Lemon Balm (Melissa)

Freshness is everything with lemon balm, because its lemony aroma comes from volatile oils that fade quickly once the leaf is dried. Look for dried leaf that is still distinctly green, not brown or grey, with a clear lemon-and-herb scent; flat, hay-like, or faintly musty material has lost most of its character and will brew thin. Whole or coarsely cut leaf holds aroma better than fine powder or dust. Because it is so easy to grow, lemon balm is a great candidate for fresh use straight from a garden or pot, which gives a livelier cup than most dried stock. It is frequently blended into calming and sleep teas alongside chamomile, valerian, or lavender, so check the label if you want it on its own.

Lemon balm is Melissa officinalis, a perennial herb in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to southern Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and western Asia, and now grown widely. The leaves are the part used, dried (or used fresh) for tea. The lemon scent comes from volatile aromatic oils that dissipate relatively fast, which is why fresh or recently dried leaf is so much more fragrant. Lemon balm contains no caffeine.

Use a generous amount, since the flavor is delicate: about 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf (or a small handful of fresh) per cup, water at 90 to 100°C, steeped 5 to 7 minutes, ideally covered to trap the volatile lemon oils. Fresh leaf makes a particularly bright, fragrant cup. It will not turn bitter or astringent, so steep to the strength you like. It is generally treated as a single-use infusion, as a second steep is much fainter.

Affordable: roughly €6-14 (about $6-15) per 100 g, with organic leaf toward the higher end; it is also one of the easiest herbs to grow yourself for next to nothing.

Prices reviewed June 2026