What is lemon balm? Probably, many can answer this question, but not everyone knows the beneficial properties that this plant possesses. Melissa officinalis belongs to medicinal herbaceous plants, and its distinctive property is a pleasant specific aroma, which becomes especially pronounced if you rub its leaves in your hands.
In height, the plant is from 20 to 80 cm, the stem is covered with soft hairs, the leaves have coarse edges. The passionate gardeners grow a medicinal plant in their own plots, although it grows rapidly and can be found in a completely different section of the garden. Melissa flowers are small, almost imperceptible, white-pink or white. They are collected in bundles of whorls located in the axils of the apical leaves. The aroma of lemon balm can calm honeybees, it is this quality that beekeepers use when working with frames. If you wipe your hands with a few leaves of the plant, the bees will not cause harm or sting.
Useful properties and contraindications of lemon balm will be presented to your attention in the article.
Distribution area
What is lemon balm and what is its habitat? A fragrant plant from the Mediterranean came to us. It was grown in ancient Greece and Rome, not only to prepare drinks, but also to add leaves to food - to give a unique smell to dishes. Later, foreigners spread the plant around the world. It is an excellent honey plant and a well-known spice, therefore it has received the talking name Mellissa, which means "honey bee".
In Russia, they also appreciated the unpretentious grass that was used for dizziness, seizures of hysteria, and cardiac excitement. Our plant has the popular name "lemon mint", because of the fresh light aroma of lemon. Useful properties and contraindications of lemon balm herb have been studied since ancient times. We will consider them further.
Types of Lemon Grass
There are hundreds of varieties of lemon balm grass (useful properties and contraindications before use) in the wild and cultivated form, they differ in the strength of the bush growth, flower color, richness of flavor and frost resistance. Decorative species flaunt on window sills in pots, and medicinal species grow on beds, they are used for medicinal purposes.
The plant loves sandy and clay soils, does not tolerate wet places, so it will not grow near water bodies. The main thing in melissa is valuable essential oils, which are formed only under the influence of sunlight. A shrub growing in the shade does not have enough essential oils and is not considered suitable for harvesting. If you plant a balm of lemon balm on your site, then there will always be a healing remedy at hand that can quickly calm the shaken nerves, and a couple of leaves will turn any dish into a divine dish.
Raw material procurement
For medicinal purposes, raw materials with unblown flowers are collected, the entire upper aerial part of the lemon balm is useful, but the lignified stems are unsuitable for harvesting. After collection, young twigs and leaves are laid out in a thin layer in a ventilated room, dried at low temperatures, not forgetting to periodically turn the stems. If during drying a hot object is located nearby, lemon balm, the healing properties of which have been studied for a long time, will lose its properties.
After drying, it remains only to put the valuable raw materials into a glass jar so that aromatic substances do not disappear. Three months after harvesting, lemon balm loses its healing ability, so it is advisable to use it faster. You can freeze fresh leaves in the freezer so that essential oils remain longer in the plant, thereby retaining beneficial qualities.
Important! Melissa grass will show beneficial properties only when it is collected in an ecologically clean place. Otherwise, the use of the plant can even do harm. If lemon balm, the medicinal properties of which were the subject of our review, grows along roadsides or near large megacities, then, like a vacuum cleaner, it collects radioactive elements and chemicals. For raw materials you need to go to the forest edges or grow in your own area, then the benefits of the final product will be indisputable.
Chemical characteristics
Melissa, a photo of which you have the opportunity to see in the presented material, is a very common plant, but this is no less useful for normalizing the vital functions of the body. The therapeutic effect of the use of infusions and teas is explained by the chemical composition. The lemon balm plant is rich in essential oils, rosemary and coffee acids, tannins, bitterness, flavonoids, resins and mucus. The leaves contain a supply of vitamin C and carotene. Micro and macro elements beneficially affect the work of the heart, activate chemical reactions, improve blood composition. Organic acids break down fats and help remove excess cholesterol from the body.
Some farms are engaged in breeding, as a result of which the content of essential oils in lemon balm is adjusted to 0.8%. Due to the presence of oils, lemon balm has a specific taste and aroma, recognizable among other plants. Essential oils are in a liquid state at room temperature, but when heated, they begin to disappear. Therefore, doctors recommend inhalation with lemon balm for diseases of the upper respiratory tract. In the form of inhalation, the active substances easily penetrate the lungs when inhaling, providing an anti-inflammatory effect. Also, the healing plant of lemon balm has a set of substances that relieve spasms, cramps and pain.
Essential oils dissolve in alcohol, so alcoholic tinctures with lemon balm are often prepared to help cope with a number of diseases. To flavor the water, you can try to insist on the leaves, but the essential oils do not go well into the water, although it still gets a weak lemon flavor.
Melissa (photo - in the article) has a set of oxygen and nitrogen compounds that activate increased secretion of saliva and gastric juice, help to eliminate flatulence and arouse appetite. With vomiting, melissa also helps a lot.
Useful properties of lemon balm, proven for centuries
Ancient healers and herbalists noted the beneficial effects of melissa infusions, it was believed that the small flowers of the plant have magic. Ancient Roman healers treated fragrant leaves with bad mood and depression, inspiring a sense of joy and inspiration. Melissa was also grown in the famous medieval gardens at the monasteries and prepared for the treatment of the afflicted.
Avicenna in her treatises outlined its healing effects on the digestive and cardiac systems, the ability to dispel melancholy and increase vitality, as well as eliminate putrefactive odor from the oral cavity. In the 17th century, the monks of the Carmelite order invented the famous Karma melissa water as an excellent cosmetic product, refreshing and rejuvenating the skin of the face. It was an alcohol tincture on lemon balm with the addition of angelica, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange water.
The use of funds with melissa will restore health
About lemon balm reviews are mostly positive. Many argue that with proper application, the results will not be long in coming. Adherents of traditional medicine claim that bee mint will come to the rescue if it is necessary to restore balance and improve health. The use of healing tea and tinctures helps with diseases of the cardiovascular system, after a course of treatment shortness of breath and pain in the heart decrease, blood pressure returns to normal.
The infusion helps to cope with migraine pain, neuralgia and anemia. They drink teas with medicinal herbs for digestive tract dysfunction and for genital diseases. The plant has a diaphoretic and diuretic property, it is used to achieve a carminative and laxative effect. Recommended for dysbiosis and fermentopathy, with the treatment of dyskinesia.
External use is justified when rinsing the mouth, if it is necessary to heal wounds on the gums or relieve toothaches. Compresses with lemon balm relieve gout, inflammation of the joints, dermatological diseases - dermatitis, rash, furunculosis, eczema. It quickly disinfects and relieves itching with ulcerative lesions of the skin. When bee stings, it is enough to apply a lotion moistened in a decoction of healing leaves to the affected area to relieve pain and swelling. With herpes, the first vial should be dripped with lemon balm oil or mixed with one of the base oils, after the procedure no more bubbles appear.
Melissa oil is used for rheumatic pain and for menstrual disorders. The practical properties of the plant can hardly be overestimated, in addition to the fact that it calms the nervous system and acts as a natural antidepressant, it is also known for its ability to speed up metabolism and strengthen the immune system.
Melissa - The Secret of Real Ladies
Even in ancient times, people knew what lemon balm is. Women treated herbal drinks not only with diseases of the reproductive system, but also used them for cosmetic purposes. Melissa essential oil gives excellent results when used in the care of oily hair and oily skin, helps to heal cracks on the lips. Infusions of fresh leaves of the plant normalize the menstrual cycle, relieve pain during critical days. During pregnancy, it is also useful - it stabilizes the mental state of the expectant mother, soothes and relieves pain. When lactation increases milk production. Kids can be given weak tea from lemon balm instead of water, and stronger one is added to bathing water to relieve excessive excitability.
How to make lemon balm preparations
A specific form is prepared from plant materials, which helps to improve health in a particular case:
- Fresh leaves are crushed to a state of gruel. Apply to bruises or ulcers to relieve pain and relieve swelling. Helps improve the condition with polyarthritis, if applied to affected joints.
- Do it yourself - pour a tablespoon of grass with a glass of boiling water (do not close the container), insist 10 minutes.
- Infusion to be ingested. A thermos is useful for cooking. 8 tablespoons of leaves pour 250 ml of boiling water, strain after half an hour.
- Infusion for poultices is prepared in the same way, only a glass of boiling water needs 16 tablespoons of herb.
- To prepare alcohol tincture, they take lemon balm to alcohol or vodka in a ratio of 1: 5.
Proven recipes with lemon balm
For a special occasion, teas are prepared according to a special recipe. The proportions should be observed in order to get a healing drink that can effectively eliminate unpleasant symptoms.
To calm the nervous system
The best option is to prepare a decoction or tea from lemon balm. Such teas can be consumed at will, albeit daily. The broth has a more pronounced effect, so its use should be dosed. If you need to calm the nervous system, a natural remedy is suitable - a cup of green tea with the addition of lemon balm. Such a drink will help to recover in stressful situations, with depression, with neurosis and irritability, improve appetite and normalize heart rate.
With a cold, green tea is combined with lemon balm leaves, honey to quickly start the body's defenses. To properly brew tea, use a glass or porcelain container, first boil the water, and then cool to 80 degrees, take a teaspoon of tea and lemon balm per liter of water.
The classic recipe is lemon balm with black tea: pour a teaspoon of dried lemon balm and 0.5 teaspoon of black tea with a glass of boiling water. It is enough to insist 15 minutes, then strain and consume. If the tea is very concentrated, you can dilute it with water. At your own discretion, you can set off the taste of tea with cranberries, cinnamon or a slice of lemon.
For weight loss
The properties of the lemon balm herb have also been studied by nutritionists. They summarized the quality of the plant and recommend it in collections for weight loss. Unique properties of the plant, which help to lose weight in record lines:
- components remove excess fluid;
- metabolic activation;
- thanks to calming the nerves, a person ceases to “seize” stressful situations;
- Tea with lemon balm favorably affects the digestive processes, so fasting days are arranged with it.
To make tea you will need to mix ten grams of lemon balm and oregano, and also add five grams of lemon zest. The entire collection is poured with 300 ml of boiling water, boiled for three minutes, insisted for a quarter of an hour, filtered and drunk in the morning.
Melissa: contraindications
You can not use funds based on lemon balm for arterial hypotension, when a person has a reduced tone of capillaries and blood vessels. Melissa has contraindications for people with low blood pressure, because it can lower it even more. After drinking tea, such a person will feel dizzy and weak, and may even lose consciousness. You can not drive, due to a slowdown in psychomotor activity. You can not drink teas with fragrant leaves for those who suffer from liver failure or stomach ulcers. A drink will worsen the condition if it is necessary to concentrate during the day and have a busy working day, because the components of tea are relaxing.
Allergy sufferers are also better off giving up lemon balm due to the presence of essential oils in it. With a tendency to drowsiness, the situation only worsens. Men are also advised to refrain from excessive enthusiasm for such a drink, it is able to reduce potency.
Now you know what lemon balm is, its beneficial properties and contraindications are described in this article. Before you start using the plant, you need to consult a specialist, since self-medication can be fraught with consequences. Be healthy!