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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