Lemon Balm Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is a bushy perennial of the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean and western Asia and long grown in herb gardens, from which it has naturalized across Europe and North America. It grows 40-80 cm tall with square stems, wrinkled, toothed, heart-shaped leaves and small white or pale pink flowers in the leaf axils. The leaves smell strongly of lemon when brushed, and bees visit the flowers so eagerly that the genus is named from the Greek for honeybee. We extract the dried leaf.