Editing Lemon balm (section)

==Description==
[[File:Melissa officinalis (lemon balm).jpg|thumb|1885 illustration]]

Lemon balm (''Melissa officinalis'') is a [[perennial]] herbaceous plant in the mint family, [[Lamiaceae]].{{sfn|Bahtiyarca Bagdat|Coşge|2006|p=116}}

Lemon balm plants grow bushy and upright to a maximum height of {{convert|100|cm}}. The heart-shaped leaves are {{convert|2|-|8|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long, and have a rough, veined surface. They are soft and hairy with scalloped edges, and have a mild [[lemon]] scent. During summer, small white or pale pink [[flower]]s appear. The plants live for ten years; the crop plant is replaced after five years to allow the ground to rejuvenate.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=212}}

===Chemistry===
Lemon balm contains [[eugenol]], [[tannin]]s, and [[terpene]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title = Lemon balm|publisher = [[University of Maryland Medical Center]]|url = http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lemon-balm|date = January 2, 2015|first = Steven D.|last = Ehrlich|access-date = June 23, 2017|archive-date = March 7, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180307215651/https://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lemon-balm|url-status = live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Composition of lemon balm oil{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=213}}
|-
! Component !! minimum % !! maximum %
|-
| [[Methylheptenone|Methyl Heptenone]] || 2.2 || 8.6 
|-
| [[Citronellal]] || 1.0 || 8.4 
|-
| [[Linalool]] || 0.5 || 2.7 
|-
| [[Neral (chemical)|Neral]] || 19.6 || 36.1 
|-
| [[Geranial]] || 25.3 || 47.5
|-
| [[Geranyl acetate]] || 1.2 || 6.2 
|-
| [[Caryophyllene|Carophyllene]] || 1.9 || 9.7 
|-
| Carophyllene oxide || 0.5 || 9.0
|}