Keep Calm with Lemon Balm

Plants are allies for our bodies

As I write this, my body registers construction noise across the street. There’s a new building going up. A heavy-duty vehicle rumbles and backs up with a steady beep beep beep beep. There’s hammering and the grating sound of a buzz saw, sheets of wood slamming together, and shouts from the workers. It’s a jungle of noise and not a harmonic one. To top off this urban cacophony, next door at the garden center, the owner powers up her leaf blower.

These are the sounds of urban/suburban, modern lives; these are sounds of dissonance. Lawn mowers. Car engines. Chainsaws. Our bodies receive these sound waves with grimace. My mind is calm—I know these sounds are not a threat. But my body listens differently than my mind. The noises travel in vibratory waves which my body feels. Dissonance automatically puts my nervous system on high alert, readying itself for perceived danger. Our minds may be able to override our bodies’ proclivities and stay calm, but there is energy burned in doing so. It’s a constant, subtly taxing, tug-of-war that we’re not even aware is occurring.

Supporting my nervous system in modern life has become my passion. I believe it’s a critical first step in healing and preventing disease. This I know: our bodies are divinely designed to be with nature. When I step into the backyard, my house buffers most construction and road noise. So, my nervous system relaxes. There’s bird song and the soothing hum of insect noise in the trees. There’s the sound of wind ruffling the leaves. A woodpecker taps rhythmically on a tree nearby. The sounds of nature are in harmony with our bodies. Sounds of nature—ocean waves, gentle rains, even the simple buzz of a hummingbird’s wings—resonate with our nervous system and calm us.

Nature harmonizes with our bodies in other ways as well. Plants, for example, can aid us in healing. Herbs, specifically: there’s a whole category of herbs called nervines. Nervines support the nervous system to positively impact mood, memory, cognition, and sleep. Nervines nourish and support the central nervous system. Notice the word nourish here. Nervines aren’t telling the body what to do and they aren’t coded with instructions like allopathic drugs. They are a motherly energy, tending to the body so that it can take care of itself. Mother Earth in action.

Our nervous systems operate as electromagnetic energy, with rapid currents of information pulsating throughout our bodies. So, plants allies labeled as “nervines” are there to soothe and support our overworked and fried systems. There are many herbs that fall into the category of nervines. Passionflower, Oatstraw, St. Johns Wort, Chamomile, and Holy Basil are just a few that come to mind. But the herb that stands out for me is Lemon Balm. Why? It’s easy to grow and use, abundant in the garden, a perennial plant, and a great beginner herb for anyone interested in adding nervines to their diet.

Lemon Balm is in the mint family, which is known to take over a garden, so it is best grown in a container, alone.

I like to drink Lemon Balm as a tea. Fresh lemon balm from the garden brews a delicate and subtle tea. Simply take a handful of fresh leaves and pour hot water over the leaves and let them steep. (Please note that boiling water will scald fresh leaves, so make sure it rests for a moment if you brought it to boil. ) Dried lemon balm yields a more robust-bodied tea, but both as great. My palate interprets the taste as clean and citrus, in a palate-cleansing way. I like to brew a big batch of tea and keep it steeping as I let it cool on the counter for the day. It makes a great iced tea as well and can be diluted with water.  

Lemon Balm growing in my garden. In a container!

Honey is a natural complement to Lemon Balm tea.  Melissa Officinalis is the Latin name for Lemon Balm and Melissa means “bees.” Lemon Balm attracts bees and is known to calm them as well. Some beekeepers even spread crushed lemon balm around their hives.

Lemon Balm leaves can be picked, chopped, and added to salads. No one will know there’s a beneficial herb in the greens.

Part of Lemon Balm’s medicinal qualities are due to the scent. The volatile oils citral, citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol give the plant its pleasant aroma and its healing benefits. These chemical compounds help calm down muscle tension and heightened senses due to our nervous system’s fight or flight response. There are many other benefits to Lemon Balm as well. It’s great for digestive issues, reduces inflammation, and even has anti-viral properties.

My nervous system is calm now as I sip my dried tea of Lemon Balm. Though the construction noise across the street continues, my body feels relaxed. If we can’t be in nature most of our days (wouldn’t that be heavenly?) we might as well bring nature’s remedies into our households. Productivity may rule commerce, but I am peaceful now and able to cope with the jarring noise across the street, though I don’t like it. Perhaps I should walk over to the workers, who are busy as bees, and offer a pot of Melissa Officinalis, the current queen bee of my household beverages.

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Tips:

• Lemon Balm plants are readily available in the herb section of most garden centers. It’s easy to propagate as well.

• This is a tea company that I like that offers Lemon Balm in tea bags. I always check to see what the tea bag material is made from. Surprisingly, many use plastics.

• Mountain Rose Herbs is where I buy my loose and dried Lemon Balm.

• This is my favorite tea pot that I found at World Market. It’s like a French Press without the “press.”

• Did I leave anything out? Let me know in the comments!