Guest guest Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 An excerpt on Lemon Balm from Gallagher, Herbal Branches. Lemon Balm is relaxing and soothing for the nerves! Not only that, it’s a great general tonic. Being a mild, nutritive herb it’s great to use every day. While it calms anxiety it also acts to restore depleted energy and revitalize us. Lemon Balm can also act as a decongestant and antihistamine, helping with even chronic problems like asthma or allergies. Finally, I read that it has an old reputation for enhancing understanding and memory. “,” I said, “I think you ought to be drinking a Lemon Balm infusion every day.” He agreed without even asking why, and I began making them for him that very day. AND, it worked! They tasted great to him, and he told me that he felt much calmer when drinking them. We’ll see when they send the test results whether the part about understanding and memory holds true as well… Now, over the past couple of weeks in Washington it has also gotten HOT. The solstice has come and gone, and summer is officially here. What we discovered is that lemon balm makes a wonderful iced tea. Not only does it taste great, it works with our bodies to lower our body temperature. How to use Lemon balm You can make a tisane with fresh cuttings of lemon balm from your garden by taking cuttings from your lush stand, chopping them up and pouring boiling water over them. I used about 3 handfuls for a 1⁄2 gallon jar. Let this steep for at least a couple of hours, then chill and serve. Or you can make an infusion, using 1 ounce of dried herb per quart of water and letting it steep for at least four hours before straining and chilling in the refrigerator. Be sure to put a lid on your jar for both the tisane and infusion. Lemon Balm has its fresh lemony scent because of its volatile oils and they will evaporate with the steam if you leave your brew to steep uncovered. By the beginning of June, the Lemon Balm stand in my garden had grown above knee-height but was not yet flowering. At this point, I cut it all back to the ground. I used those three handfuls to make a tisane that day, and dried the rest, hanging some in my bedroom out of direct sunlight and putting the rest in the dehydrator on low for about 1 day. Now, the stand has rejuvenated itself and is about 5 inches tall already. I should get another complete harvest before the end of the summer. This is great, because the lemon balm I dried is now almost gone. Not only have I used it as infusions for , and iced-tea for our family and friends, I’ve also been using it with Rowan. He’s had a viral infection that has caused small wart-like bumps on his chin and chest for a while now. Guess what? Lemon Balm is also an anti-viral herb, and so Rowan has been drinking lemon balm infusions daily as well. We’ve also used it as a wash, dipping a rag in the infusion and dabbing it on the bumps each night before he goes to bed. Since we started using Lemon Balm the bumps have started healing! See what I mean that the timing couldn’t have been better? This was the perfect month for our family to discover the many benefits of lemon balm, and this is the perfect time for you to harvest and dry some for yourself! Enjoy your lemony iced-tea! Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats Want to be your own boss? Learn how on Small Business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 I pick bunches of lemon balm from my yard, put them into a mesh bag and toss it into my clothes dryer for a nice fresh citrus smell...........BonnieSuzanne <suziesgoats@...> wrote: Lemon Balm Lemon Balm has many excellent properties and is safe, effective and tasty. It is primarily used to calm the nervous system. A cup of Lemon Balm tea, sweetened with a touch of honey is a wonderful remedy for headaches, depression, and insomnia. One herbalist recommends combining it with Chamomile flowers to "take the edge off a stressful day". A scientist/Doctor at the University of London endorses it for treating migraine headaches.Lemon Balm can also be used for digestive purposes. It possess a high concentration of essential oils and has anti-spasmodic properties while it helps to relieve gas pains. This herb is also known to have anti-viral and sedative properties. A Lemon Balm cream available in Europe has a significantly greater healing effect on herpes ulcers because of the anti-viral effect of this herb. Unfortunately, this cream is not available in the US. However, if you struggle with Herpes or any other virus you may want to try making a salve or cream of your own. They are very easy to make. This is a first choice herbal treatment for herpes and shingles. You can drink the tea and then use the filtered herb as a poultice on the lesions if you don't have time to make a salve. The body cells have cell receptors that the viruses will latch on to in order to invade. Lemon Balm apparently latches on to those receptors preventing the viruses from latching on and invading the body, thus stopping the spread of infection.Lemon Balm has anti-histaminic properties and can be used to reduce the effects of allergies. Rosemary Gladstar suggests making a tea by combining nettle with Lemon Balm for this purpose.Lemon Balm has a delicious flavor. It is fresh and invigoration, adding a nice touch to any tea you wish to concoct. It is in the mint family and therefore contains anti-oxidant vitamins and selenium which help the immune system. And all mints contain at least 4 anti-viral compounds.Take 1-2 tsp. of the dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep the herbs until the water is cool. You may want to spike this tea with feverfew, ginger, and/or tumeric for a headache for an even greater effect. If you are making a tea to soak a cotton ball in an apply to a wound or lesion steep 2-4 tsp in a cup of boiling water and apply the tea several times a day. Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats Everyone is raving about the all-new beta. Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Now that sounds good! Thank you. Gayla Always Enough RanchAcampo, Californiahttp://bouncinghoofs.com/alwaysenough.htmlBill Barnhill is our Inspiration! Go Bill!!!aeranch@... ----- Original Message ----- From: Bonnie E health Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:24 PM Subject: Re: Lemon balm I pick bunches of lemon balm from my yard, put them into a mesh bag and toss it into my clothes dryer for a nice fresh citrus smell...........BonnieSuzanne <suziesgoats@...> wrote: Lemon Balm Lemon Balm has many excellent properties and is safe, effective and tasty. It is primarily used to calm the nervous system. A cup of Lemon Balm tea, sweetened with a touch of honey is a wonderful remedy for headaches, depression, and insomnia. One herbalist recommends combining it with Chamomile flowers to "take the edge off a stressful day". A scientist/Doctor at the University of London endorses it for treating migraine headaches.Lemon Balm can also be used for digestive purposes. It possess a high concentration of essential oils and has anti-spasmodic properties while it helps to relieve gas pains. This herb is also known to have anti-viral and sedative properties. A Lemon Balm cream available in Europe has a significantly greater healing effect on herpes ulcers because of the anti-viral effect of this herb. Unfortunately, this cream is not available in the US. However, if you struggle with Herpes or any other virus you may want to try making a salve or cream of your own. They are very easy to make. This is a first choice herbal treatment for herpes and shingles. You can drink the tea and then use the filtered herb as a poultice on the lesions if you don't have time to make a salve. The body cells have cell receptors that the viruses will latch on to in order to invade. Lemon Balm apparently latches on to those receptors preventing the viruses from latching on and invading the body, thus stopping the spread of infection.Lemon Balm has anti-histaminic properties and can be used to reduce the effects of allergies. Rosemary Gladstar suggests making a tea by combining nettle with Lemon Balm for this purpose.Lemon Balm has a delicious flavor. It is fresh and invigoration, adding a nice touch to any tea you wish to concoct. It is in the mint family and therefore contains anti-oxidant vitamins and selenium which help the immune system. And all mints contain at least 4 anti-viral compounds.Take 1-2 tsp. of the dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep the herbs until the water is cool. You may want to spike this tea with feverfew, ginger, and/or tumeric for a headache for an even greater effect. If you are making a tea to soak a cotton ball in an apply to a wound or lesion steep 2-4 tsp in a cup of boiling water and apply the tea several times a day. Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats Everyone is raving about the all-new beta. Check out the all-new beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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