Melissa, or Lemon Balm

Today we are going to talk about Melissa, or more commonly know as lemon balm. This beautifule plant has a fragrant lemony smell. It makes a great hardy garden plant. Plant it in your garden to attract bees for pollination. Watch out it spreads quickly.
The essential oil from Melissa is often mixed with citronella or lemon grass by some companies because of the expense of manufacturing melissa oil. This can cause falsification and can be dangerous. The oil must be administered extremely carefully, especially with children so I do not advise its use by non practioners. There is not a problem if you are using it to fragrance & purify a room though. For beginners it is better to take advantage of the plant itself. Either making a tea from the leaves or eating it in salads. The leaves add a bright fragrance & flavor to a salad.

The leaves are very useful to if you get stung by a bee. Simply crush some leaves and rub them on the area.

To make a tea take some fresh or dried leaves and pour boiling water over them. Let them steep covered for 20 min. Strain and drink. It is also great in iced drinks.

To make general tonic and a simple remedy for migraine, depression, pms and menopausal symptons mix 2 oz of melissa leaves for 48 hours in white wine. Strain and drink 1 T. whenever symptoms appear. (If you do not want the alcohol in your concoction heat it up to evaporate the alcohol before administering it) There is another recipe that is more effective but a little more complicated.
4 1/2 C. vodka
2 oz. of Melissa leaves
1/2 oz of lemon peel
1/2 oz nutmeg
1/2 oz raw angelica
1/3 oz cloves
1/8 oz powdered cinnamon or sticks.
crush the herbs with your hand and put them in the vodka and spices for 2 weeks, keeping the bottle tightly corked and in the dark. filter with cheese cloth pressing all the ingredients well. Seal remaining mixture. Take a spoonful, no more when ever symptoms appear.

Enjoy the beauty of Melissa right from your garden.
I am ordering today, if you need any oils or herbs. barb@solutionsteam.biz PS: I have some fabulous starts of lemon balm if you want some!