Meet the lovely lemon balm! This relative to mint is so easy to grow; you can basically put it in the ground and forget about it. If you don’t have garden space, you can easily grow it in a container.

This amazing herb is a miracle worker for us humans and a favorite of the bees. It is completely safe for adults and children. In fact, it used to be a combined with chamomile and dill as common colic remedy for fussy babies. Made as a tea, it is so tasty! If you are interested in learning more about herbal remedies, Rosemary Gladstar has an excellent introductory book called Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide. I highly recommend it!  Read on to find out what you can use lemon balm for.


Note: If you have an under-active thyroid or Hashimoto’s, it is best to use this herb only under the guidance of a trusted health care professional as it is considered a thyroid suppressant, for everyone else, enjoy!

 

Lemon Balm: Calms anxiety, encourages restful sleep, fights viruses, and more!

 

Use Lemon Balm for:

  • viral infections (especially effective against coldsores, shingles, etc.)
  • bacterial infections
  • restless sleep
  • hyperactive children
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • heart disease
  • heart ache
  • nervous disorders

How to use lemon balm:

    • As a culinary herb: Use lemon balm in salads, smoothies, and other dishes where you would put mint in.
    • Tea: You can steep the fresh or dried leaves with hot water. About 10 minutes will give you a pleasant drinking tea. If you want a more medicinal tea, let it steep for longer. Feel free to add other herbs depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
    • Relaxing tea: lemon balm with chamomile, lavender, and or holy basil
    • Antiviral tea: lemon balm and licorice

Tincture:

A tincture is a good way to get a high dose of lemon balm (or another herb) into your body for an acute situation, such as the onset of a flu or cold sore. They only take a few minutes to prepare, but you will have to wait at least a few weeks for it to be ready. Go here for a tutorial on how to make you own tincture, or you can buy a ready made tincture to have on hand such as those by Herb Pharm.

Bath:

Add at least 1/2 cup fresh or dried herbs to cheesecloth or a strainer and secure it to the tub faucet under hot running water for the first few minutes. Next, adjust the water to a comfortable temperature. Feel free to add other herbs such as lavender or chamomile if desired.  

Do you use lemon balm? Are you going to try it?

 

Lemon Balm: Calms anxiety, encourages restful sleep, fights viruses and more! #herbs #herbalremedies #naturalremedies #reclaimingvitality.com
 

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