Ingredient

Lemon Balm

Also called Melissa

A soft, lemon-scented member of the mint family that brightens any tea blend.

Lemon balm smells of lemon when you brush past it. Like its mint cousins, it spreads easily, so it's one of the simplest herbs to grow at home.

Growing and drying

Cut stems just before the plant flowers, when the scent is strongest.
Dry the leaves quickly and out of the sun so they keep their colour and aroma.

In the cup

Lemon balm lifts a blend and softens stronger herbs. It appears in both cycle blends.

In the kitchen

Ways to prepare Lemon Balm

Hot tea

Steep 1–2 teaspoons dried leaf or a handful of fresh per cup in just-boiled water, covered, for 5–10 minutes. Covering keeps the lemony oils in.

Iced or sun tea

Brew strong and chill, or steep fresh sprigs in cool water in the sun. It pairs beautifully with mint, rose or hibiscus.

Fresh and raw

Tender leaves are lovely raw — chop into fruit salads, green salads, yogurt or sparkling water.

Cooked in meals

Add at the very end to fish, chicken, grains or sauces; heat quickly dulls its bright scent. Great in pesto with or instead of basil.

Infused honey or vinegar

Steep fresh leaves in raw honey or apple cider vinegar for 2–4 weeks, then strain.

Good to know

Gentle and widely used. Check with your practitioner if you take thyroid or sedative medicines.

Garden & lore

Growing and knowing Lemon Balm

Seasonal planting tips

Spring

Sow seed on the soil surface (it needs light to sprout) or divide an established clump as new growth appears.

Summer

Cut back by half just before flowering for a second flush of leaves. Harvest in the morning when the scent is strongest.

Fall

Take a final cut, then mulch the crowns. It is hardy and returns each year.

Winter

The plant rests underground. Plan its spot — like all mints, it spreads, so a pot or a contained bed helps.

Astroherbalism insights

Planet: Jupiter
Sign: Cancer
Element: Water

Culpeper placed lemon balm under Jupiter in Cancer — a gladdening, heart-comforting herb that nourishes and soothes.

TCM energetics

Temperature: Cool
Flavor: Sour, Slightly pungent
Meridians: Heart, Liver, Lung

Calms the shenClears heatSoothes Liver qi

Traditional associations, shared for interest and reflection — not medical advice.

Used in

Herbal tea blend

Nourishment24 October 2026

Howl at the Moon

A bright herbal tea for the follicular and ovulation phases — inner spring and summer, roughly cycle days 6 to 15.

teaherbal teacyclehomegrown

Herbal tea blend

Nourishment24 October 2026

Moon Time Brew

A homegrown herbal tea for the menstrual and luteal phases — inner winter and fall, roughly cycle days 16 to 5.

teaherbal teacyclehomegrown