Lemon Balm – Melissa officinalis
It is a well-known and much-loved herb — yet often misunderstood and not always used in the right way.
Most people know it as a nervine. And while its herbal actions DO address the nervous system, it’s important to understand the herb’s personality — because not all nervines work the same way.

Melissa is calming, sedative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and antiviral, with a strong affinity for relieving nervousness and the symptoms associated with it. It’s a beautiful cooling herb — perfect for hot summers, overactive minds, and overworked bodies. When everything feels too much, too intense, or spasmodic, and you just want to unwind, de-stress, and chill out — Melissa is a gentle ally.

It eases tension throughout the body and helps relieve aches. It’s also lovely for children who have played too much, too long, and are struggling to fall asleep. Melissa is a good choice for relaxing the gastrointestinal tract, releasing discomfort from spasms or colic. It also offers antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in the gut, and is a well-known antiviral, particularly against the herpes virus family.

But — and this is important — it shouldn’t be used in depleted states: when you’re already feeling cold, tired, lacking in energy, grieving, or emotionally low. There are other herbs better suited for those times.

I use Melissa as a tea, tincture, glycerite, or hydrolat. A gentle evening self-care ritual I love, is misting the face with Melissa hydrolat in the evening — letting the body sink into the experience of the day, and readying itself for rest.