Lemon Balm
(Melissa officinalis L.)
Lemon Balm
(Melissa officinalis L.)
Originates from the Eastern Mediterranean, Southern to Eastern Europe, Iran, and Central Asia. Its distribution also reaches Europe, America, Africa, and Asia. Lemon balm also grows and is cultivated on several mountains on the islands of Java and the Philippines. Its leaves can be used as a cooking spice and a medicinal plant.
Grows well in sandy clay soil that is well-drained, with a soil pH of 5–7. Lemon balm requires an air temperature condition of 15–35°C, rainfall of 500–600 mm/year, and full sunlight or bright shade during the summer.
Root: Thin and fibrous.
Stem: Light green, quadrangular (4-sided), with a single groove along its sides, branched. Densely covered with fine hairs on the nodes.
Leaves: Heart-shaped, rough surface, veined, serrated leaf margin, and has a lemon aroma when crushed.
Flower: Has 4 stamens, a white corolla (petals) that is tube- and bell-shaped. The calyx (sepals) is light green, 5-toothed, angular, trumpet-shaped, and finely hairy.
Propagation: Generatively (seeds) and vegetatively (stem cuttings).
Cuttings: Cuttings are taken from the apical (tip) of young shoots; after being cut, they are placed in water. After roots emerge (approximately 2 weeks), they can be transferred to loose soil.
Calms the nerves, aids menstruation, reduces insomnia, remedy for diabetes, prevents cancer, treats herpes simplex, relieves headaches and toothaches, reduces inflammation and pain, and has antiviral and antibacterial activity.
Rosmarinic acid, quercetin, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, methylic acid, flavonoids (luteolin, apigenin), sesquiterpenes, beta caryophyllene, germacrene, triterpenes, essential oils, polyphenols, dehydroabietane.
Socfindo Conservation. 2023. Lemon Balm. https://www.socfindoconservation.co.id/plant/298 (05-04-2023)