Hi, my loves and welcome to WiccaNow. Recently I’ve been sharing guides to all of my favourite magickal herbs and plants, like this post all about the magickal properties of comfrey. I’ve also shared a post about daisy magick, another all about elderberry, a guide to using fennel in magick and most recently a post about the magickal properties of ginger. Today I want to continue in this vein by sharing a guide to the magickal properties of lemon balm with you.
Lemon balm has been revered as a medicinal plant for centuries. It was prized for its calming effects and was even called the “elixir of life” by various famous herbalists. The magickal properties of lemon balm include love, success, longevity and healing among others.
Disclaimer: Any medicinal benefits given here are a product of my own research and as such should not be taken over the advice of trained medical professionals. If you are ill, please go and see a doctor. Always make sure that anything you consume is 100% safe. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor or midwife before consuming something you haven’t tried before.
If you enjoy reading about the magickal properties of different herbs and plants, check out this gorgeous plant magick grimoire we’ve created! It contains 29 beautifully illustrated pages for all our favourite plants. The best bit? This version comes as a digital download, so you don’t have to wait through pesky shipping times or delays. What’s not to love? Check it out below or keep scrolling to read all about the magick of fennel!
History of Lemon Balm
Lemon balm, also known as Melissa officinalis, is a member of the Lamiaceae family which also contains mint, sage and lavender among many others. It’s native to south-central Europe, Central Asia, Iran and the Mediterranean Basin but is now naturalized all over the world.
Lemon balm is an old healing herb which has been used medicinally for over 2000 years. It’s mentioned in “Historia Plantarum” by Theophrastus which has been dated to sometime around 300BC.
Virgil and Pliney the Elder both wrote about lemon balm and considered it a great food for bees. They both reported that rubbing the leaves onto a new beehive will entice bees to colonise the new hive as they are attracted to the strong aroma.
Lemon balm was introduced to Spain sometime in 600BC, after which it quickly spread through all of Europe. It was widely used in the Middle Ages and many herbalists called it the “elixir of life”. The Charlemagne (742-814AD) ordered that it be planted in every monastery garden becausehe loved its calming effects so much. During the 900s, Middle Eastern physicians are noted to have used lemon balm to fortify the heart and to treat melancholy.
During the 1600s, the Carmelite Nuns made a famous tonic named Carmelite Water. The main ingredients of this water were lemon balm, lemon zest, nutmeg, angelica root and coriander. This tonic was sold for 100s of years under the name “Eau de Me’lisse de Carmes” and was mainly used to treat nervous disorders. You can still buy it in some places in Germany under the name “Klosterfrau Melissengeist”.
In Europe, lemon balm was used to freshen the floors in rooms and was often strewn between pews in churches to keep the air smelling fresh and clean. This was common all the way until the 1800s.
Lemon balm was introduced to North America by early colonists and it was one of the herbs which were cultivated and grown in Thomas Jefferson’s garden. It was predominantly used to make tea, attract bees and in potpourri. It was also used to substitute lemons in jams and jellies.
Today lemon balm is often found in herb gardens and is a common tea. It’s planted as an insect-friendly plant to encourage pollination of other plants because bees love it, as do hummingbirds and butterflies.
Fun Facts about Lemon Balm
- Lemon balm is a vigorous grower and you need to be careful where you plant it or else it will overtake your whole garden.
- Lemon balm can be grown both from seed and vegetatively, meaning that it will produce clones as well as genetically different plants.
- The name “melissa” comes from the Greek word “melitta” meaning bee, which is derived from “meli” meaning honey.
- Lemon balm is a common ingredient in furniture polish.
- The Greeks believed that planting lemon balm next to a beehive would prevent the bees from leaving the hive.
- Legend has it that Louis XIV had a physician who really believed that lemon balm was the elixir of life. He tried out his theory on an older chicken which had stopped laying. According to his records, after giving the bird the lemon balm tonic for a few days, it grew shiny new feathers and started laying eggs again.
- There was a Welsh prince who reportedly lived to 108 and believed this was because he drank at least one cup of lemon balm tea a day.
- You can rub lemon…
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