Lemonbalm
As we speak, I am diffusing Lemonbalm essential oil (aka Melissa) and Eucalyptus essential oil. One of my aromatherapy teachers shares that it is a wonderful duo for antiviral and respiratory support…
Lemonbalm is a part of the mint family and is very high in essential oils! The essential oil of Lemon Balm is very hard to extract and therefore, is very expensive.
Below, I share about information and recipes of Lemonbalm using it in it’s plant form (not essential oil.)
Lemonbalm aka Melissa
Melissa officinalis
Leaves and Stems
History & Folklore:
The name Melissa comes from the Greek word for bee, which came originally from the word for honey. Melissa was a nymph who discovered and taught the use of honey, and from whom bees were believed to have received their name. She was one of the nymph nurses of the God Zeus, but rather than feeding the baby Zeus milk, Melissa, appropriately for her name, fed him honey. The Minoans had a bee priestess, and bees were worshipped by the ancients in Europe and the Near East. Bees were thought by the ancients to be souls, and when someone dies there is an old Celtic tradition called ‘Telling the Bees’ where the hive must be told of the passing.
Medical Actions and Uses:
Nervous System: Lemon Balm is a relaxing nervine tonic and is uplifting in cases of anxiety, restlessness, and in low mood or depression. It helps to calm and lift the spirits. It is soothing and healing for grief and sadness. It is also helpful for headaches associated with digestive issues and anxiety.
Digestive System: Lemon Balm helps to relax and calm the digestive system and is particularly helpful for digestive discomfort, flatulence, and indigestion associated with anxiety.
Cardiovascular System: Lemon Balm is helpful for heart palpitations associated with stress and anxiety.
Skin: The fresh herb is valuable for both cold sores (Herpes simplex) and shingles (Herpes zoster). The dried herb does not have this antiviral action. An oil infused with the fresh herb can be made into an ointment or salve to be applied to Herpes
virus lesions. It will reduce severity of lesions if used at the first sign, shorten the duration of the outbreak, and reduce the frequency of flare ups.
For shingles, a compress of the fresh herb can be applied topically for relief of pain and itching. To make a compress, put the fresh leaves into a blender with cold water, blend into a paste that is the consistency of pesto, place on a clean cloth, and apply over the shingles with an ice pack on top. Leave on for 10-15 minutes and repeat as often as needed
Key Actions:
Nervine tonic, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Antimicrobial, Antiviral
Energetics:
Warming at first but then cooling
Cools the liver if its too hot
Cooling when drunk cold
Smell: Aromatic, lemony
Taste: Sour, astringent
Contraindication: Do not use in hypothyroidism or low thyroid states. Pregnant/breast feeding.
Preparations:
TEA
1 tsp fresh per cup of boiling water 3x/day. Steep covered for 10 minutes.
*Combining with motherwort is a beautiful blend for anxiety!
POULTICE
A poultice to ease the pain of shingles.
• Fresh Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – 2 cups
Blend fresh Lemon Balm with 1⁄4 cup of water to make a paste. Put the paste into a clean cloth and fold the cloth completely to contain the paste (you don’t want to have to wash the paste off the skin after use). Apply to skin with an ice pack on top of the poultice for 5 minutes then remove, leave the poultice
on for another 10 minutes. Repeat as often as needed.
LIP BALM
This Lemon Balm lip balm is easier to make than you might think!
Equipment
1 pan
1 Pyrex jug or bowl
jar lid or small cloth
lip balm tubes
Ingredients
50 mL (1.7 fl oz) Lemon Balm infused oil (see recipe for calendula oil) or other healing- infused oil
10 g (0.35 oz) beeswax
optional: essential oil
Directions
Measure 50 mL (1.7 fl oz) of Lemon Balm-infused oil or you can choose another healing- infused oil that you have made. Do not use St. John’s Wort because it can be a sun sensitizer for some people; it should not be used on sun-exposed skin.
Pour the oil into a glass bowl
or Pyrex jug and place into a saucepan of boiling water with a jar lid on the bottom (as a double boiler system).Place on low heat until it is warm.
Grate 10 g (0.35 oz) of beeswax.
Add 3⁄4 of the beeswax to the warm oil and allow the mixture to continue warming until the beeswax has completely melted.
Take a knife and dip into the mixture. The salve will set on the metal knife allowing you to test the consistency. The desired hardness of the lip balm is a matter of choice and depends on the season. Add slightly more beeswax if you are making lip balms during the summer months because lip balm will be softer in the heat.
Optional: While the mixture is still warm, add your essential oils .
Then immediately pour the mixture into your lip balm tubes.
Put the lids onto the tubes once the balm has cooled slightly.
Do not move the tubes until
the balm has completely set, which should only take about 10 minutes.