Lemon Balm Information with RECIPES

Lemon Balm has SO many uses!  

Use fresh leaves in salads and as a garnish for fish and other dishes. When candied, the leaves make attractive cake decorations. Chopped leaves can be added to egg, fish and chicken dishes and sprinkled over fresh vegetables. Goes well with corn, broccoli, asparagus, lamb, shellfish, ground black pepper, olives and beans. Add the leaves to cooked dishes in the last few minutes. They can also be added to summer drinks and fruit salads, soups, sauces, and ice cream, and make a good substitute for lemon peel in recipes. An ingredient of Benedictine and Chartreuse. The flower tips and young leaves are floated in wine or fruit cups as a flavoring and garnish. Substitute for lemon rind in jam making, and add to marmalades. Makes a delicious tea, alone or added to ordinary tea.

It helps relieve anxiety attacks, palpitations with nausea, mild insomnia and phobias, and when used as a sedative it is good for children. It combines well with peppermint to stimulate circulation, and can also be used for colds and flu and is most effective in the early stages of a cold. The tea is used to treat headaches and tiredness, mild depression, laryngitis, colic and dizziness, and is reputed to enhance the memory. It calms a nervous stomach, controls high blood pressure, relieves menstrual cramps, promotes menstruation and treats insomnia. Fresh juice is used to treat goitre and Grave's Disease. It is especially suitable for children, and makes a good substitute for chamomile. A crushed fresh leaf applied to insect bites eases discomfort. As a poultice it treats sores and tumours. In ointment, it is good for cold sores.

Attracts bees to the garden. Potpourri. An infusion of leaves makes a refreshing skin toner and can be used in rinse water for clothes. A stronger infusion makes a good rinse for oily hair. Use as a facial steam for dry skin and to treat acne. Use in furniture polishes, or just rub a handful of crushed leaves on wooden furniture for a beautiful shine. Rub on a fresh leaf to soothe insect bites. Use in sleep pillows, and add to soaps. Used to bathe discharging eyes in puppies. Used to bring down retained afterbirth in farm animals. Also used for farm animals for eye ailments, nervous and brain disorders, heart abnormalities, uterine disorders, to increase milk yield and to prevent miscarriage.

Warning: Avoid medicinal doses when pregnant or if suffering from night sweats. People with either Grave's disease or thyroid-related illness should not use this herb except under medical supervision. Prolonged contact with balm plants or leaves may cause contact dermatitis (itching, stinging, burning, reddened or blistered skin) or it may sensitize you to other allergens.

Just a few recipes to get you started:

Lemon Balm Tea Hot Herbal Infusion

You can make lemon balm tea from the dried herb by steeping 1 teaspoon of lemon balm per 1 cup of boiling water. Allow the lemon balm tea to steep covered to prevent the medicinal components from being carried away with the steam. After 10 minutes, strain the lemon balm from the herbal tea and enjoy. You can also make lemon balm tea from the fresh herb by steeping 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon balm per 1 cup of boiling water. There is no benefit to using dried herb over fresh herb, but lemon balm is usually stored in the dried form for preservation

Lemon Balm Asparagus 

2 tablespoons butter, melted 

2 tablespoons lemon balm, finely chopped 

2 teaspoons fresh coriander, finely chopped 

salt and pepper to taste 

32 steamed asparagus tips

In a pan add butter, lemon balm, coriander, salt and pepper. Allow to sizzle gently until herbs are softened, but not fried. Put asparagus on a serving dish. Drizzle over the sauce. Serve hot as a side dish to lamb or goose.

Bananas with Strawberries and Lemon Balm
6-8 firm bananas, sliced in half crossways
1/4 cup brown sugar
8-10 lemon balm leaves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon rum or brandy
fresh strawberries

Heat a little butter in a pan and saute the bananas lightly. Add sugar, stirring well, then add the rum and lemon balm. Quickly add the strawberries, heat all through and serve immediately, either alone or over ice cream.

Honey and Lemon Balm Biscuits 
1 cup butter 
1 cup honey 
3 eggs 
3 cups self-raising flour 
1 tablespoons milk 
2 teaspoons lemon juice 
4 springs lemon balm, chopped

Cream the butter with the honey, add eggs, beat well. Add remaining ingredients. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Lemon Balm Butter for Seafood and Vegetables 
6 tablespoons butter, softened 
2 tablespoons lemon balm, finely chopped 
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Combine the butter lemon balm and chives. Using a piece of waxed paper to help mold, shape into a log. Cover and refrigerate overnight to blend the flavors. May be frozen. Use on seafood or vegetables.

Lemon Balm Delicious 
1 cup sugar 
1 cup chopped lemon balm 
4 tablespoons flour 
1/4 cup butter 
1 cup milk 
2 eggs, separated

Cream butter and sugar together, add egg yolks. Fold in the flour and milk, then fold through the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into a baking dish or individual dishes, bake at 180C until golden brown on top.

Lemon Balm Lemonade 
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 
3 lemons 
1 1/4 cups boiling water 
2 large sprigs lemon balm 
handful borage leaves 
borage flowers

Peel the rind thinly from the lemons and add, with the sugar, to the boiling water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add the chopped leaves of lemon balm and the borage. Leave until cool, then add the freshly squeezed juice of the lemons. Stir well, strain and chill. Dilute to taste with chilled or soda water and garnish with the borage flowers. Serves 2.

Lemon Balm Salad Dressing 
1/4 cup oil 
1 clove garlic, crushed 
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 
1 tablespoon chopped lemon balm

Put all ingredients through a blender, refrigerate.

Lemon Balm Spread
Combine 1/4 cup finely chopped lemon balm leaves, 1 teaspoon lemon rind and 250g cream cheese. Use on crackers or to stuff celery sticks.

Potato Salad with Lemon Balm and Mint 
16 small potatoes, scrubbed 
1 tablespoon chopped lemon balm 
1 tablespoon chopped mint 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 clove garlic, crushed

Boil the potatoes until cooked but firm and leave to cool. Mix all the other ingredients and pour over the cold potatoes. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Lemon Balm Tea Cake 
3/4 cup milk 
3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon balm 
2 cups plain flour 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
6 tablespoons butter 
1 cup sugar 
2 eggs 
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 
1 tablespoon fresh calendula petals (optional)

Place milk in small pan, add the lemon balm, and heat until almost scalded. Remove from heat and leave until cool. Meanwhile mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, continuing beating. Blend in the lemon rind. Strain the lemon balm milk, discard the leaves, and add the milk and the flour mixture alternately to the batter. Mix until just blended. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 160C for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from pan onto a wire rack placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Pour lemon glaze over while still hot.

Lemon Glaze 
juice of 2 lemons 
icing sugar 
1 teaspoon finely chopped calendula petals, rose petals or lemon balm leaves (optional)

Put the lemon juice into a bowl and blend in icing sugar until a thick, but pourable, paste forms. Pour over the hot bread.

WE ARE GREEN! Our herbs are naturally grown from division or cuttings from our gardens. No chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers are ever used.

The statements regarding the use and/or historical use of our naturally grown herbs have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Check with your physician, naturopath, homeopath or herbalist for answers to questions about your health & the use of herbs.