Native habitat
- Southern Europe
- Western Asia
- Northern Africa
Growing conditions
- Grows almost everywhere except very poor or very dry soil
Maintenance
- Grows and spreads quickly - dig up roots that are too close to
other plants
- Harvest flower heads to stop self-seeding
- Feed if plant shows signs of rust disease
- Water well in dry weather
Parts used
Properties
- Attractive to bees - produces good honey
- Leaves give off lemony scent
Uses
- Medicinal - soothing, sedative - helps relaxation and sleep; for colic, vomiting, poor digestion, vertigo etc
- Culinary - add to fish and poultry dishes, herb
sauces, salads to sweeten jam, jellies, fruit salads, to make
herbal teas etc.
- Making perfume
History 
- Romans brought it to Britain
- An important plant in monastic herb gardens
- Used by Avicenna, the famous Arab physician
- The name 'Melissa' means honey bee in Greek
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Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is attractive to bees.
'Melissa' means honey in ancient Greek and is used in the Latin name
for lemon balm.
Lemon balm is used in herb teas - sometimes called
tissanes
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