Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Melissa officinalis
Family: Lamiaceae
Part used: Leaf
Taste: Sour, Sweet
Temperature: Cool
Moisture: Dry

On temperature, Culpeper (1653) and Salmon (1710) read it as warm. The app keeps cool, the modern reading of what the herb does in the body; the old readings are shown here but do not change it.

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Generally safe

While breastfeeding

Generally regarded as safe in breastfeeding; traditional use in pediatric and postpartum contexts.

For children

One of the gentlest and safest herbs for children

Cautions

Avoid with hypothyroidism; caution with sedating medications

General contraindications

Generally considered safe in moderation

Stewardship

Lemon Balm is easily cultivated; volunteer-spreads in mint family patches. Stewardship: Paracelsus called it the 'elixir of life' — plant it near the kitchen door for both honey bees and mood.

In the traditional record

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) — Avicenna's Canon of Medicine (11th c.) recorded that it "causeth the heart to be merry"; Paracelsus called it the "elixir of life," and the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Paris formulated the original Carmelite Water (Eau des Carmes, 1611) with it as a cordial and nervine; cultivated since classical antiquity for the heart, spirits, and digestion.

Which herbs suit your body?

The same herb can calm one person and wire another. Our free assessment reads your pattern across temperature, moisture and tone, then matches herbs to it.

Take the free assessment Open Lemon Balm in the Apothecary

Teaching children at home? Eden's Table builds a full herbalism curriculum around plants like this one.

Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.