Lemon balm was first used by the Greeks and Romans but has since been cultivated almost globally for its refreshing scent. While it has a rich history of use in perfumery, lemon balm has many other uses.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the many things you can do with this unique member of the mint family.
What to Do With Lemon Balm
If you’re considering adding lemon balm to your kitchen or garden, you may wonder if it’s worth your time. Lemon balm is a great plant to use in culinary preparations, in skincare products, and it can benefit your home and garden.
Lemon Balm in the Garden
Despite being native to the Mediterranean Basin and Central Asia, lemon balm has become naturalized throughout Europe and North America. This perennial herb can be planted once and will come back season after season.
- Attract Local Pollinators: The Latin name for lemon balm is Melissa officinalis. The word “Melissa” comes from the Greek for “honey bee.” This plant was named for its ability to attract bees. If you have a vegetable garden you need pollinated, planting lemon balm is a great way to draw in your local pollinators. The plant’s small white flowers are nectar-rich and attract honey bees to the area, while the scent deters many other pests.
- Adorn Your Sensory Garden: A sensory garden is an outdoor space you cultivate for pleasure. Many people choose to create a small landscape of plants that look beautiful, smell good, and are perhaps even soft to the touch. This creates an environment where you can soak up nature and relax. Lemon balm is an ideal addition to a sensory garden thanks to its attractive leaves and flowers and of course its vibrant lemony fragrance.
Culinary Uses of Lemon Balm
If you’ve never tasted lemon balm before, the flavor can be described as a blend of lemon and mint. It has a delicate citrus flavor combined with herbal notes and a hint of bitterness. This flavor can lend itself to both sweet and savory dishes.
Always give your lemon balm leaves a good wash before eating to remove any dirt or insects.
- Make Lemon Balm Simple Syrup: Simple syrup is a sweet syrup that can be added to teas, lemonade, or even salad dressings and marinades. To make lemon balm simple syrup, bring fresh lemon balm and a few cups of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain out the herbs and add either an equal amount of sugar to your liquid, or you can substitute about 80% of the volume of raw honey instead of sugar.
So, if you have 10 oz of lemon balm-infused water, you’ll add 10 oz of sugar or 8 oz of raw honey. Mix your sweetener in well and keep it in the fridge to use by the spoonful to sweeten and flavor drinks and dressings.
- Flavor Salads: You can add a bright citrusy flavor to your summer salads by adding a handful of freshly washed lemon balm leaves into your greens mixture. The effect is unexpectedly refreshing, the perfect way to liven up your salad. Add a spoonful of lemon balm simple syrup to your homemade dressing to balance the acidity and add even more lemon balm taste to the dish.
- Add to Baked Goods: If you want to add an unexpected punch of flavor to your usual recipes, throw in some finely chopped lemon balm leaves. It goes particularly well with fruits such as blueberries or raspberries, so the next time you’re making a batch of muffins, add some lemon balm.
Therapeutic Uses of Lemon Balm
Despite lemon balm mainly being cultivated for its intense aroma, it has also found popularity for its therapeutic benefits. Traditional medicine practitioners have used the herb for centuries and some recent studies have confirmed that the antioxidants found in lemon balm have a positive effect on certain ailments, particularly stress-related ones.
Lemon balm tea is one of the oldest preparations of the herb, but nowadays, many people enjoy using lemon balm as an oil as well. Please note that if you are nursing, pregnant, or taking medications that may interact with lemon balm, you should consult your doctor before working the herb into your routine.
- Drinking Lemon Balm: A tea made from the lemon balm herb is tasty and refreshing, but it can also help with digestive issues. The tea can reduce gas, nausea, and indigestion and it promotes a healthy appetite. Some users even find that lemon balm tea helps with menstrual cramps and headaches.
- Diffusing Lemon Balm: Using the essential oil in a diffuser allows the scent and the volatile compounds of lemon balm to disperse throughout the air. Inhaling it can help you to cope with anxiety and it can also relieve insomnia. The aroma can also boost your mood and help you focus.
- Using Lemon Balm Topically: Lemon balm essential oil can be diluted in a carrier oil and used for massage, but it can also be added to soaps, salves, and lotions to take advantage of its skin-friendly benefits at various steps in your routine. If you’re prone to bug bites and irritation, the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of the herb can soothe your skin. It’s also naturally astringent, which can help clarify oil skin with blocked pores. A bar of soap made with lemon balm will also make your showering experience a much more fragrant one.
Enjoy the Many Benefits of Lemon Balm
As you can see, lemon balm has many uses. If you’ve been wondering what to do with lemon balm, the answer might be, “What can’t you do with lemon balm?”
This highly fragrant herb can be used throughout your home and garden for its pollinator-friendly flowers, its tasty leaves, or its therapeutic compounds. Consider growing it in your own garden or keeping the essential oil on your shelf.