Lemon Balm

There for awhile I was dealing with insomnia and after one particularly bad night I pulled out my “Green Pharmacy” book by James A. Duke and one of the recommended helpful herbs was… Lemon Balm.  It’s right outside in our back yard!  I got my lemon balm from my Mom’s garden and she got it from her Mother and I’d guess it goes on back in our family hand-me-downs.

Now, at night I’ll have a cup of chamomile tea and add in a sprig or two of Lemon Balm to enhance the soothing effect.  You could even add a little lavender to make a real sleepy-time tea.

Lemon Balm, also known as Melissa officinalis, sometimes just called Melissa, is a mint so it grows like a mint!  It’ll grow happily everywhere you don’t want it to.  I pull it like weeds and mow it in the yard but when I do it smells so good!  The smell reminds me of Lemon Pledge more so than actual lemons. Just go out and pick a bunch, wash it up, put it in a cup of water and keep in your refrigerator.  It’s easy to reach in, grab some and go.

If you’d like to learn more about lemon balm check out this page on webmd and here’s a nice write up by the Homestead Garden about Lemon Balm with recipe links that I found on Pinterest.