Lemon balm tea can be very calming as well as tasty. I have heard that it can lessen stress, anxiety, and depression in some people. It can also help you relax and fall asleep, much like chamomile tea does. Give it a try!
It is also good for digestive health, healing wounds, heart health, and provides antioxidants. It can also reduce swelling, fight off some viruses, and relive PMS symptoms.
Do not give lemon balm to young children, pregnant or nursing women, people taking sedatives, or people with thyroid disorders as it may have adverse side effects according to what I have read about it.
We sell lemon balm seeds and have grown lemon balm for years and have never had any problems with it. In fact, it smells and tastes so sweet. It is easy to grow. I used to grow plants to sell when we had our little shop in San Antonio at Trader's Village back in 2011. We have some growing in the grow tower in our Farm Store right now.
Lemon balm is easy to grow, taking about 70 days before it is ready to harvest. It can be used to make teas, to flavor dishes, and to make desserts including ice cream! It smells wonderful when you rub a leaf onto your hand. You can also extract the essential oil from lemon balm.
The best time to pick lemon balm leaves is when the plant is just beginning to put on little white flowers. Pick the leaves and wash them before using. Lay them out to dry to get all of the water off of them. Fresh lemon balm leaves are best.
Of course, when winter comes, you will want lemon balm leaves so you will need to dry some for use over the winter months. After washing and laying out to dry, dry them in your food dehydrator and store them in mason jars.
For one cup of hot lemon balm tea, put one tablespoon of dried lemon balm leaves or two tablespoons of fresh lemon balm leaves into a tea infuser in a mug. Pour eight ounces of boiling water in the mug and let it steep for 20 minutes. Remove the infuser and add the leaves to your compost pile just as you would add coffee grounds.
Sweeten with honey or stevia. It is also good plain.
To make lemon balm syrup that you can use to flavor regular tea, you can use either fresh lemon balm leaves or dried leaves. This syrup is a tasty way to add lemon balm to your daily diet.
You will need:
Wash the leaves and take the stems off.
Place the clean leaves in the bottom of a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring water to a boil over medium heat.
Cover the pan with a loose lid or keep it partially open. Turn the heat down and simmer the liquid for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour the tea through a mesh strainer. Put the leaves in with your compost.
Put the tea back in the pan and simmer until it reduces down to three cups. Let the tea cool.
Add the honey to the bottom of a glass jar. Pour the cooled tea over the honey into the jar and stir. This will not be thick. You can add some lemon juice to enhance the lemon flavor. This will last for two weeks in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and add the ice to your drinks.
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