What’s growing your garden? Focus on Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis: Lemon balm is currently growing in abundance, ready to harvest and make into delicious, therapeutic teas, drinks and dishes.

Conditions Lemon balm can benefit

Digestive issues

Includes spasms, heart burn, indigestion, flatulence and nausea due to the volatile oils having carminative and antispasmodic actions. The oils also have a relaxing, nervine action so are useful for any digestive issues made worse through stress and anxiety such as irritable bowel.

Morning sickness and pregnancy headaches

Due to it’s carminative and nervine actions

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Muscular aches

Due to the oils being antispasmodic.

Nervous system conditions

Includes stress, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations, dizziness, high blood pressure, nervous headaches and mild depression due to being a nervine and relaxant. Clinical studies have also shown it to help relieve agitation in Alzheimer and dementia patients.

Sleep issues

A lemon balm tea one to two hours before bed acts as a gentle sedative to promote sleep. It has also been shown to helps establish good sleep cycles in menopausal women and children suffering from restlessness.

Circulatory conditions

Due to having vasodilating actions on the peripheral circulation system: the arms, hands, legs and feet.

Viral colds and flus

Especially those associated high temperatures due to it being diaphoretic (reduces fever) as well as anti-viral

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Endocrine system conditions

Useful for Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism: please consult a qualified medical herbalist for help with these conditions and avoid if you have hypothyroidism.

Reduces oxidative stress caused by X-Rays

Due to be being high in antioxidant properties. As soon as you know you will be having an X-Ray drink lemon balm tea twice day before and after the X-Ray.