Melissa Officinalis. Balm, Lemon Balm.

Description: Natural Order, Labiatae. Stem in clusters, erect, branching, eighteen inches to two feet high. Leaves broadly ovate, deeply serrate, exhaling an odor much resembling lemons. Calyx bilabiate, upper lip flattened and three-toothed, lower lip two-cleft. Corolla white or cream colored, with a recurved and ascending tube, very sweet. Stamens four, curved, ascending under the upper lip. Flowers in small and one-sided clusters. Flowering in June and July.

Properties and Uses: This herb forms a pleasant and slightly aromatic drink, which may be used without hesitation by all classes of fever patients, in preference to cold water. It slightly favors the flow of sweat and urine, soothes the nerves, and sometimes promotes the menstrual flow moderately. It is a popular family remedy in recent colds, and an adjunct to less pleasant diaphoretics.

The Physiomedical Dispensatory, 1869, was written by William Cook, M.D.
It was scanned by Paul Bergner at http://medherb.com