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Description
One of the most well known medicinal herbs, loved for its versatility, ease of growing and overall refreshing & uplifting nature! Like mint, lemon balm will grow quickly with little maintenance. It can be made into a tea, tincture, essential oil and is handy to have around the kitchen. Can be added fresh to salads or used to flavour fish or chicken dishes. Medicinally used for calming the mind, soothing an upset stomach and relieving pain. Compounds in its oils have been shown to inhibit replication of the herpes simplex type 2 virus! Perfect to use before bed, as it is mild sedative; delicious on its own or when mixed with mint and lavender. You can harvest a mature plant anytime! Although if you do big harvests, cut the stems about 2 inches from the ground, leaving the first set of leaves (This can usually only be done around twice a season), or harvest a few leaves at a time as you need! For optimal flavour, harvest the leaves just before it flowers, in the morning when the oil concentration is highest. Too much sun will blacken the leaves, so hang in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. Keep leaves in big pieces after drying to retain the oils. Letting the plant go to flower will attract bees. In fact, melissa is Greek for honeybee. Grows well in sun to partial shade. Very hardy. Ht 12-24 inches.
