Lemon balm, also known as Melissa officinalis is a herb that you can easily grow at home. The herb has many uses with the main ones being:

Bathing

Lemon balm is so soothing on the skin which makes it ideal for use in the bath. There are two ways you in which you can use it for bathing: making a bath bag or also as a sunburn bath soak.

To make a bath bag you need to mix 1 cup of dried sage, 1 cup of dried thyme and 1 cup of dried lemon balm and place it inside an old stocking or thin sock. For ideal results you should use ½-1 cup of the mixture per bath. For additional benefits, you can also dab the herb filled bag on your skin.

You can also use the lemon balm to make a sunburn bath soak. Here you need to mix ¼ cup of mint leaves, ¼ cup of calendula flowers, ¼ cup of chamomile flowers, ¼ of green tea and ¼ of lemon balm leaves and again place it inside an old stocking or thin sock. You should use ½-1 cup of the mixture per bath.

Experts have shown that the herb has relaxing properties, so it will help soothe frayed nerves too, which is especially helpful if your child is a bit hyped up or upset. Using this bath soak can really help calm them down!

Culinary Uses

Lemon balm adds a unique flavour to drinks and food; therefore, making it perfect to add to salads, stews, cheeses, poultry stuffings, soups, sandwiches, pork, vegetables, sauces, dressings, wine, cakes, punch, herb vinegar, egg dishes, ice cream, crepes, cheesecakes, cookies, and sorbets.

One of the most popular culinary ways of using the herb is in tea. You should combine lemon balm with Earl Grey and black or green tea. For ideal results you should use fresh leaves. To avoid a bitter taste you should drink this as an iced tea.

In addition to tea, you can also use the herb to make herbal water. To make the water you should mix 1 handful of lemon balm, ¼ handful of rose, lime basil or geranium, ½ handful of orange mint and ½ handful of pineapple sage.

There are many other foods and drinks that you can prepare using the herb. The reason why lemon balm is used in preparing food and drinks is because it aids in treating colic and upset stomach.

Medicinal Uses

For many years lemon balm has been used in treating different types of medical conditions. Some of the conditions include: treating depression/anxiety, dyspepsia, insomnia, coughs, asthma, hypertension, shock, vertigo, fever, and menstrual problems.

The herb has also been used to relieve itching of insect bites. When you are bitten by a bug you need to crush the herb and place it on the bitten area.

In children the herb has been shown to relieve irritable bowel syndrome, sleep quality, colitis and dyspepsia.

Lemon balm is an important herb that everyone should have growing in their garden. While the herb is great due to its many benefits, when growing it you should keep a close eye on it because it can sometimes be known to grow rampant. It’s the perfect herb to grow in pots and hardy, so also a great one to plant with your kids and teach them about all its benefits while you look after it together!