Current Uses

As a member of the mint family, can be used in many of the same ways as mints. Herbal preparations include teas, decoctions, infused wines and spirits, as well as oils and vinegars, ointments and creams. Provides a cool, calming effect.

Taste

Pungent & Sweet

Plant Parts Used

Leaves & Stem

Used in Spirits

Amaro, Benedictine, Chartreuse, Yellow & Green Chartreuse

Cultivation Regions

Perennial, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7 & Zone 8

Origins

Therapeutic Properties

Carminative, Diaphoretic & Nervine

Precautions

Because it is cooling, the herb has a neutral or mixed effect on Vata dosha, but decreases Kapha and Pitta.

Ayurvedic Character

Cooling

Substitutions

History

Lemonbalm is the main ingredient in Carmelite water, an infused wine deemed highly useful against nervous headache and neuralgic affections, created by Carmelite monks near Paris in 1611.

Footnotes

Photo by: flickr