Balm.
Botanical name:
Melissa.
A PLANT common in our gardens. It grows to two feet in height, and the stalks are robust, square, and hairy. The leaves are oblong, broad, pointed at the end, and dentated about the edges, and they stand two at a joint; the flowers are small and white, but they have large rough tops, which remain after they are fallen. They stand in circular clusters round the stalk at the upper joints; the whole plant is of a fragrant smell. The root creeps and spreads abundantly, the plant is in flower in July.
Fresh balm is much better than dry, for it loses its fragrancy in drying. The best way of taking it is in tea; it is good for disorders of the head and stomach.
