The scientific name for lemon balm is "melissa officinalis" and it belongs to the Lamiaceae or Labiatae mint family of flowering plants. Other common names include sweet balm, melissa, Zitronenmelisse (German), citronelle (French), and melissa (Italian). (no. 91, Simon and Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices)
The Herb Book, by John Lust, has a longer list of common names, including:
• balm mint
• bee balm
• blue balm
• cure-all
• dropsy plant
• garden balm
• lemon balm
• melissa
• sweet balm
(See page 105, "028 Balm.")
I can understand why it's called a "dropsy plant"! We have it growing on either side of a walkway and after it grows to three feet tall, it starts drooping over, making it harder to walk there. (I learned from the Internet that the word "dropsy" means to fill up with fluid.)
However, according to Wikipedia, lemon balm is not to be confused with bee balm, which is a different genus. Also, there is a balm mint plant that is a native Australian hardwood shrub that can grow up to two meters tall.
Other common names (listed on various websites) include:
• sweet mary
• honey plant
and just plain
• balm
What Others Have To Say About Lemon Balm
Here are some of the properties and uses for lemon balm that are mentioned in my books on herbs:
According to Simon and Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices, edited by Stanley Schuler:
• "Lemon balm has antipyretic, refreshing, cholagogic, and stimulant properties; and melissa water is a well known calmative." (See number 91.)
Leslie Bremness in the Eyewitness Handbook, Herbs: A Visual Guide to More Than 700 Herb Species from Around the World, says
Fresh lemon balm leaves:
• Add a delicate flavor to food dishes, oils, vinegars, and liqueurs
• Provide a relaxing bath
• Soothe insect bites
• Make a sedative and tonic tea
(Evidently, lemon balm tea has a reputation for giving longevity and for soothing headaches, indigestion, and nausea.)
• Extracts made from lemon balm are antiviral and used to clean and heal wounds by starving bacteria of oxygen.
• The lemon balm essential oil is refreshing, an antidepressant, and helps some eczema and allergy sufferers.
• And finally, an interesting note is this book says that lemon balm "attracts bees, and if rubbed on empty hives will encourage new tenants."
One of the featured articles this month at the Virginia Gardener Magazine web site is a great one about "Lemon Balm—the Scent of Sweet Dreams and Calm Nerves" by Anna Holton.
Fresh Lemon Balm Tea
And while I was waiting for the herb to finish drying up in the attic, I decided to try a cup of hot tea made from a bunch of fresh lemon balm leaves. I picked about a dozen large leaves, washed them, and stacked them on top of each other. Then I cut the stack into tiny pieces and placed them in a glass mug. I poured boiling water over the herbs, covered it with an upside-down plate, and let it steep for about 15 minutes. I liked it!—It was surprisingly refreshing, with light and delicate flavors of lemon and mint.
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