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Lamiaceae
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
Healing, sympathy, calm joy.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Genus
- Melissa
- Native to
- Southern Europe, Mediterranean
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Perennial herb
- Height
- 60–90 cm (2–3 ft)
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 3–7
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- The genus name 'Melissa' comes from the Greek word for 'honeybee'—lemon balm is one of the most powerful bee-attracting plants known, and beekeepers have rubbed it inside hives for over 2,000 years to keep their colonies from absconding.
- Crushed leaves smell strongly of lemons mixed with mint, even though the plant has no relation to the citrus family—the scent comes from citral, citronellal, and geraniol.
- Lemon balm is the main ingredient in 'Carmelite water,' a 14th-century French monastic tonic still made today—Charlemagne ordered it grown in every monastery garden in his empire.
- Modern clinical studies have shown that lemon balm tea reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and may slow cold-sore outbreaks—a millennia-old folk remedy now backed by science.
- Although the small white flowers are easily overlooked, they're a top nectar source for honeybees, and lemon balm honey is a rare specialty produced in southern France and Italy.
Color meanings
0
healing
1
sympathy
2
calm joy