HERB - PDR for herbal Meds: Melissa

Rauthulfr mwolfe at nwlink.com
Wed May 3 10:57:26 PDT 2000


Greetings from Rauthulfr
This is the second of the discussions I mentioned.  This is from a review I 
wrote of this for the newsletter of the An Tir Herbal Guild "An Tir's Best 
Dirt" and I had to leave some bits out to save space in the 
newsletter.  Unfortunately, I've just run about looking for my copy to fill 
in more in the Actions and Pharmacology section, but...my copy is 
hiding!  Again I'm posting this with the formatting

I hope this helps, even with the omissions.
R

Melissa Officinalis
Lemon Balm
Description
Medicinal parts:  The medicinal parts are the oil extracted by 
distillation, the dried leaves, the fresh leaves, and the whole plant.
Flower and Fruit:  The small white bilabiate flowers are in 6 one-sided 
false whorls in the axils of the upper leaves,  The dalys is campanulate, 
bilabiate, and has a shortly dientate upper lip.  The corolla tube is 
curved upwards,  The upper lip is slightly domed and divided in two parts, 
the lower lip is 3-lobed with an extended middle lobe.  The flower has 4 
stamens.  The fruit is an oblong-ovate, 1.5 to 2 mm long, and chestnut 
brown nutlet.
Leaves Stem and Root:  The plant is an up to 90 cm high perennial with an 
erect, quadrangular, branched, and sparcely haired to glabrous stem.  The 
leaves are petiolate and have an ovate to rhomboid, 2 to 6 cm long and 1.5 
to 5 cm wide crenate leaf blade, which is shortly pointed at the end, and 
stunted or wedge-shaped at the base.  It is usually only pubescent above or 
completely glaborus.
Characteristics:  Before flowering, the taste and smell is lemon-like, 
later becoming astringent to balm-like and warming.
Habitat:  The plant is indigenous to the east Mediterranean region and west 
Asia and is cultivated in central Europe or established in the wild.
Production:  The leaves are collected before flowering or before there is 
too much branching.  Leaves and stem are separated and comminuted and dried 
quickly at temperatures between 30 to 40°C.
Not To Be Confused With:  Nepeta cataria. var. citriodora (lemon cat mint).
Other Names:  Sweet Mary, Honey Plant, Cure-all, Dropsy Plant, Melissa.
(Skipping most of Actions and Pharmacology)

Effects
The drug has mild sedative and carminative (spasmolytic, antibacterial, 
antiviral) effects.

Incdications and Usage
n       Nervousness and insomnia
The drug is used for nervous agitation, sleeping problems and functional 
gastrointestinal complaints with meteorism.
In folk medicine, the drug is utilized for decoctions of the flowering 
shoots for nervous complaints, lower abdominal disorders, nervous gastric 
complaints, hysteria and melancholia, chronic bronchial catarrh, nervous 
palpitations, vomiting, migraine, nervous debility, and high blood pressure.
Precautions and adverse reactions
No health hazards are known in conjunction with the proper administration 
of designated therapeutic dosages.
Dosage
Mode of Administration:  Comminuted herb, herb powder, liquid extracts or 
dry extracts for teas and other galenic preparations; liquid and solid 
forms for internal and external use; combinations with other sedative 
and/or carminative herbs may be beneficial.
Preparation:  To prepare an infusion pour one cup of hot water over 1.5 to 
4.5 gm of the drug and strain after 10 minutes.
Daily Dosage:  The average daily dose is 8 to 10 gm of the drug.
Storage:  Store in well-sealed, non-plastic containers, protected from 
light and moisture for up to 1 year
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