Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) - Aromatic Medicinal and Culinary Herb

With its unmistakable fresh lemon scent, lemon balm – also simply called balm – is an absolute asset to any herb garden. It is not only a fantastic seasoning herb and a time-tested medicinal plant, but also a true bee magnet!

Strong plants in a 9cm pot.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Perennial, frost-hardy plant.

• Growth Height: Reaches a height of 50 to 90 cm, depending on location.

• Habit: Bushy and upright growth with rich green, heart-shaped, toothed leaves.

• Flowers: From July to August, small white to pale pink labiate flowers form, which are an extremely important food source for bees and bumblebees.

Location and Care

• Location: Sunny to partial shade and sheltered from wind.

• Soil: Well-drained, loose, moderately moist, and nutrient-rich.

• Care & Spread: Lemon balm grows very vigorously! It readily spreads in the garden via root runners and self-seeding. If you want to prevent this, you should cultivate it in a pot or rigorously prune it back before flowering/seed ripening. Pruning also promotes fresh, bushy new growth.

Origin Lemon balm originally comes from the eastern Mediterranean and West Asia. In the early Middle Ages, Benedictine monks brought the plant across the Alps to Central Europe, where it has since become established in cottage gardens.

Ingredients The plant owes its valuable properties primarily to its essential oils (citral, citronellal, and geraniol), which are responsible for its intense lemon scent. It also contains important tannins (especially rosmarinic acid), bitter substances, and flavonoids.

Usage

• In the Kitchen: Perfect for refreshing teas, lemonades, cocktails, or as a flavoring in desserts, fruit salads, and quark dishes. The delicate lemon aroma also pairs excellently with fish and poultry. Tip: Always use the leaves fresh and do not cook them, as they will lose their aroma!

• As a Medicinal Plant: Traditionally valued for its calming, antispasmodic, and mildly antiviral effects. Frequently used for nervous sleep disorders, gastrointestinal complaints, or in ointments for cold sores.

Historical Facts Lemon balm has a royal past: In 812, Charlemagne, in his Capitulare de villis, decreed that this herb must be cultivated in all monastery and apothecary gardens of his empire. The famous physician Paracelsus (16th century) even called it an "elixir of life." Furthermore, it is still the main ingredient of the famous "Karmelitergeist" (known, for example, as Klosterfrau Melissengeist).

Curiosities The botanical name Melissa comes from Greek and simply means "honey bee." This name is programmatic: the plant magically attracts bees. Even in antiquity, the scholar Pliny recommended rubbing new beehives with lemon balm leaves to attract swarms and bind the bees to their new home.