Editing Lemon balm

{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Redirect|Balm mint|the balm mint bush|Prostanthera melissifolia}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Lemon balm plant.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn|last=Khela|first=S.|year=2013|title=Melissa officinalis (Europe assessment)|page=e.T203248A2762574}}</ref>
| genus = Melissa
| species = officinalis
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''Lemon balm''' ('''''Melissa officinalis'''''){{refn|1=Other names for lemon balm include ''sweet balm'',{{sfn|Bahtiyarca Bagdat|Coşge|2006|p=116}} ''bee herb'',{{sfn|Bahtiyarca Bagdat|Coşge|2006|p=116}} ''balm'',{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=283}} ''common balm'',<ref name="PLANTS">{{PLANTS|id=MEOF2|taxon=Melissa officinalis|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> ''melissa balm'',{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=211}} and ''balm mint''.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=211}}|group=note}} is a perennial [[herbaceous plant]] in the [[Lamiaceae|mint family]]. It has [[lemon]]-scented leaves, white or pale pink flowers, and contains essential oils and compounds like [[geranial]] and neral. It grows to a maximum height of {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on|frac=2}}. The species is [[Native plant|native]] to south-central [[Europe]], the [[Mediterranean]], [[Central Asia]], and [[Iran]], is now naturalized worldwide and grows easily from [[seed]] in rich, moist [[soil]].

The name ''Melissa officinalis'' comes from the Greek word for “[[honey bee]],” due to the plant’s bee-attracting flowers, and the Latin ''officinalis'', referring to its traditional use in [[Apothecary|apothecaries]].  It has been cultivated (and used to attract honey bees) since at least the 16th century.  Lemon balm grows vigorously from seed or vegetative fragments in [[Temperate climate|temperate]] zones, with key producers like [[Hungary]], [[Egypt]], and [[Italy]] cultivating various [[Cultivar|cultivars]] for hand-harvested leaves and low-yield essential oil, notably in [[Ireland]].  Lemon balm is used in [[Carmelite Water]], as an [[ornamental plant]], in [[Perfume|perfumes]] and [[toothpaste]], as a raw or cooked herb in various foods and [[Tea|teas]], and is valued for its bee-attracting properties and aromatic essential oils.

==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
|}

==Etymology==
The white flowers attract [[bee]]s, hence the genus ''[[Melissa (plant)|Melissa]]'' ([[Greek Language|Greek]] for "honey bee"). It is not to be confused with [[bee balm]] (genus ''[[Monarda]]'').

The second name, ''officinalis'' ([[Latin]], 'of the shop'), originates from the use of the herb by [[Apothecary|apothecaries]], who sold herbal remedies directly to their customers.{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=11}}

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Bumblebee on Melissa flower.jpg|thumb|A bumblebee feeding on a lemon balm flower]]

''Melissa officinalis'' is [[Native species|native]] to [[South-Central Europe|south-central Europe]], the [[Mediterranean Basin]], [[Central Asia]] and Iran, but is now naturalized in the Americas and elsewhere around the world.<ref name="PLANTS" /><ref name=HerbSoc>Herb Society of America. 2007 [http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Lemon%20Balm%20Guide.pdf Lemon Balm: An Herb Society of America Guide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218172130/http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Lemon%20Balm%20Guide.pdf |date=2015-02-18 }}</ref><ref name="Kew">{{cite web |title=Melissa officinalis L., Sp. Pl.: 592 (1753) |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=124103 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214213227/https://wcsp.science.kew.org/namedetail.do?name_id=124103 |archive-date=14 February 2021 |access-date=27 August 2014 |website=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew}}</ref> It grows easily from seed, preferring rich, moist soil.{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=36}}

== Cultivation ==
Lemon balm [[seed]]s require light and a minimum temperature of {{convert|20|C|F}} to [[Germination|germinate]]. The plant grows in clumps and spreads [[Vegetative reproduction|vegetatively]] (a&nbsp;new plant growing from a fragment of its parent), as well as by seed. In mild [[temperate zone]]s, the plant stems die off at the start of the winter, but shoot up again in spring. Lemon balm grows vigorously.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-24|title=Herbal Guide to Lemon Balm: Grow, Harvest, and Use a Lemon Balm Plant|url=https://gardentherapy.ca/lemon-balm/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Garden Therapy|language=en-US}}</ref>

{{As of|1992}}, Hungary, Egypt, and Italy are the major producing countries of lemon balm.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=211}} The leaves are harvested by hand in June and August in the northern hemisphere, on a day when the weather is dry, to prevent the crop from turning black if damp.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=212}}

The [[cultivar]]s of ''M. officinalis'' include:
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Citronella'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Lemonella'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Quedlinburger'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Lime'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Mandarina'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Variegata'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Aurea'
* ''M. officinalis'' 'Quedlinburger Niederliegende', a variety reportedly bred for higher essential oil content.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Szabó |first=Krisztina |last2=Malekzadeh |first2=Mahmoud |last3=Radácsi |first3=Péter |last4=Ladányi |first4=Márta |last5=Rajhárt |first5=Péter |last6=Inotai |first6=Katalin |last7=Tavaszi-Sárosi |first7=Szilvia |last8=Németh |first8=Éva |year=2016 |title=Could the variety influence the quantitative and qualitative outcome of lemon balm production? |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.12.027 |journal=Industrial Crops and Products |volume=83 |pages=710–716 |doi=10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.12.027 |issn=0926-6690|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Essential oil production===

Ireland is a major producer of lemon balm essential oil, which has a pale yellow colour and a lemon scent.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=211}} The essential oil is commonly co-distilled with [[lemon oil]], [[citronella oil]] or other essential oils.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sarkic|first1=Asja|last2=Stappen|first2=Iris|date=March 2018|title=Essential Oils and Their Single Compounds in Cosmetics—A Critical Review|journal=Cosmetics|language=en|volume=5|issue=1|pages=11|doi=10.3390/cosmetics5010011|issn=2079-9284|doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Crop yield|Yields]] are low; 0.014% for fresh leaves and 0.112% for dried leaves.{{sfn|Axtell|Fairman|1992|p=211}}

[[File:Melissa-officinalis-(Lemon-Balm)-flower-Vis-UV-IR-comparison.jpg|thumb|The plant seen in visible light, [[ultraviolet]] light and [[infrared]]]]

==Uses==
Lemon balm is the main ingredient of [[Carmelite Water]], which is sold in [[Healthcare in Germany|German pharmacies]].<ref name="Mayo">{{cite news |last1=Hiller |first1=Sabine |title=Using lemon balm in the kitchen |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10742:food-using-lemon-balm-in-the-kitchen&catid=74:tasting&Itemid=100028 |access-date=14 April 2021 |work=The Mayo News |date=6 September 2010 }}</ref>

The plant is grown and sold as an [[ornamental plant]], and for attracting bees. The essential oil is used as a perfume ingredient<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web|url=https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?24036|title=Taxon: ''Melissa officinalis L.''|publisher=USDA: U.S. National Plant Germplasm System|access-date=8 October 2016|archive-date=28 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828103754/https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?24036|url-status=live}}</ref> and in toothpaste.{{sfn|Dousti|2012|p=88}} The young leaves can be eaten raw.<ref name="tfb">{{Cite book |last=Francis-Baker |first=Tiffany |title=Concise Foraging Guide |date=2021 |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |isbn=978-1-4729-8474-6 |series=[[The Wildlife Trusts]] |location=London |pages=86}}</ref>

Lemon balm is used as a flavouring<ref name=GRIN/> in [[ice cream]] and herbal teas, often in combination with other [[herb]]s such as [[spearmint]]. The leaves are not dried when used for tea. It is a common addition to [[peppermint tea]], mostly because of its complementing flavor.{{Citation needed|date=October 2016}} Lemon balm is also used with fruit dishes or [[candy|candies]]. It can be used in [[List of fish dishes|fish dishes]] and is the main ingredient in lemon balm [[pesto]].<ref name="HerbSoc" />{{rp|15–16}} Its [[Flavour (taste)|flavour]] comes from [[geraniol]] (3–40%), neral (3–35%), geranial (4–85%) (both [[isomer]]s of [[citral]]), {{nowrap|(E)-[[caryophyllene]]}} (0–14%), and [[citronellal]] (1–44%).{{sfn|Setzer|2009|p=1309}} It is also one of the ingredients in [[Spreewald gherkins]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis - Herb Seeds from Victory Seeds®|url=https://www.victoryseeds.com/melissa_officinalis.html|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Victory Seeds}}</ref>

== In history ==
The use of lemon balm can be dated to over 2,000 years ago through the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. It is mentioned by the Greek polymath [[Theophrastus]] in his ''[[Historia Plantarum (Theophrastus book)|Historia Plantarum]]'', written in {{circa}}300 BC,{{sfn|Kennedy|Scholey|Tindsley|Perry|2002}} as "bee-leaf" (μελισσόφυλλον).{{sfn|Theophrastus|1916|p=464}} Lemon balm was formally introduced into Europe in the 7th century, from which its use and domestication spread.{{sfn|Kennedy|Scholey|Tindsley|Perry|2002}} Its use in the [[Middle Ages]] is noted by [[Herbal medicine|herbalists]], writers, [[philosopher]]s, and scientists.

Lemon balm was a favourite plant of the [[Tudors]], who scattered the leaves across their floors.{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=12}} It was in the [[herbal garden]] of the English [[botanist]] [[John Gerard]] in the 1590s,{{sfn|Gerard|1876}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}} who considered it especially good for feeding and attracting [[honey bee]]s.{{sfn|Grieve|1971|p=76}} Especially cultivated for [[honey]] production, according to the authors Janet Dampney and Elizabeth Pomeroy, "bees were thought never to leave a garden in which it was grown".{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=12}} It was introduced to North America by the first colonists from Europe; it was cultivated in the [[Gardens of Monticello]], designed by the American statesman [[Thomas Jefferson]].{{sfn|Zirkle|2001|pp=84–85}}

The English botanist [[Nicholas Culpeper]] considered lemon balm to be ruled by the planet [[Jupiter (astrology)|Jupiter]] in [[Cancer (astrology)|Cancer]], and suggested it to be used for "weak stomachs", to cause the heart to become "merry", to help digestion, to open "obstructions of the brain", and to expel "[[melancholia|melancholy]] vapors" from the heart and arteries.{{sfn|Culpepper|1814|pp=15–16}} 'Balm water' or 'Aqua Melissa' was used as a healthy beverage from the 18th century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balasore - Bandoleer Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities 1550-1820 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/traded-goods-dictionary/1550-1820/balasore-bandoleer |website=British History Online |publisher=University of Wolverhampton, 2007 |access-date=29 May 2025}}</ref>

In [[Traditional medicine|traditional Austrian medicine]], ''M.&nbsp;officinalis'' leaves have been prescribed as a [[herbal tea]], or as an external application in the form of an [[essential oil]].{{sfn|Vogl|Picker|Mihaly-Bison|Fakhrudin|2013}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
<!-- These are required to complete short form refs in the article, and should not be removed. See [[:Category:Harv and Sfn no-target errors]] and documentation for {{sfn}} / {{harv}} templates.-->
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Axtell |first1=B.L. |last2=Fairman |first2=R.M. |title=Minor Oil Crops |date=1992 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |location=Rome |isbn=978-92-5-103128-5 |chapter=Melissa officinalis |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/minoroilcrops0000axte}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Bahtiyarca Bagdat |first1=Reyhan |last2=Coşge |first2=Belgin |date=January 2006 |title=The Essential Oil of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.): its components and using fields |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228107487 |journal=Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, OMU |volume=21 |pages=116–121 |access-date=2019-02-09 |archive-date=2021-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214213227/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228107487_THE_ESSENTIAL_OIL_OF_LEMON_BALM_Melissa_officinalis_L_ITS_COMPONENTS_AND_USING_FIELDS |url-status=live}}
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Balm |volume=3 |noicon=1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Culpepper |first1=Nicholas |author1-link=Nicholas Culpepper |title=Culpeper's Complete Herbal |date=1814 |publisher=Richard Evans |location=London |isbn= |oclc=1029959639 |url=https://archive.org/details/b22011778}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dampney |first1=Janet |last2=Pomeroy |first2=Elizabeth |title=All About Herbs |date=1985 |publisher=Exeter Books |location=New York |isbn=978-06710-7-536-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/allaboutherbs0000damp_o1j4 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dousti |first1=Mashta |editor1-last=Rastogi |editor1-first=Sanjeev |editor2-last=Chiappelli |editor2-first=Francesco |editor3-last=Ramchandani |editor3-first=Manisha Harish |editor4-last=Singh |editor4-first=Ram Harsh |title=Evidence-based practice in complementary and alternative medicine : perspectives, protocols, problems, and potential in Ayurveda |date=2012 |publisher=Springer |location=Berlin |isbn=978-3-642-24564-0 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRQNgXxi5oUC&pg=PA88 |chapter=Evidence-based Traditional Persian Medicine}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gerard |first1=John |author1-link=John Gerard |editor1-last=Jackson |editor1-first=Benjamin Daydon |title=A Catalogue of Plants Cultivated in the Garden of John Gerard, in the Years 1596–1599 |date=1876 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn= |oclc=839850873 |url=https://archive.org/details/acatalogueplant00jackgoog}}
* {{cite book |last1=Grieve |first1=Maude |title=A Modern Herbal |date=1971 |publisher=Dover Publications Inc |location=New York |isbn=978-04862-2-798-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwzCAgAAQBAJ&q=grieves+A+Modern+Herbal |volume=1}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kennedy |first1=D.O. |last2=Scholey |first2=Andrew B. |last3=Tindsley |first3=N.T.J. |last4=Perry |first4=E.K. |last5=Wesnes |first5=K.A. |title=Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) |journal=Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior |date=2002 |volume=72 |issue=4 |pages=953–964 |doi=10.1016/S0091-3057(02)00777-3 |language= |s2cid=44542554 |pmid=12062586 |issn=0091-3057 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/1300230|url-access=subscription }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Setzer |first=William |date=2009 |title=Essential Oils and Anxiolytic Aromatherapy |journal=Natural Product Communications |issn=1555-9475 |volume=4 |issue=9 |pages=1309 |doi=10.1177/1934578X0900400928 |pmid=19831048 |s2cid=38660119 |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite book |last1=Theophrastus |author1-link=Theophrastus |editor1-last=Hort |editor1-first=Arthur F. |title=Enquiry into Plants and Minor Works on Odours and Weather Signs |date=1916 |publisher=William Heinemann |location=London |isbn= |oclc=24148340 |url=https://archive.org/details/enquiryintoplan02theo/page/464/mode/2up |format= |volume=2}}
* {{cite journal |pmid=23770053 |year=2013 |last1=Vogl |first1=S. |last2=Picker |first2=P. |last3=Mihaly-Bison |first3=J. |last4=Fakhrudin |first4=N. |last5=Atanasov |first5=Atanas G. |last6=Heiss |first6=E.H. |last7=Wawrosch |first7=C. |last8=Reznicek |first8=G. |last9=Dirsch |first9=V.M. |last10=Saukel |first10=Johannes |last11=Kopp |first11=Brigitte |title=Ethnopharmacological ''in vitro'' studies on Austria's folk medicine-An unexplored lore ''in vitro'' anti-inflammatory activities of 71 Austrian traditional herbal drugs |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2013.06.007 |journal=[[Journal of Ethnopharmacology]] |issn=1872-7573 |pmc=3791396 |volume=149 |issue=3 |pages=750–771}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Zirkle |first1=Conway |title=Review: Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book. Edwin Morris Betts |journal=[[Isis (journal)|Isis]] |date=2001 |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=84–85 |doi=10.1086/347980 |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/347980 |language= |url-access=subscription |issn=1545-6994}}
{{refend}}

{{Commons|Melissa officinalis}}
{{Wikiversity-bc|Melissa officinalis}}
{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Medicinal herbs & fungi}}
{{GABAergics|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q148396}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
[[Category:Flora of Europe]]
[[Category:Flora of Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of North Africa]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status]]