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Tincture of lemon balm and mint with vodka. Melissa officinalis: medicinal properties and side effects of the plant

Lemon balm oil and extracts are known for calming nerves and reducing stress. And lemon balm has exactly the same effect on our skin!

Synonyms: Melissa officinalis, Melissa Oil, Hydroessential Melissa, Oil Of Melissa Officinalis L., Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil, Melissa officinalis (Melissa) Water, Melissa Officinalis Extract, Lemon Balm Extract. Patented formulas: Extrapone® Melissa, Bulgarian Melissa Oil, Melissa Hydrosol, Herbal Extract Melissa EG, Allplant Essence® Organic Melissa, Neo Extrapone® Organic Melissa, Akorganic® Lemon Balm, Herbalia® Balm Mint, Balm Leaf CO2-to extract (organic) , Botanical Complex SCA™, Specialty Lemon Balm, Premier Rosmarinic Acid 50%.

Effect of lemon balm in cosmetics

The action of lemon balm is determined by its unique composition - these are various kinds of terpenes and their aldehydes, as well as esters: nerol, citronellol, geraniol, β-pinene, sabinene, cymene, humulene, curcumene, germacrene citrolnellol acetate, geraniol acetate, caryophyllene oxide, etc. these substances allowed lemon balm oil and extracts become famous as powerful antioxidants and stimulators of epidermal regeneration. Thanks to these phytocompounds, lemon balm extract also has pronounced soothing, tonic, softening and anti-inflammatory properties.

Also, any products based on lemon balm have an anti-irritant and analgesic effect, and high concentrations oils or extracts impart to the final product quite pronounced antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Melissa essential oil also has a pronounced antiherpetic effect.

The water-soluble fraction of lemon balm essential oil is used in perfumery - for the production of aromatic waters and tonics (completely natural, without solvents or solubilizers), but is especially well suited for the preparation of hydrolates, which are then added to lotions, tonics, etc. In addition to the function of creating the main smell of the product, this component also acts as an amplifier of other flavors. The aroma of lemon balm goes well with bergamot, mandarin, orange, neroli, patchouli, lavender, German chamomile, geranium, jasmine, ylang-ylang, kaput, Ravensara.

Who should use lemon balm?

This component is indicated for irritation and inflammation, and also perfectly helps with “tired skin” syndrome, acting as an anti-inflammatory tonic and relaxant at the same time. Melissa perfectly reduces skin itching, which allows it to be used for excessively dry or atopic skin. At the same time antibacterial properties lemon balm allows you to achieve good results in caring for oily skin with large pores or comedones.

The therapeutic properties of lemon balm (antimicrobial, fungicidal, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, immunostimulating) make it possible to successfully use it for various dermatological diseases allergic nature (for example, eczema). The components of lemon balm are recommended to be used medicinally for skin itching of various natures (urticaria or neurogenic skin itching).

Melissa is also used in aromatherapy: as a rule, for relaxation it is recommended to use a complex of lemon balm and lavender in a ratio of approximately 30% to 70%.

For whom is lemon balm contraindicated?

Melissa officinalis, which is used in cosmetics, is absolutely safe and does not cause irritation, toxic effects, etc. A strict contraindication is an individual hypersensitivity reaction.

Cosmetics containing lemon balm

As a rule, the commercial use of lemon balm is limited to skin care products, including cosmeceuticals, SPA segment, and massage products. It is also widely represented in perfumery and aromatherapy segment. As for hair care products, in this case lemon balm is used as a decoction or infusion at home - they perfectly relieve itching, dryness and prevent flaking of the scalp. According to the European Union Regulation, the maximum permissible concentration of this component in finished cosmetic products is 5%, hydroessence - from 0.005 to 0.3%.

Sources of lemon balm

Melissa officinalis is an unpretentious plant with many subspecies, which is found in many climatic zones. Melissa is cultivated as a garden plant for home use; for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries it is grown in bioorganic fields. The collection of raw materials (leaves or lemon balm grass) is carried out immediately before the plant blooms, since during flowering its aroma and key characteristics are transformed.

100% pure lemon balm oil is one of the most valuable and expensive essential oils, since obtaining pure essential oil requires an incredibly large amount of raw materials. Thus, usually from 6,000-8,000 kg of raw materials, only one kilogram of high-quality essential oil is obtained at the output (mainly by steam distillation, less often by cold pressing, which most fully preserves unique properties raw materials). The water-soluble fraction of lemon balm essential oil is obtained through the molecular distillation method.

Melissa extracts are usually obtained using the CO2 extraction method. An aqueous glycol preparation is also obtained from the herb lemon balm, which is used in combination with a complex of water-based surfactants to create emulsions and hydroalcoholic cosmetic products.

Melissa officinalis is a perennial aromatic and spicy herbaceous plant of the Labiatae family, with a strongly branched rhizome. The entire plant is soft-haired. The stem is branched, tetrahedral, up to 120 cm in height. The leaves are opposite, heart-ovate, coarsely toothed, on short petioles. The flowers are pinkish or white, collected 3-5 in terminal false umbels located in the axils of the upper leaves. The fruit is large, consists of 4 nuts, egg-shaped, black, shiny. Seeds remain viable for 2-3 years. It blooms from the second year in July - August, the fruits ripen in September - October. Found in the Caucasus, Crimea, Central Asia and southern regions of the European part of the CIS. Often cultivated as a honey plant and essential oil plant. Homeland - Mediterranean (from Italy to Syria and Iraq), found in North Africa, North America, Western Asia.

Melissa herb

The word "Melissa" when translated from Greek means bee. Thanks to its long flowering, it is an excellent honey plant that produces nectar in large quantities. The lemon smell of this plant attracts and calms bees, and beekeepers effectively use this property when working with bees, rub their hands with lemon balm grass, and the bees do not bite. The seeds contain fatty oil (20%).

Melissa oil

Melissa essential oil is obtained by steam distillation from the fresh, flowering aerial part of lemon balm. Melissa essential oil is low-toxic and has a sedative effect. The main effect is calming for sleep disorders, insomnia, stress, fear, depression, melancholy, asthenia, memory loss, headaches. It has antiviral activity and can be used to treat herpes, influenza and shingles.
There is evidence of the beneficial effect of lemon balm preparations in patients with heart disease: shortness of breath disappears, attacks of tachycardia stop, and pain in the heart area is relieved. When taken orally, breathing slows, heart rate slows, and blood pressure drops.
Essential oil has positive effect for anemia, dizziness. The infusion is used externally for poultices and compresses for boils and for rinsing for gum inflammation.
Inhalations with lemon balm oil are used for asthma and cough, 2-3 drops of oil with honey. In gynecology, the oil is used as a hemostatic agent for prolonged and heavy uterine bleeding. In cosmetics, lemon balm essential oil is in the form aromatic oil and lotion is used to care for oily and acne-prone skin and oily hair, to eliminate dandruff.
Externally used for massages and rubbing alcohol infusion herbs (1:5), and inside - an infusion of 8-10 g of crushed herbs, poured in 500 ml of boiling water, kept for half an hour in a well-sealed container ( daily dose); an infusion for poultices and compresses is prepared from double the amount of raw materials.

lemon balm

Melissa officinalis is also called lemon balm or lemon balm. The whole bush and especially the leaves smell of lemon (hence the name). Its smell is especially pleasant before flowering (then it becomes “heavier”). The special smell of lemon balm is given by the ingredients it contains. essential oils, characteristic of the Lamiaceae family to which it belongs. And other herbs of this family, such as lavender, thyme, peppermint, sage, rosemary, marjoram, have strong smell, which cannot be confused with anything.
This plant has nothing to do with mint; lemon balm belongs to a completely different genus - the genus lemon balm

Properties of lemon balm

Melissa officinalis has antispasmodic, sedative, strengthens the heart muscle, cancer-healing, and stimulating properties of the central nervous system. In addition, lemon balm has a beneficial effect on the stomach and the brain, especially with nervous spasms, dizziness and tinnitus. IN folk medicine lemon balm is used as an anticonvulsant, analgesic and cardiac remedy. An infusion of leaves and tips of shoots with flowers is taken for poor digestion, shortness of breath, asthma, various neuralgia, insomnia, anemia, painful menstruation as a laxative and diaphoretic.

Melissa extract

Ready-made hydroalcoholic and dry lemon balm extracts are offered for sale, but you can prepare them yourself.
Main active ingredients lemon balm extract are phenolic acids - rosmarinic acid (up to 6%), polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids. Melissa extract reduces irritation, has antispasmodic activity, and has a calming effect. Used as a soothing and relaxing component for sensitive skin, at allergic diseases, as a tonic for dry and aging skin.

Melissa contraindications

There is one contraindication for the use of lemon balm - arterial hypotension. And, of course, individual intolerance to drugs.

Melissae folium is often called lemon balm - its smell is very similar to peppermint (Méntha piperita), but it has a spicy and tangy scent of lemon. Other names for this plant are queenwort, bee mint, honeywort, “ladies' happiness.” The word “melissa” itself is translated from Greek as “bee” because it attracts and calms honey-bearing insects. If you are afraid of bee stings, rub it on the exposed parts of your body and no bees will sting you! Melissa tincture works in exactly the same way.

The experience of using lemon balm goes back over 3000 years. Avicenna believed that mint infusions and decoctions improve health and help get rid of brain blockage (that is, relieve spasms cerebral vessels) and from halitosis. Paracelsus, the founder of the modern pharmacopoeia, called this herb “gold among plants and the best that the earth has produced for the heart.”

Melissa is non-toxic and has no side effects. But her drugs are contraindicated in low blood pressure blood pressure and bradycardia (slow heart rate).

Whether in the garden, in the vegetable garden...

In nature, lemon balm grows in the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Asia and North Africa - there it is used not only for treatment, but also as a seasoning for national dishes and put its leaves in salads. In temperate climates, lemon balm is grown on plantations to obtain medicinal raw materials, bred in garden plots, and even grown as a houseplant.

Melissa is a perennial herb with a branched stem ranging from 30 to 70-80 centimeters in height and dark green leaves. From June-July to August it blooms with small white flowers collected in whorls on the tops of plants.

Lemon balm is collected before flowering - at this time it has the most pleasant aroma and has the most powerful healing properties. In medicine, only the above-ground part of the plant is used - leaves and stems, cut not at the roots, but at a height of 15-20 cm from the ground.

Composition and medicinal properties

Lemon balm essential oil contains more than two hundred ingredients, one of which, citral, gives the plant its spicy lemon scent. The plant contains organic acids(coffee, rosemary, ferulic and others), trace elements (calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc, copper, chromium), flavonoids, vitamins C and B.

Unique complex biologically active substances in lemon balm affect all systems of the body. Preparations made from it calm the nerves, relieve spasms and convulsions, act as a mild sedative for insomnia, nervous excitement and increased sexual excitability, cardiac neuroses, asthma, hypertension, migraines.

Melissa is also used in the following cases:

1 In coursework complex treatment digestive system, lemon balm is prescribed to increase appetite, it also reduces nausea and helps with flatulence.

2 For kidney inflammation, it is recommended as a natural antispasmodic and mild diuretic.

3 Externally, decoctions, infusions and tinctures of lemon balm are used for diseases of the joints, for fungus on the nails and skin and for other skin diseases(dandruff, enlarged pores, acne, rashes, pimples).

One of folk names lemon balm is a “mother liquor”, since preparations of this herb have been used since ancient times to treat female diseases. They are prescribed for painful periods and disorders monthly cycle due to ovarian dysfunction, with toxicosis of pregnant women (to reduce nausea) and with menopause.

How to make and use the tincture

Ready-made lemon balm tincture can be bought at a pharmacy, and its price is low. But if you have a dozen lemon balm bushes in your garden, you can prepare it at home. Alcoholic extract of lemon balm is made with vodka or alcohol diluted to vodka strength.

Grind the leaves and stems of the plant with a knife, scissors or in a coffee grinder (by the way, some herbalists advise grinding the herb with your hands, “asking” it for healing power). The better the raw material is crushed, the more useful substances will pass from it into the extract.

Prepare the tincture You can follow two recipes - with vodka or forty-proof alcohol and with diluted vodka.

1 A quarter glass (approximately 50 g) of the prepared raw material is poured with a glass (200 g) of vodka or alcohol. You can take less vodka, 100-150 grams, then the tincture will be more concentrated.

2 Required quantity chopped herbs pour 0.5 cups of vodka and 0.5 cups of water.

Regardless of the instructions you followed to make the tincture, seal the jar tightly and leave to infuse in a dark, dry place. Alcohol and vodka liqueurs prepare from a week to two weeks, a mixture of vodka and water - 2 weeks. The jar must be shaken daily, and when the tincture is ready, it must be strained and poured into a dark bottle.

Take the tincture 15-20 drops (depending on the strength of the infusion) three times a day before meals, like everyone else medicinal herbs. The course of treatment is from two weeks to a month, although it can be longer if the body responds well to it. Externally, lemon balm tincture is used for rubbing and compresses for gout, rheumatism, and for wiping the skin for pimples and acne. For compresses, it is recommended to dilute it so as not to burn the skin.

In the article we discuss lemon balm tincture. We will talk about the benefits of herbal remedies, contraindications for use and possible harm. You will learn how to prepare and properly use a drink made with vodka, moonshine, alcohol and in combination with medicinal plants.

Beneficial properties of lemon balm tincture

The medicinal properties and contraindications of lemon balm tincture are due to its rich chemical composition . Herbal remedy contains vitamin C, carotene, essential oils, resins, tannins, citral, organic acids, minerals.

Thanks to high content essential oils, lemon balm tincture is often used as sedative. The product gently calms the nervous system, normalizes sleep and eliminates irritability. The drug is indicated for neuroses and mental disorders. Melissa tincture is used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Vodka tincture has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular system. It is used to normalize blood pressure, clean and strengthen blood vessels. When taken regularly, the product improves blood circulation and eliminates migraines.

Tincture of lemon balm with vodka has an antispasmodic and analgesic effect. The product is used simultaneously for oral and external use to enhance therapeutic effect with convulsions.

According to the instructions for use, lemon balm tincture has a beneficial effect on the condition gastrointestinal tract. With regular use, it normalizes digestion, improves appetite and eliminates flatulence.

Among the indications for the use of lemon balm tincture are dysfunctions genitourinary systems s. The product has an anti-inflammatory effect and eliminates painful urination.

Melissa tincture is used externally to treat skin diseases and restore the epidermis after wounds and burns. It accelerates the regeneration of epidermal cells and has antiseptic and analgesic effects. The product is effective against fungal infections.

Apply lemon balm tincture to hair and facial skin. for cosmetic purposes . The product is suitable for oily and problem skin. It eliminates acne and acne. It is used for seborrheic dermatitis. The tincture effectively eliminates dandruff, itching and burning of the scalp.

How to prepare lemon balm tincture

Ready-made lemon balm tincture can be purchased at any pharmacy. Dry leaves and flowers of the plant are available for sale.

Before preparing lemon balm tincture at home, you need to properly prepare the leaves of the plant. They are collected before the period of active flowering - in early summer. At this time, the leaves are concentrated maximum quantity biologically active substances.

To prepare lemon balm tincture with vodka, you can use both dry and freshly collected medicinal raw materials. When drying plants, it is important to observe temperature regime. Melissa is dried under shelters at a temperature not exceeding 40C.

Before infusing the remedy from fresh leaves, they are washed, dried and crushed. The finer the plant is cut, the richer the drink will be. Therefore, you can find recipes in which the leaves are crushed in a blender.

There are many recipes for making lemon balm tinctures. They are prepared with vodka, moonshine and alcohol. Let's look at each of them separately.

On vodka

You can buy lemon balm at a pharmacy or prepare it yourself. Tincture of lemon balm with vodka - concentrated product for oral and external use. It is prepared based on the proportion of 50 grams. raw materials for every 100 ml of alcohol.

A tincture of lemon balm with vodka is effective in treating hearing loss. To do this, you need to prepare a weakly concentrated product. To do this, the volume of liquid is doubled without changing the amount of medicinal raw materials. Consider a recipe for a mild remedy.

Ingredients:

Melissa leaves - 100 gr.
Vodka - 400 ml.

How to cook: Rinse the leaves with water, dry with a towel and finely chop. Place the greens in a glass container, fill with vodka, close the lid tightly and put in a dark and cool place. Infuse the product for 7 days. Shake the contents of the bottle every day. Pass the finished tincture through multilayer gauze and pour into a clean container with a tight lid. Store the product in the refrigerator.

How to use: Take 20 drops 3 times a day. The product is drunk 20-30 minutes before meals.

Result: Melissa tincture for tinnitus effectively eliminates inflammation, pain syndrome and extraneous sounds.

On alcohol

Before preparing a tincture of lemon balm with alcohol, it must be diluted with water to reduce the temperature. At the same time, the infusion time of such a remedy will increase. It can be used for rubbing and compresses.

Ingredients:

Melissa leaves - 50 gr.
Alcohol - 100 ml.
Water - 100 ml.

How to cook: Wash and grind the lemon balm leaves in a blender. You should get a puree-like mass. Add alcohol to the water and combine it with the plant material in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the contents of the container and put it in the refrigerator. Shake the tincture daily for 14 days. Ready product pass through cheesecloth.

How to use: Dip a piece of gauze or soft cloth. Squeeze out excess liquid and apply the compress to the sore area. Cover with a towel and leave for 20 minutes. Well medical procedures- from 2 weeks.

Result: Alcohol tincture of lemon balm increases motor activity of joints, eliminates pain and has an anti-inflammatory effect.

On moonshine

Moonshine tincture is used to normalize the functioning of the genitourinary and digestive systems. The product has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and disinfectant action. Consider a recipe for lemon balm moonshine based on a dry plant.

Ingredients:

Dry lemon balm leaves - 50 gr.
Moonshine - 150 ml.

How to cook: Pour dry medicinal raw materials into glass jar, pour in moonshine, stir and close the lid. Infuse the product for a week, shaking the container daily. Pass the finished drink through a fine strainer.

How to use: Take ½ tablespoon 3 times a day with 100 ml of water. The drug is drunk 20 minutes before meals or 2 hours after that.

Result: Tincture of lemon balm on moonshine has a diuretic effect, eliminates pain and normalizes digestion.

With mint

To enhance therapeutic effect lemon balm is combined with other medicinal plants. In case of malfunction nervous system It is useful to take a tincture of moonshine with mint and lemon balm.

Ingredients:

Melissa leaves - 50 gr.
Mint leaves - 30 gr.
Moonshine - 350 ml.

How to cook: Wash and dry the leaves of the plants, grind them in a blender and transfer the resulting pulp into a glass container. Add moonshine, stir and leave the jar with the tincture in a dark and cool place for a week. Before use, strain the product through several layers of gauze.

How to use: Take 20 drops 3 times a day half an hour before meals. The treatment course is 1 month.

Result: The product effectively normalizes the functioning of the nervous system, eliminates increased excitability, copes with neurosis, mental disorders and insomnia.

Contraindications and possible harm

Before starting treatment with lemon balm tincture, consult a specialist. The drug is taken with caution in case of heart disease. Excessive consumption may cause bradycardia.

Contraindications for lemon balm tincture:

epilepsy;
increased body temperature;
individual intolerance;
period of pregnancy and lactation;
children up to 12 years of age.

Read more about water infusion see lemon balm for blood pressure in the video:

What to remember

Melissa tincture contains vitamin C, carotene, essential oils, resins, tannins, citral, organic acids, and a complex of minerals.
The product has a soothing, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, disinfectant and regenerating effect.
Melissa tincture is taken orally to treat diseases of the cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, digestive and genitourinary systems. The product is used externally for cosmetic purposes.

Melissa officinalis has a pleasant lemon aroma, so people gave it the appropriate names: lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon balm. You can also hear it called a minnow, a honey honey, a swarmer or a beekeeper.

The latter names are consonant with the botanical “name” of the flower - translated from Greek “melissa” means “bee”. And this is quite natural: the aroma of this medicinal perennial both attracts and has a calming effect on bees. Therefore, if you rub your hands with fresh lemon balm leaves while working in the apiary, the bees will calm down and will not bite you.

Melissa belongs to the herbaceous essential oil perennials of the Melissa genus of the Yamnotaceae family. Another one belongs to the same family medicinal plant, with which it is often confused by inexperienced herbalists, is mint. But these two are absolutely different plants with slightly different properties.

This perennial can reach 1.0 – 1.2 m in height. The root is strong and well branched. The erect, highly branched stem is tetrahedral, covered with small hairs, but can also be almost bare. The foliage is opposite, attached to the stem on small petioles, its shape is round, with large teeth at the edges, and covered with small hairs. The color of the leaves is bright emerald.

The flowers are small, collected in whorls (4-9 pieces each) and located in the axils of the foliage in the upper part of the stem. Their color is white or pale pink. The flowering of this medicinal perennial begins in the first ten days of June and continues until the beginning of autumn.

Melissa belongs to the herbaceous essential oil perennials of the Melissa genus of the Lamiaceae family

The fruits of the plant are achenes, consisting of four nuts that are located at the bottom of the sepal, which remains in the axil after the petals of the flower fall at the end of flowering. Fruit ripening occurs from the first ten days of September to the last ten days of October.

Melissa is distinguished by average resistance to frost. During severe frosts, the plant may partially freeze. However, with the beginning of the new season it is growing again.

This perennial can be propagated by seeds, dividing parent bushes, layering or root cuttings. Seeds are usually not sown before winter, since they do not need stratification, so the seed is sown either in the spring in open ground or grown in seedlings. Lemon balm propagated by seed usually does not bloom in the first year.

Gallery: lemon balm (25 photos)

How to grow lemon balm (video)

The ancient homeland of this medicinal perennial is considered to be the Mediterranean coast, the Black Sea region and the countries of Western Asia. IN natural conditions lemon balm is found in the center and south of Europe, in Balkan countries, in the states of northern Africa and North America. It is found in Ukraine, Belarus, and also in the countries of Transcaucasia. But Basically, lemon balm is a cultivated plant, it is grown everywhere in garden plots in most regions of our country, as well as in many countries of the Eurasian continent.

Lemon balm is naturally found on the edges of forests, in ravines, in shaded gorges, and grows well on both clay and sandy loam soils with sufficient quantity moisture. Too acidic soils are not for this perennial; on such soils it simply dies. The most suitable soil acidity for it is pH 4.6 - 7.5. The plant cannot tolerate stagnant moisture in the soil; in such conditions, the plant is immediately affected by fungal diseases and dies. Lemon balm prefers sunny areas, but can also grow in shaded places, but in this case the vegetative mass of the plant grows worse, and the aroma of the foliage decreases.

Lemon balm prefers sunny areas

How to distinguish lemon balm from mint

Melissa and mint are often confused, but these plants are quite different in their appearance. The main difference is the scent of their foliage. A picked mint leaf has a strong menthol smell, while lemon balm has a subtle lemon aroma. Melissa foliage is bright emerald green, while mint foliage has a grayer tint.

And one more thing - lemon balm flowers grow in the axils of the leaf petioles, and mint flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences on the tops of the stems.

Composition and beneficial properties of lemon balm

The effect of using lemon balm is determined by the active substances that are included in its composition. According to research, the medicinal raw materials obtained from this plant contain essential oils, which have healing properties. Availability healing properties These oils are due to the fact that they contain:

Citronellal;
Citral;
ascorbic acid (about 120 – 150 mg!);
tannins;
oleanic, caffeic and a number of other acids;
resins and some others active substances.

Medicines containing lemon balm help relieve spasms and have sedative and carminative properties. Also lemon balm has a slight hypnotic effect. The properties of lemon balm described above appear when taken in small quantities, increasing the dose does not lead to a better result.

Melissa tincture has a slight choleretic effect and improves stomach function. But the most useful are infusions and decoctions based on this medicinal perennial for the functioning of the cardiovascular system. These drugs help with hypertension, relieve nervous tremors that occur at night, even out and calm breathing, reduce heart rate, and normalize heart rhythm.

In addition, they are good diuretics, and also improve the functioning of the liver and brain, restore the digestive process, regulate metabolism, lower temperature, have a choleretic effect, anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties.

Melissa tincture has a slight choleretic effect, improves stomach function

Collection, preparation and storage of medicinal raw materials

The herb and leaves of lemon balm have a pleasant aroma and taste only before the flowers appear. With the beginning of flowering, the foliage acquires a slightly unpleasant and rough aroma, and its taste and medicinal qualities decrease. That's why The procurement of raw materials should be carried out before or at the very beginning of the flowering of this medicinal plant.

For medicinal purposes should be used top part plants with young greenery and flowers beginning to bloom. The collected raw materials should be dried quickly enough in shady places blown by the wind. The raw materials should be stirred regularly so that the collected leaves dry faster.

Completely dried leaves are placed in a glass container and tightly closed so that the essential oils dissipate more slowly. However, these substances are so volatile that after three months they disappear almost completely. That's why the plant is best used in fresh , or no longer than 120 days from the moment of drying.

The healing properties of lemon balm (video)

The use of lemon balm in folk medicine

In folk medicine for treatment various diseases It is recommended to prepare infusions, decoctions, alcohol tinctures based on lemon balm, and also prepare herbal teas with leaves of this herb. The effect of this perennial on the human body has been studied quite well., and the recommended recipes for preparing preparations based on lemon balm and their effectiveness are time-tested. Therefore, below are some of the most commonly used methods of preparing infusions and decoctions in treatment.

Infusion of lemon balm herb (for internal use)

Pour boiling water (2.5 cups) over 30 g of crushed lemon balm leaves, leave for ½ hour, strain the infusion, and drink in small portions throughout the day. You can brew the infusion in a thermos.

Infusion for poultices

It is prepared in the same way as the previous one, only for the indicated amount of boiling water you should take 2 times more dry raw materials. It should be remembered that prepared infusions are used only fresh - during the day. They should not be heated.

Melissa tea is prepared in much the same way as regular tea, only a certain proportion must be observed.

A decoction of this medicinal herb

1 tbsp. l. raw materials (without slide) pour 200 g cold water, boil for 1/6 hour, filter and take 1 tsp orally. several times a day. Such decoctions help with asthma (some of its forms), stomach diseases, respiratory tract, a number of heart diseases.

Alcohol tincture of lemon balm

This tincture is prepared as follows: take 5 parts of vodka for 1 part of dry raw material and infuse for 7 – 10 days. You should take strictly 15 drops three times a day.