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Melissa officinalis
Melissa officinalis, Lemon balm, balm, common balm, or balm mint, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and native to south-central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, Iran, and Central Asia, but now naturalized in the Americas and elsewhere. It grows to a maximum height of 70–150 cm.
Contents
- 1 Uses
- 2 Parts Used
- 3 Chemical Composition
- 4 Common names
- 5 Properties
- 6 Habit
- 7 Identification
- 8 List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used
- 9 Where to get the saplings
- 10 Mode of Propagation
- 11 How to plant/cultivate
- 12 Commonly seen growing in areas
- 13 Photo Gallery
- 14 References
- 15 External Links
Uses
Digestive, Carminative, Antispasmodic, Sedative, Analgesic, Tonic.
Parts Used
Chemical Composition
The known major components of lemon balm are reported to include hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, particularly rosmarinic acid, caffeic acids, chlorogenic acid, and metrilic acid tannins3, flavonoids, including luteolin. [1]
Common names
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Kannada | |
| Hindi | |
| Malayalam | |
| Tamil | |
| Telugu | |
| Marathi | NA |
| Gujarathi | NA |
| Punjabi | NA |
| Kashmiri | NA |
| Sanskrit | |
| English | Lemon balm, balm mint |
Properties
Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.
Dravya
Rasa
Guna
Veerya
Vipaka
Karma
Prabhava
Habit
Identification
Leaf
| Kind | Shape | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Roundish | The opposed leaves, whose stalked stems vary in length, are broadly oval to heart-shaped and have an irregular crenate (rounded teeth) or serrate (small, sharp teeth) edge. The dark green upper surface of the leaf is sparsely haired and has very prominent veins. |
Flower
| Type | Size | Color and composition | Stamen | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cm in size | Pale white labial flowers | 5 | Grow from the leaf axils in semi-verticils. Lemon balm flowers anywhere from June to September depending on geographic location. |
Other features
List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used
Where to get the saplings
Mode of Propagation
root.
How to plant/cultivate
Lemon balm seeds require light and at least 20 °C (70 °F) to germinate. Lemon balm grows in clumps and spreads vegetatively, as well as by seed. In mild temperate zones, the stems of the plant die off at the start of the winter, but shoot up again in spring. Lemon balm grows vigorously; it should not be planted where it will spread into other plantings. [3]
Commonly seen growing in areas
Photo Gallery
References
External Links
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Digestive
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Carminative
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Antispasmodic
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Sedative
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Analgesic
- Ayurvedic Herbs known to be helpful to treat Tonic
- Herbs with Leaves used in medicine
- Herbs with common name in English
- Habit - Herbs
- Index of Plants which can be propagated by root
- Herbs that are commonly seen in the region of Garden area
- Herbs
