Herbal Studies Begin~Lemon Balm

This weekend Sophie and I began studying herbs using "A Kid's Herb Book" by Leslie Tierra. Sophie has always been very interested in the plants of Mother Earth and when I came across this book on sale last year I knew we had to use it. Sophie is very open to reading about herbs and then studying the ones we have in our garden. I thought I would share some of what we learn here for any one who wants to share it with their children. We began with Lemon Balm or Melissa officinalis. Lemon Balm is used for fevers, colds,flu,coughs, nervousness,whining or crying, wounds and sores.

Touch and feel the stem of a lemon balm plant. Feel for all four sides. Do you feel the square stem? Lemon Balm is in the mint family of plants. All the mints have square stems. Pick some lemon balm leaves. Now rub them between the palms of your hands. What do your hands smell like? Bite off one leaf and chew it. What does it taste like?

Lemon balm's name comes from the Greek word meaning "bee." The sweet-smelling oils of the leaves attract bees that in turn produce a wonderful honey. The popular name of the oil in lemon balm is balsam,

which when shortened becomes "balm." Science has discovered that the balsamic oils of plants give off protective ozone that promotes the healing and stops infection.

Use the sun to make Lemon Balm tea! We filled a quart jar to the top with fresh, clean Lemon Balm leaves, then filled it with water and set it in the hottest part of our garden. It needs at least six hours of direct sunlight to make a strong enough tea. Once its finished, strain it, add a lemon peel or juice, if desired, sweeten to taste.

Sophie and I had a picnic lunch while we read. It certainly was a beautiful day for a picnic.

Lemon Balm leaves are the part of the plant that is used. This is a very mild and safe herb. You can drink several cups of tea a day. For fevers, colds and flu, drink 1/2-1 cup every two hours until the fever breaks.

You can make a tea, tincture, syrup, bath, capsule, sun tea, pill,powder, dream pillow, mouthwash, poultice, potpourri,sachet,slave,steam,foot bath,fomentation, or oil from lemon balm. Wow!

*if you look closely in the top photo, you can see the green lemon balm in her teeth*