Lemon Balm for the Nervous System
I have been putting a great deal of effort in developing as a gardener these last 2 years or so, and I've begun adding medicinal plants into the mix. One of my favourites is Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), which like its other counterparts in the 'mint family' grows pretty generously!
It's easy (and can get pretty pricy) to just buy these medicinal herbs at health food stores, but there's something to be experienced in the growing, connecting with, harvesting and preparing of one's own medicines. Lemon Balm has roused my interest in this regard, firstly because of its action on inhibiting Viruses in the body; this is pretty important since everyone walks around with viruses that, once harmless, evolve and act up thanks to the crap in our environment that enters into and pollutes our bodies. Secondly I am intrigued with the potential of this plant for its affinity to act on soothing and fortifying the Nervous System; also super important since most of us in “Western culture” are tired and wired most of the time, and this “Fight or Flight” sympathetic response wreaks havoc in a most unnatural way. And while Lemon Balm is reported to offer a wide range of other healing aids, one that is personal to me is what the plant revealed to me in my psychic communication with it one day (yes sometimes I’m ultra-receptive like that), and this is its ability to help alleviate or transform depression. So, I harvested a mother load of this beauty to process for medicine!
To preserve the plant matter I used my Excalibur dehydrator at the lowest temperature setting to dehydrate my cuttings over a 2-3 day period. It’s good to store in this dried state for a long time, or can be further processed as extractions via alcohol, glycerine, or vinegar. Simply used straight up in dried form though we’re looking at Tea making!
Aside from making teas (3 a day is a good dosing), I also used a coffee/spice grinder to further break down the leaf, flowers and smaller stems into a fine powder, then stored in a shaker bottle in the fridge so it remains fresh longer, and preserves more of its medicinal constituents. It bears mentioning here, that all herbs will have different/various chemical constituents extracted differently by each method of preparing, such as tincturing it or just simply in water extraction. Using medicinal herbs (that taste good) in this spice form is a really awesome way to include MORE of them in a dietary/healing protocol, because it’s so easy to sprinkle a little on everything, from your breakfast buckwheat pancakes to your gourmet salads, or topping soups and entrees.
I hope this short introduction to Lemon Balm inspires some to explore the world of growing medicinal herbs!