Lemon balm: traditional uses, infusions and how to grow your own

Partager

0

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a spreading perennial with soft, lemon-scented leaves that you can pick from a pot by the back door. This page covers what the plant is, what herbalists and old European tradition have long credited it with, how to turn the leaves into an infusion, a cordial wine or Carmelite water, and who should leave it alone.

A plant with a long paper trail

• Physicians of the medieval Arabic world wrote about lemon balm at length and used it freely.
• Seventeenth-century European apothecaries valued it for nervous tension and low spirits, and distilled it into “Carmelite water”, nicknamed “drinkable gold”.
• Cardinal Richelieu is said to have kept it as his favourite remedy for his headaches.
• European herbal tradition has always classed it among the gentle, calming aromatic plants — a family plant rather than a drastic one.

What it is credited with

• Digestive comfort. Herbalists traditionally recommend a lemon balm infusion after a heavy meal, for a feeling of fullness, sluggish digestion or a tight stomach.
• Calm nerves. Naturopathy credits it with soothing restlessness, edginess and nervous tension, especially the kind that settles in the stomach.
• Evening wind-down. It has a long reputation as a bedtime tea for people who find it hard to switch off, and is often blended with lime blossom or chamomile.
• Low spirits and “nervous stomach”. Old European herbals used it for low mood combined with digestive unease — the two were considered inseparable.
• Monthly tension. Traditional herbal practice reaches for lemon balm for the irritability and restlessness some women notice in the days before their period.
• Headaches from tension. In traditional herbalism, the leaf tea was used to ease tension headaches, as Richelieu’s example suggests.
• Cold sores, applied to the skin. Herbalists have long applied lemon balm creams and leaf extracts to the lips and skin for cold-sore flare-ups.
• Bile and liver tone. Naturopathy considers the flowering tops a bitter-aromatic support for sluggish digestion of fats.

How to use it

The everyday infusion

• Pick a generous handful of fresh leaves and tear them roughly so the scent is released.
• Pour just-boiled water over them in a mug or teapot, cover, and steep about 10 minutes — the lid matters, the aroma escapes with the steam.
• Drink it warm, after meals or in the evening. Tradition suggests a cup after each main meal rather than one large pot.
• Taste: light, lemony, faintly honeyed. Longer steeping turns it grassy, so strain on time.
• Cold version: steep a handful of leaves in cold water in the fridge overnight for a summer drink; add lemon slices.

Lemon balm wine

• Macerate a large handful of fresh leaves in a bottle of dry white wine for two days, in a cool dark spot.
• Strain, bottle and keep refrigerated; use within a few weeks.
• Traditionally taken by the spoonful after a rich meal, as a household cordial.

Family-style Carmelite water

• Macerate a large handful of fresh lemon balm for two weeks in clear brandy, with a cinnamon stick, fresh lemon zest, a little garden angelica, coriander seed, a few cloves and a scrape of nutmeg.
• Press, filter through a cloth, bottle and label.
• Traditionally taken as a teaspoon, well diluted in water, as a warming aromatic tonic.
• It keeps for years and covers the season when no fresh leaves are available.

In the kitchen

• Shred young shoots into mixed leaf salads for a citrus lift.
• Bake fish or vegetables on a bed of lemon balm stems — they take on the scent.
• Stir chopped leaves into fruit salad, whipped cream, custard, lemonade or iced tea.
• Add at the very end of cooking: heat destroys the aroma fast.

Growing your own supply

• Full sun or part shade both suit it; part shade keeps the leaves softer and greener.
• Any soil will do, including poor and stony ground.
• It spreads by basal shoots and self-seeds freely — a container or a contained bed keeps it in bounds.
• Pots work very well: one good-sized pot supplies a household with tea leaves.
• Pests and diseases are essentially a non-issue. It is even used as a large white butterfly repellent, so plant a few clumps near the cabbages.
• Variegated and golden forms scorch in strong sun — grow them as ground cover at the foot of large shrubs.

Varieties worth looking for

• ‘Aurea’ — leaves open golden yellow, then turn green.
• ‘All Gold’ — yellow leaves throughout.
• ‘Citronnela’ — markedly citrus scent.
• ‘Lemonella’ — an even more lemony perfume.
• ‘Quedlinburger Niederliegende’ — the one grown for essential oil extraction.

Don’t confuse it with lemon grass

• Lemon balm is a soft-leaved perennial mint relative.
• Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a large tropical grass with long, sharp, highly fragrant blades, used in Asian cooking.
• They are not interchangeable in the kitchen or in the teapot.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: keep a pot of lemon balm within reach and steep a handful of fresh leaves, covered, for ten minutes after dinner.

Should I use lemon balm fresh or dried?

Fresh, whenever possible. Lemon balm loses most of its aroma when dried, which is why tradition favours a plant grown at home and picked on the day. If you want a supply for the cold months, freeze chopped leaves or make Carmelite water rather than relying on dried leaf.

When is the best time to pick the leaves?

From late spring to late summer, in the morning once the dew has dried. The scent is strongest just before the plant flowers in midsummer. Cutting the clump back after flowering brings on a second flush of tender leaves.

Can I drink lemon balm tea every evening?

Many people do, as a mild bedtime drink, and herbalists commonly suggest it that way. It is still sensible to take breaks rather than drink it continuously for months, and to check with a pharmacist if you take any medication, particularly sedatives or thyroid treatment.

Is lemon balm the same as lemon grass?

No. Lemon balm is a soft-leaved perennial in the mint family. Lemon grass is a large tropical grass, Cymbopogon citratus, with long sharp blades used in Asian cooking. The names get muddled but the plants and their flavours are quite different.

What does lemon balm taste like?

Soft lemon and lime peel with a faintly minty, honeyed edge. Steeped too long it turns grassy and green-tasting, so strain it at around ten minutes. It pairs beautifully with fruit salad, lemonade, cream desserts and baked fish.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.