Lemon Balm
Given Name: Melissa officinalis
Nicknames: common balm, bee balm, sweet balm, garden balm, blue balm, balm mint, lemon mint, bee's leaf, honey plant, apiatrum, heart’s delight
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint)
Oh goodness gracious- here you are and I don't have a thing ready for you. How could I have been so inconsiderate? Please, make yourself at home and I'll just putter around and see what I can do for you.
What can I make? What can I make?
Aha!
I know- can I get you a cup of tea made from my leaves?
I'd be happy to gather some of my fresh, slightly-toothed, crinkly, oval or sometimes heart-shaped (they show I care!) leaves. If you just wait right here, just for a few minutes...
... no no- it's no bother. And don't you dare even think about using my dried leaves to save a bit of time. You deserve the best and I lose a lot of my volatile oils (my smell) when I'm dried. What's that? You're not in the mood for tea? Are you sure? I could add honey made from my flowers.
Well, of course bees make honey from my abundant nectar! Those little rascals swarm around my small, irregular, white flowers, in summer and early fall, and I do my darnedest to feed them all.
It's quite the responsibility and sometimes I don't know if I'm up to the challenge. But then I remember that my scientific name is, after all, Melissa, meaning honeybee, so I must have this covered.
Speaking of covered... is that bare soil, I see? Deary me!
It's at risk to wind and water erosion. But don't you fret. I'll take care of it- just give me a year or two to establish myself. My dense 2-3 foot tall clumps will spread to about 2 feet wide, stabilizing and protecting the soil. I do hope that the insects and bacteria will like the moist and cool conditions I've created. Now.... what else can I do to help?
What about the rabbits and deer? I've noticed that they barely nibble on my foliage. I wonder if my lemony smell is too much for them? Maybe I could somehow mask my aroma so that I can care for those critters too? Hmmmm... that just might work. If it's not too much trouble, could I borrow some smelly lotion from you? Thank you so much... I'll just rub some under my opposite leaves (I have to be careful because my leafpits are very ticklish!) and smear a bit over my square stems and voila! The deer and rabbits should come running. Wait a minute! What's that smell? It smells like... me! Did you give me lotion containing lemon balm?
Jeez Louise... I wish that I wasn't so often used to scent natural cosmetics.
*Sigh* I guess I'm just too smelly too be helpful!
Huh?
You say you want to plant me because of my smell? You appreciate that it may actually keep the rabbits and deer away from your gardens and also repel some of the bugs that eat your plants? Fancy that!
And now you want to know how to take care of me? Well, isn't that sweet.
But don't worry your pretty head about little ol' me- it's my job to take care of you, not the other way around.
Yes, I'm sure! You see, my hairy root system with its many lateral roots make me very adaptable to different environmental conditions. You don't even have to water me once I'm established: as long as I get between 400 and 500 mm of rain per year I'll be just fine.
In fact, one study concluded that I benefit from moderate drought stress.
But you on the other hand, you shouldn't be stressed.
Sit yourself down and let me help you relax. No, I can't offer a foot message but my tea or tincture should do the trick. Oh yes, according to my traditional uses, I can chase your anxiety away and do so much more for you... if you'd like. Did you know that my species name, officinalis, refers to the fact I was officially used as a medicine? Yup, I've been eager to do whatever I can to help people since at least 50- 80 BC, when I was first documented as a medicine in the “Materia Medica”. Since then, I've been said to possess a range of healing properties: sedative/tranquilizing, anti-gas, fever-reducing, antibacterial, spasmolytic, hypotensive, memory-enhancing, menstrual-inducing, and thyroid-related effects; and antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, antispasmolytic, and antioxidant activities. But I can see you're not quite comfortable with me yet. I totally understand... you need to be careful what you put into your body. So, what can I do to put you at ease?
Do you feel better knowing that I appear in one of Shakespeare's plays?
It's true: in Antony and Cleopatra (Act 5, Scene 2), Cleopatra talks about the poison she is planning to use to kill herself, saying “[a]s sweet as Balm [that's me!], as soft as air, as gentle.” Oops! A quote about poison might not help you feel good about me. But I can assure you that Cleopatra is not calling me poison... not in the slightest. She's calling the poison sweet, like me. See the difference? Yeah, I know it still is an unfortunate association. I'm sorry that I brought it up.
But in reality, I'm so far from poison that I've been assigned Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status in the United States.
And I'm actually better for you than safe- several scientific studies suggest that my extract helps with mild to moderate Alzheimer's, providing significant benefits to cognition and possibly helping to manage agitation.
What do you say? Do you feel better about trying me now? I hope so.
Oh, won't you look at the time!
I've been chatting your ear off with no thought of your busy schedule! I certainly don't want to monopolize your day. So, go on... go about your life. Just keep in mind that even though I'm originally from the Mediterranean area, I've spread all around the world, so I'm never far if you need me.
At your service,
Solicitous Lemon Balm
P.S. I hate sending you off empty handed so maybe I could offer a song suggestion:
"Lean on Me" by Bill Withers.
Aside from resonating with the general message, the lyrics, "Lean on me/ When you're not strong," are kind of nostalgic for me. They remind me of when French monks and nuns as well as the Swiss physician, Paracelsus (1493-1541), prepared tonics containing me, known as “life elixer”, that were literally meant to help people when they weren't strong. Ahhhh... those were simpler times for a plant who just wants to help!
References:
Abbaszadeh, B., Sharifi Ashourabadi, E., Lebaschi, M., Naderi hajibagher Kandy, M., Moghadami, F. (2008). The effect of drought stress on proline contents, soluble sugars, chlorophyll and relative water contents of balm (Melissa officinalis L.). Iranian Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research, 23(4), 504-513. doi: 10.22092/ijmapr.2008.10090
Akhondzadeh, S., Noroozian, M., Mohammadi, M., Ohadinia, S., Jamshidi, A. H., & Khani, M. (2003). Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 74(7), 863–866. https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.74.7.863
Gillespie, H, Drost, D. (n.d.). "Lemon Balm in the Garden”. Utah State University. https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/lemon-balm-in-the-garden
“Growing Guide: Lemon Balm” (2006). Cornell University. http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene4048.html
Kennedy, D., Little, W., Scholey, A. (2004) Attenuation of laboratory-induced stress in humans after acute administration of melissa officinalis (lemon balm). Psychosomatic Medicine, 66 (4). pp. 607-613. ISSN 0033-3174 https://core.ac.uk/reader/9985745?utm_source=linkout
Kennedy, D., Wake, G., Savelev, S., Tidesley, N. T. J., Perry, E. K., Wesnes, K. A., Scholey, A. B. (2003). Modulation of Mood and Cognitive Performance Following Acute Administration of Single Doses of Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) with Human CNS Nicotinic and Muscarinic Receptor-Binding Properties. Neuropsychopharmacol 28, 1871–1881 . https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1300230
Mahr, S. (n.d.). “Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis”. University of Wisconsin. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/lemon-balm-melissa-officinalis/
"Melissa officinalis” (n.d.). North Carolina State Extension. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/melissa-officinalis/
Miraj, S., Rafieian-Kopaei, & Kiani, S. (2017). Melissa officinalis L: A Review Study With an Antioxidant Prospective. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(3), 385–394. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216663433
Moradkhani, H.,Sargsyan, E., Bibak, H., Naseri, B., Sadat-Hosseini, M., Fayazi-Barjin, A., Meftahizade, H. (2010). Melissa officinalis L., a Valuable Medicine Plant: A review. Journal of medicinal plant research. 4. 2753-2759. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281309069_Melissa_officinalis_L_a_valuable_medicine_plant_A_review
Petruzzello, M. (n.d.). lemon balm. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/lemon-balm
Verma, S., Pratap, P. (2015). Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) an Herbal Medicinal Plant With Broad Therapeutic Uses and Cultivation Practices: A Review. International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research. 2. 928-933. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285581177_LEMON_BALM_MELISSA_OFFICINALIS_L_AN_HERBAL_MEDICINAL_PLANT_WITH_BROAD_THERAPEUTIC_USES_AND_CULTIVATION_PRACTICES_A_REVIEW
I Love this soOo much Laura! Thank you for sharing your creativity!
Much Love from Western North Carolina,
Peggy and family