Why You Should Start Growing Lemon Balm Now!

 

Why grow lemon balm?

Lemon balm makes a wonderful cup of lemon-flavored tea. It's also very nice to use in different types of salads, as well as being a great herb to use when cooking fish, poultry, pork, and even beef.

Lemon balm can be easily grown, and it does grow extremely fast. It's a hardy herb. It withstands hot temperatures very well. Once planted, it will keep growing, even after a really cold winter. Once spring weather arrives, lemon balm sprouts right back up. Due to this plant being a perennial. So if you're unsure what perennials are, Perennials are plants that come back every year, growing from roots that survive through the winter. Lemon balm's roots won't die unless you completely pull them up.

Since I live in southwestern Arkansas, there are a lot of winters where my lemon balm leaves never die off. While sometimes the winter months do get too cold, Then the leaves die off.

A hint: 

Just before I know the weather is going to get down below 25 degrees, I harvest their green leaves and dehydrate them.

 

You can grow lemon balm inside. However, I usually don't. As you can see from my photograph, my lemon balm grows more than enough during the spring, summer, and fall months outside. I normally pick off as much lemon balm as I will need to dehydrate, enough to get me through the winter.

So you're still asking, Why is lemon balm a must-have? Well, now I'm going to tell you all the main benefits. If you're unfamiliar with the herb, I think you'll be amazed!

From a personal standpoint—from my own personal usage over many, many years I can say that there's truth in the pudding. Lemon balm has helped me with anxiety, stress, insomnia, and indigestion. It's said that lemon balm is also used for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's. However, I really don't know if that's factually and scientifically proven. All I can say is that for those two things, it's not going to hurt to try using it.

Here's a warning note:

Lemon balm does lower your blood pressure, so if you're taking medications for lowering blood pressure, please use lemon balm with extreme caution. It can also lower your blood sugar levels, and people with diabetes also need to use lemon balm with care. Also avoid lemon balm if you are allergic to any type of mint. Lemon balm is, in fact, classified as part of the mint family.

I just wanted to add that warning note. Because I want everyone to be the healthiest person they can be. Take no chances! And if you are medically diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes, please ask your doctor before ingesting lemon balm. Take no chances. I'm not a licensed physician. I only practice herbal medicine at home. Everyone needs to know that many herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables can be counteracted with prescription medication.

So with that all stated, Now I would like to tell you about five known benefits that I know of from drinking lemon balm tea.

Medicinal Properties of Lemon Balm Tea

1. Reduces stress—long day? Worked hard? Make yourself a cup of lemon balm tea. It will quietly calm your nerves and relax your tired body.

2. Reduces anxiety: COVID-19 Have you become agitated? Bills piling up? Worried about how you're going to make it through? Drink a tall glass of iced lemon balm tea with a sprig of spearmint and a teaspoon of honey.

3. Improves sleep: If you're having a restless night of sleep, Drinking a cup of warm lemon balm tea will really help you get to sleep faster.

4. Aides in digestive problems: good for stomach illnesses like the flu, fisheries, and ulcers.

5. Treats infections: Lemon balm is also made into an ointment or oil extract to treat itchy skin, as well as rashes, cuts, scrapes, and burns.

Lemon Balm Tea

First of all, I use both fresh and dried lemon balm leaves during different seasons of the year. Freshness normally occurs in the spring, summer, and fall seasons. dried, usually in the winter.

Hot Lemon Balm Tea by the Cupful

 

For making tea with dried and fresh lemon balm, I use a mesh material with string for tying the herb up. Then I steep the nice little packages in hot water for several minutes. I like adding black tea to my lemon balm. However, you could use any other type of tea, or not. It's totally up to your personal tastes. Once it's steeped, for hot tea, I normally add a teaspoon of honey per cup. For hot tea, I usually only make one cup for myself at a time.

Lemon Balm By The Gallon: For A Cold, Sweet, Refreshing Brew

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons of black tea or your favorite This is really good with peach tea as well.

½ cup lemon balm 

1 gallon of water

12 cups of granulated Splenda or sweetener of your choice

Sprigs of spearmint

 

Instructions:

1. Add 2 cups of water to a tea kettle or pan. Place on range at medium high.

2. Once water starts to boil, turn the burner off.

3. Next add in the black tea, lemon balm, and spearmint. Let this steep for several minutes. I like my tea light, so for a stronger tea, steep longer. The longer lemon balm is steeped, the better for its medicinal benefits.

4. Next, after the tea has steeped to your desired flavor, add the tea to a gallon pitcher or jug. Add 12 cups of Splenda or sweetener of your choice. Then fill the pitcher up with water. Now add in sprigs of spearmint.

I usually put a handful of crushed ice in the pitcher at this point, but you don't have to.

For those of you interested in really good peach tea, I buy peach tea cold brew bags from Southern Brew Sweet Tea.

When using the cold brew tea bags, don't steep them in hot water. Instead, while you're steeping the lemon balm, steep the cold brew bags separately in the pitcher.

So where does the lemon balm plant originate from?

It is native to southern Europe along the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia. Today, it is commonly grown in gardens in North and South America.