May Full
Moon and what a treat we have with wonderful sunny warm weather a prefect day
for a garden harvest, I love to harvest the Ariel parts of plants inuring the
full moon when I know all the energies in the herbs are pulsating upwards to
bathe in maximum light. I was in my shed dispensing and noticed that last years
lemon balm (Melissa) tincture was almost finished so what better time to
replenish stocks…
The Lemon
Balm is in full leafy glory at this time of year and each time I wander up my
garden path, brushing past various aromatics, the sweet sharp lemony aromas
makes me smile. I found a glass jar then holding an intention of calming,
uplifting healing, began harvesting juicy leaf tops whilst opening my voice and
letting words flow through me. I found myself singing about community love and
support and the importance of self-nurture. Each plant has a song and I find it
great fun to let my imagination and creative play free whilst working with
plant energies.
Once the
jar was full of green, delightfully smelling leaves I covered half the jar with
Vodka and the top half with 80 percent alcohol from a holiday aboard.
I want to have a higher strength alcohol to extract some more of the volatile
oils. I am going to put this tincture out side in the moon light, standing on a
picture of symbols for love support community and self care for the next 3
nights before straining, I have a mantra to speak to the potion, ‘ With Great
Love and Respect I ask for Powerful Healings, Calming, Uplifting Support &
connection between all Life. Thank you.’
Lemon Balm
is a very easy herb to grow one of the Mint family (recognisable by their
square stems) it is quick to establish in the garden and move around taking
over beds (I don’t mind too much!).
Lemon balm’s Greek derived scientific name
“Melissa”
Is from the fact that it is a favourite of
bees and in
Ancient Greece sprigs of lemon balm were
placed into beehives to attract wandering honeybee swarms we now know that one
of its citrusy scents mimics the homing pheromone of bees. It is delightful to
watch the honeybees drinking her nectar on summer days.
It is thought that during the 10th
century the Arabs who had it as a valued part of their Materia Medica for many
hundreds of year’s prior introduced the plant to Europe. So thank you for that
wonderful present!
Lemon
balm seemed to be a favorite of William Shakespeare; lemon balm was used as a
secret messenger or code, in the language of flowers, between lovers to signify
sympathy. And is written into several of his plays.
Recent
scientific studies have proven the anti-viral effectiveness of lemon balm
specifically in shortening the healing time of herpes cold sores and outbreak
of shingles (we have it in our lip balms with hypericum another great
anti-viral herb) & there are ongoing research programme in the treatment of
Grave’s disease, hyperthyroid, and Alzheimer’s/dementia. 