The Beauties of Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm. I have grown this plant for years, but not until recently did I know how many various uses this plant provided us. In the herbal medical community it is known as a carminative, a nervine, an antidepressant, and antimicrobial. This means it can calm the digestive tract, calm our anxieties, relieve tension in our bodies; it has a tonic effect on the heart and circulatory system; and when added to lotions, the extract has some antiviral activity when applied to the skin.

So I harvested some today and created a few items:
For a Lemon Cleansing Cream I made a lemon balm hydrosol. Hydrosols are wonderful, especially rose hydrosol. One day I will write a blog entry on how to make a hydrosol, but in the meantime, look this up on the internet. There are some nice videos on how to do this. So after making my hydrosol I created my cleansing cream:

Lemony Cleansing Cream

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of apricot kernal base oil. You can even make an infused lemon balm oil to use in this recipe.
1 tablespoon coconut base oil
1 tablespoon of beeswax
1 teaspoon lanolin
1/2 cup lemon balm hydrosol
1/4 teaspoon borax
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
20 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops sweet orange essential oil

Heat: In a small saucepan over low heat or in a double boiler, warm the base oils, beeswax, and lanolin until the wax is just melted. In another pan, slightly warm the hydrosol and stir in the borax until it dissolves.
Cool: Remove both pans from the heat and pour the oils/wax/lanolin mixture into the blender to cool until it just begins to thicken and becomes opaque, about 5-10 minutes.
Blend: Place the lid on the blender and remove the lid's plastic piece. Turn on the blender to high and slowly drizzle the hydrosol through the center of the lid into the vortex. Almost immediately the cream will turn pale yellow-gold and begin to thicken. At this point add the essential oils and the vitamin E. Continue to blend until cream is thick and the machine begins to choke. During the blending, you can use a spatula to push the cream mixture down into the machine.
Package and Cool: Pour into storage containers. Lightly cover with paper towel and allow to cool for a few hours. Then cover and label.
This cream does not have any preservatives so keep out of sunlight and use within 6 months. Be careful to use clean hands when removing from container.
Application: Using a soft cloth or cleansing pad, apply approximately 1/2 to 1 teasppon to cover entire face and throat. Rinse. Follow with a liquid soapy cleanser and astringent. This product does a great job of dissolving makeup and dirty oils on skin. This also makes a good face and body cream as well.

The goal in my life is to not only to be careful what I eat, but what I put on my skin as well.

What else did I do with this plant? Made some tincture to use for anxiety, headaches and digestion upset.

 

 



Lemon Balm Tincture
Remove leaves from plant and using a mortar and pestle bruise the leaves one layer at a time and place in jar. Fill jar 2/3 full then add vodka to cover herbs by 2-3 inches. Cover and label. Shake vigorously each day for 6 weeks then strain into clean jar using cheesecloth. Squeeze all the liquid out of leaves to get all the medicinal qualities. This medicine will last several years. Recommended dose is 2 to 6 ml three times a day.

Tea
I have tried to keep my dining room table clear after putting in the new carpet and rearranging all my shelves and rooms, but not! It has become my drying rack for all my herbs. Today it is for my lemon balm. Leave out the herbs for a day or two, then place them on cooking sheets covered with parchment paper and put in 100 degree oven until just dry and crackly. Remove from stems and place in glass jars and label.
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2-3 teaspoons of dried herb or 4 to 6 g of fresh herb and infuse in a covered container for 10 to 15 mintues. A cup of this tea should be taken morning and evening or when needed.