent more individuals in the lemon balm group were symptom-free than in the placebo group. People using lemon balm also experienced less scarring than those using the placebo. This indicates that people who used lemon balm suffered less damage to skin cells. Almost identical results were found in a second clinical study. In addition to shortening the healing period, treatment with lemon balm prevented spread of the infection and quickly relieved the itching, burning, tingling, swelling, stabbing, and redness of a herpes outbreak. Lemon balm has an advantage over other treatments in that it does not induce drug resistance in the virus over time. In addition, a chemical constituent of lemon balm, rosmarinic acid, acts against viruses, yeasts, and bacteria in the laboratory.

Insomnia. Combined extracts of lemon balm and valerian have been studied as a treatment for insomnia. A double-blind study of twenty people with insomnia compared the benefits of 0.125 milligram of the sedative triazolam (Halcion) against placebo and a combination of valerian and lemon balm. The herbal combination was found to be as effective as the drug.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Lemon balm stops spasms and relieves pain caused by IBS. The form of the herb that had this antispasmodic action is the essential oil, which may be strong enough to break up spasms but not so strong as to cause constipation. However, no human data are available.

Recommended Use
Lemon balm is available in creams for application to the skin and in tablets and teas to be taken internally. Lemon balm tablets are usually taken for insomnia or stress and frequently combine lemon balm with valerian. Animal studies indicate that lemon balm can increase the sedative effect of barbiturates. You should therefore avoid lemon balm tinctures and teas if you take barbiturates for anxiety or insomnia. Lemon balm creams do not interact with barbiturate drugs.

Botanical Name: Melissa officinalis
English: Lemon Balm, Melissa, Balm Lemon
Also, known as: Alahana, Appiastro, Badarendjabouya, Badranjbuyeh, Balm, Balm mint, Bee balm, Blue balm, Citrounelo, Common balm, Mallisa, Melissa, Melisse, Melissenblätter, Cure-all, Dropsy plant, Erva cidreira-miuda-de-folha, Billilotan, Sitroenkruid, Citronnelle, Folia citronellae, Franjmeshk, Garden-balm, Herzkraut, Hhashyshat ennahhl, Touroudjan, Turungan, Zitronenkraut, Honey plant, Lemon balm, Limiera, Limouna, Limounneta, Melissenkraut, Melisso, Melliss, Ponciarada, Pouncinado, Sidrunmeliss, Sweet balm, Toronjil, Toronjil-cidrado, Cedronella, Citromfülevél, Citronelle, Citrounado, Citrounela, Zitronenmelisse, Zitronen-melisse, Erba cedrata, Badaranj, Baadranjboyaa, Mélisse, melissa, cedronella, Mountain Balm, Sweet Mary, and Toronjil.
Habitat: Western Asia and the eastern Mediterranean
Origin: Bulgaria

General Information:
Melissa officinalis, is an odorous perennial shrub, growing up to 3 feet tall. The plant dies down in winter, but the roots are perennial. The genus name for lemon balm is Melissa, which comes from the Greek meaning “honey bee” or simply “honey.” Lemon balm is a favorite plant of bees. Not only does it produce lots of nectar, but it has also been used by beekeepers to prevent bees from swarming. Several square stems, 10-25 inches long, lemon-scented on bruising. Stems obtusely quadrangular, furrowed pubescent. Lemon-scented leaves 2-10 cm long and about 4 cm wide, broadly ovate to obovate-oval or heart-shaped, base cuneate truncate or cordate at the base, densely pilose on both surfaces, petiole 0.5-3 cm long. White or yellow-tinted, small, two-lipped flowers form small bunches in leaf axils in summer through early fall. Corolla white or pinkish; infundibuliform tube 8-10 mm long; stamens inserted deep in the tube; bractéoles oval-oblong, about 1.5 cm long, pubescent; calyx 5-8 mm long, pubescent outside, pubescent inside with very short hairs, densely pilose in the middle.
It was a common herb in the eighteenth century, as Spirit of Melissa, a tonic made from lemon balm, was often kept in the house. The plant is also known as balm or balm mint but should not be confused with bee balm. The aromatic leaves with their distinctive lemon aroma are used as an ingredient of green salads, fruit salads, desserts, ice cream. The tea of lemon balm, the essential oil, and the extract are used in traditional and alternative medicine, including aromatherapy. Melissa was mentioned by Theophrastus, the father of botany, and Arab and Persian physicians. Lemon balm is used alone or as part of various multi-herb combination products.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.