Botanical Name – Melissa officinalis

Family: Lamiaceae

Energetics: cool, dry, relaxant

Taste: aromatic, sweet

Parts used: flowers and leaves

Affinities: digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems

Actions: relaxant, sedative, nervine, diaphoretic, anodyne, antiviral

Preparations: tincture, tea, cooking, poultice, wash

Cautions: Safe for all ages

Therapeutic Uses:

• Lemon balm is an uplifting sedative which means it elevates your mood while calming you down. It works well for anxiety, agitation, and insomnia. 
• A strong lemon balm tea every day will help with Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• Helps relieve muscle tension due to stress and anxiety.
• Its diaphoretic properties help the body release heat. This is useful for fevers, heat stroke, hyperthyroidism, and just generally feeling too hot.
• Lemon balm helps to protect against viruses that attack the nerves and is particularly useful against the herpes family of viruses.