Melissa Essential Oil
Melissa Essential Oil. Melissa also known as Lemon Balm is a perennial plant; the stem is upright, hairy, quadrangular, and branched and grows as high as 3 feet. The leaves are opposite, ovate, long-petioled, somewhat hairy, bluntly serrate, and acuminate. The bilabiate flowers grow in auxiliary clusters and may vary in color from pale yellow to rose colored or blue-white. The flowering time is July and August. The great Paracelsus called this herb the elixir of life, and combined it with carbonate of potash in a mixture known as Primum Ens Melissae. It is recorded that one of Louis XIV's physicians, Lesebure, tried this out on an elderly chicken, which within a few days lost its tattered plumage, grew fresh feathers and started to lay eggs again. He had earlier tried it, with equally dramatic results, on two old servants, but did not complete the experiment.
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| Botanical Name: | Melissa officinalis L. |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Synonyms: | Lemon balm, melissa, common balm, bee balm, sweet balm, heart's delight, honey plant. |
| See Also: | |
| Parts Used: | Leaves and flowering tops |
| Extraction Method: | Steam Distillation. |
| Appearance: | Pale yellow liquid |
| Aroma Description: | Fresh herby, lemony |
| Perfume note: | |
| Consistancy: | Thin to medium |
| Strength of Initial Aroma: | |
| Blends well with: | |
| Historical Uses: | Once known as the 'elixer of life' particularily used for nervous and emotional disorders. |
| Modern Uses: | Melissa is a remedy for common female complaints and is useful for all sorts of nervous problems, hysteria, melancholy, and insomnia. |
| Cautions: | Non-toxic, Possible sensitization and dermal irritation, use in low dilutions only. |
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