Wednesday 14 May 2014

Magical Lemon Balm - Anti depressant, Anti Viral, Cold Sore Healing ……..n many more!

May Full Moon and what a treat we have with wonderful sunny warm weather a prefect day for a garden harvest, I love to harvest the Ariel parts of plants inuring the full moon when I know all the energies in the herbs are pulsating upwards to bathe in maximum light. I was in my shed dispensing and noticed that last years lemon balm (Melissa) tincture was almost finished so what better time to replenish stocks…

The Lemon Balm is in full leafy glory at this time of year and each time I wander up my garden path, brushing past various aromatics, the sweet sharp lemony aromas makes me smile. I found a glass jar then holding an intention of calming, uplifting healing, began harvesting juicy leaf tops whilst opening my voice and letting words flow through me. I found myself singing about community love and support and the importance of self-nurture. Each plant has a song and I find it great fun to let my imagination and creative play free whilst working with plant energies.

Once the jar was full of green, delightfully smelling leaves I covered half the jar with Vodka and the top half with 80 percent alcohol from a holiday aboard. I want to have a higher strength alcohol to extract some more of the volatile oils. I am going to put this tincture out side in the moon light, standing on a picture of symbols for love support community and self care for the next 3 nights before straining, I have a mantra to speak to the potion, ‘ With Great Love and Respect I ask for Powerful Healings, Calming, Uplifting Support & connection between all Life. Thank you.’

Lemon Balm is a very easy herb to grow one of the Mint family (recognisable by their square stems) it is quick to establish in the garden and move around taking over beds (I don’t mind too much!).

Lemon balm’s Greek derived scientific name “Melissa”
Is from the fact that it is a favourite of bees and in
Ancient Greece sprigs of lemon balm were placed into beehives to attract wandering honeybee swarms we now know that one of its citrusy scents mimics the homing pheromone of bees. It is delightful to watch the honeybees drinking her nectar on summer days.

It is thought that during the 10th century the Arabs who had it as a valued part of their Materia Medica for many hundreds of year’s prior introduced the plant to Europe. So thank you for that wonderful present!

Lemon balm seemed to be a favorite of William Shakespeare; lemon balm was used as a secret messenger or code, in the language of flowers, between lovers to signify sympathy. And is written into several of his plays.


Recent scientific studies have proven the anti-viral effectiveness of lemon balm specifically in shortening the healing time of herpes cold sores and outbreak of shingles (we have it in our lip balms with hypericum another great anti-viral herb) & there are ongoing research programme in the treatment of Grave’s disease, hyperthyroid, and Alzheimer’s/dementia.