Lemon balm

Melissa officinalis
Dutch: Citroenmelisse, German: Zitronenmelisse, French: Baume mélisse/ Citronelle
Mint family Labiatae




General description

Lemon balm comes cultivated especially for, but in south body regions one sees it once in a while in the wild in hedges and along roads. Lemon balm is a remaining or fixed herb like plant.
The plant blossoms from July until August with light yellow or white flowers.

Melissa officinalis flowers Lemon balm flower

The leaves are oval, serrated, hairy, nerved and light green. The leaves give smell a lemon like finished and can yellow become as they in the full sun or in dry ground grow.
The stems are hairy, subdivides square and light green. The plant becomes approximately 1 meter high.
Melissa officinalis Lemon balm plantLemon balm Melissa  
officinalis leaf
The seed of Lemon balm is dark brown till black, with a white point. They are tear form like and approximately 1 mm long.
Melissa officinalis Lemon balm seeds Melissa officinalis Lemon balm seed


Self Lemon balm cultivate.

The plant grows shadow on each damp ground kind, in the full sun with of the noons.
Lemon balm can sow germinate you the best in the spring, the seed slowly.
The plants after rise replant on 60 cm distance. Small plants can be held also indoors. Split up the plant or take stem cutting in the furrow or fall.



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The history

By on  
Melissa officinalis Lemon balm

The name Lemon balm, Melissa officinalis, comes from the old Greeks.
The Greek names for a Honey bee is Melissa. This because by at the nectar of these plant the preference gave and the plant by attracts. Lemon balm became uses medicinal for two thousand year ago through the Greeks.


The Arabs brought the plant to Spain and the Benedictine monks to our regions, where he already asked cultivated became in monastery gardens.
Lemon balm was called in Southern Europe 'heart's content' and through the Swiss physician Paracelsus 'life elixir'. He believed that this season a man prevent complete till life wanted to wake. This opinion was supported by the London Dispensary from 1696: 'Lemon balm will, make when each morning administered, someone younger, the mental ability strengthen and want to cheer up' a languorous what.
Lemon balm had also name as one of the morning tea kinds that in the thirteenth century consumed became through Llewelyn, Prince or Glamorgan, that 108 years old became, and John Hussey from Sydenham that 116 became after fifty year long had breakfast to have with Lemon balm tea with honey.
The quality round Melissa oil to obtain becomes already centuries by herb expert described and becomes uses also these days yet it within the aroma therapy round to decrease depressions.



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Applications

Decorative.

Use the leaf in ruikers for ill persons.


Keep house.

Plant Lemon balm around beehives and orchards by at for the pollinating to pull.
Rub Lemon balm on beehives for in it a new swarm comes.
Join Lemon balm juice closed at furnish wax.
Previously was Lemon balm a straw herb.

Lemon balm Melissa officinalis


Cosmetic.

An extract as a face steam bath and as a rinse for grey her. Join it closed at bath water.


Medicinal.

Lay the fresh leaves immediately on insect bites and swear or do they in a dad on it.
An extract of the leaves as tea use for lighting by chronic bronchitis, cold with fever, headache and tensions what to decrease. The tea gives relax a feeling.
The herb is good works by a difficult digestion, it cram decreasing on the stomach and the intestines and is windenverdrijvend. Lemon balm has been combined also good against insomnia, sleepiness with Lavender and Hawthorn. It has further an antiviral working by herpes infections.

Use Melissa o.a. by; allergies, asthma, bronchitis, chronic cough, flaw at appetite, depression, migraine, nastiness, bowel disturbances, postnatal problems, heart palpitations, irregular menstruation, blown up feeling, insomnia, fear, depressiveness, tension, shock and stress.
Melissa can uses become to treat in very low concentration quite good round eczema and other skin problems.


Applications with ethereal oil.

Sleepiness can become strengthens the working of an ethereal oil to combine through these with other ethereal oils.

Here single applications of the ethereal oil of Lemon balm follow.

By insomnia, migraine.
5 drops Melissa and 5 drops Lavender mix with a little bit milk or a spoonful honey.
This add want to go bathe at a bath and area for the unpleasant bed.

Or by insomnia.
Mix 5 ml Melissa with 5 drops Rose. Sprinkle a few drops of this mixture on the pillow and you sleep like a Baby.

Evaporate.
8 drops Melissa in the aroma lamp work restorative and relaxed on the body. Let tensions around the heart slip.

An example of available ethereal oil, is the Melissa oil of Jacob Hooy.



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Chemical properties

In the plant present matters.

Ethereal oil (o. a. citral a and b with caryophyllene oxide ), bitters matter, tan-bark matter
Flavonoids (o. a. luteoline-7-glucoside and rhamnazine)
Terpenoids (o. a. b-carophyllene, citronellal, geraniol, linalool and nerol) and
Polyfenols (o. a. caffeine acid, protocatechuine acid and rosemary acid).


Chemical constituents in Lemon balm.

1-octen-3-ol, 10-alpha-cadinol, 3-octanol, 3-octanone, Alpha- cubebene, Alpha-humulene, beta-bourbonene, Caffeine acid, Caryophyllene, Caryophyllene-oxide, Catechines, Chlorogenine acid, Cis-3-hexenol, Cis- ocimene, Citral-A, Citral-B, Citronellal, Copaene, Delta-cadinene, Eugenyl-acetate, Gamut-cadinene, Geranial, Geraniol, Geranyl-acetate, Germacrene-D, Isogeranial, Linalool, Luteolin-7-glucoside, Methyl-heptenone, Neral, Nerol, Octyl-benzoate, Oleanoline acid, Pomoline acid, Protocatechuine acid, Rhamnazine, Rosmarine acid



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Precautions

Lemon balm is a safe herb, but some men become sick of large doses and strong teas.
Avoided large doses during the pregnancy.
Some men react allergic by contact with Lemon balm.
The most ethereal oils cannot be taken in without risk. Use ethereal exclusive internal oil has as you sufficient knowledge or consult a (homeopathic) physician.
Over the general is however the working by external use more strongly than by inwendig use.



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Culinary

Cut fresh leaves fine in salads, white sauces for fish, mayonnaise, sauerkraut or herring in it sour.
Join Lemon balm closed at fruit salads, jelly, custard pudding, fruits drinks and these.
Extract of fresh leaves for Melissa tea.
Join Lemon balm closed at mixed vinegar kinds, try Lemon balm with dragon.



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Other variants

Melissa officinalis sail. variegata



Melissa officinalis sail. variegata

Has good spotted, notwithstanding that lemon fragrant leaves.
She grows in light shadow. In the hot sun, the leaves scorch through which it arise dull spots.
The heights is approximately 30 cm.



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Remaining images

Here a number stand impress of plates / photographs / of Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).

Lemon  
balm Melissa officinalis Lemon balm Melissa officinalis


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[1]. Bremness, Lesley;- the complete naslagwerk SEASON for the cultivating and use -
Fifth busily; Wooden: Of Reemst Publisher (2000). ISBN 90-410-0158-1
[2]. Rüdt, YOU.; - Therapeutic and poisonous plants - First busily; Zutphen: B. V. W. J. Thieme & Cie
(1973). ISBN 90-03 94630 , 2



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