Botanical name of lemon balm: Melissa officinalis L.
Plant family: Lamiaceae / Labiatae
Main botanical characteristics: Perennial, densely branched rootstock. Square, heavily branched stem (30-70 cm tall) with opposite, heart-shaped, serrated, and slightly hairy leaves. Whitish labial flowers arranged in whorls.
Flowering time: June-August
Plant parts used: Leaves (Folium Melissae)
Ingredients of lemon balm: Essential oil (citral, citronellal, linalool), tannin, flavonoids, bitter substances.
Effect: Calming, antispasmodic (spasmolytic), sleep-inducing, anti-flatulent (carminative), heart tonic, weakly antibacterial, virostatic (prevents virus absorption into the cell).
Indications: Nervousness, nervous sleep disturbances, nervous, functional gastrointestinal complaints, lack of bile secretion, colic, Roemheld's syndrome, palpitations, extrasystoles, anxiety, shortness of breath, herpes simplex, antiviral effect
Contraindication: No
Preparation and dosage form:
- Infusion (2-3 cups/day)
- spice for cooking
- Tincture (3×15 drops/day)
- Homeopathic low potencies
- Essential oil on sugar or honey (4 drops 3 times a day)
- Essential oil for rubbing in
- Bath (extract 50-60g of drug in 1 liter of water and add)
Effect of lemon balm according to TCM (cold):
- Clears heart fire, has a calming effect
- Calms Shen
- Clears stomach fire
- Dispels wind heat
- Dissolves Qi stagnation, has a carminative effect, calms the liver yang
