Lemon Balm
Balm (Lemon Balm)
Melissa officinalis;
Cure-All, Dropsy Plant, Honey Plant
Historically Used to Treat: mood disorders, depression, anxiety, insomnia, narcolepsy, cardiac symptoms, rabies, dysentery, bites and stings, gout, skin problems, upset stomach. A member of the mint family, balm was one of the first herbs brought to the Americas by colonists. Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello.
Let a syrup made of the juice of it and sugar . . . be kept in every gentlewoman’s house, to relieve the weak stomachs and sick bodies of their poor sickly neighbours. –Herbalist Nicolas Culpeper, 1652
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“Lemon Balm, a vigorous, self-seeding, perennial herb, was cultivated in Europe by 1551. Abercrombie noted in 1778, “so refreshing is the smell . . . that (it has) the first claim to a place in our gardens.” Thomas Jefferson listed “Balm” among his garden herbs in 1794. It’s lemon-scented leaves are useful in cooking, teas, and home remedies, and the rather insignificant flowers are very attractive to bees. Jefferson-documented: This plant was documented by Thomas Jefferson in his Garden Book, Notes on the State of Virginia, or other writings.”
From Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Garden Shop
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“A member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) belongs to a genus which includes five species of perennial herbs native to Europe, central Asia and Iran. Although Melissa officinalis originated primarily in Southern Europe, it is now naturalized around the world, from North America to New Zealand….
Over the years, many common names have been associated with M. officinalis, including balm, English balm, garden balm, balmmint, common balm, melissa, sweet balm, heart’s delight and honey plant. Although M. officinalis has sometimes been called bee balm due to its traditional use for attracting honeybee swarms, it should not be confused with Monarda didyma, which also bears this common name.”
Source: Lemon Balm - The Herb Society of America
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