The plant called "melissa" or "lemon mint" is medicinal. Its height reaches 0.5-0.7 m. It can grow in the same place for five to six years, after which it is transplanted. Lemon mint is grown in gardens and flower beds. It is a honey plant and therefore is successfully used by man in the national economy.
The lemon mint plant has several names. This is bee grass, and bee, and honey, and lemon balm. It has not only honey properties, but also rich in medicinal substances. Therefore, the herb is doubly useful.
The leaves of the "lemon mint" plant contain many essential substances (oils), vitamin C, carotene, and tannins. Essential oils are the source of the lemon smell and pleasant bitter taste.
The lemon mint plant is used in folk medicine as a medicine. For example, an infusion of lemon balm is taken when a person has problems with the respiratory organs (shortness of breath), with cardiovascular diseases. Lemon balm is also successfully used in the treatment of neurosis, anxiety and with increasedpressure.
The herb is also used in cooking. It acts as a spice and seasoning for meat dishes, game and fish dishes with the addition of mushrooms. And housewives use the leaves of the lemon mint plant when preserving vegetables and fruits. They make jams, marinades, drinks fragrant and fresh.
For medicinal purposes, the green mass of grass is used, which is harvested during budding. The greens of the plant are rinsed and dried in a ventilated and shady place. You can dry the lemon mint in an oven heated to 45 degrees. After processing, the raw material is stored in a well-closed glass jar. The shelf life is not more than one year. And if you keep lemon balm for a long time, then the grass loses its smell.
Cultivation of lemon mint is produced on rich organic soil with a high degree of fertility. It is carried out in two ways:
- Seeding seed.
- Division of the plant's root system.
If you planted mint seeds in the spring, then the roots of the grass multiply (divided) in the height of summer.
Before planting a plant in the garden, it is necessary to properly nourish the soil with a compound that is prepared from 1 bucket of humus or compost material, 1 cup of wood ash and two full spoons of mineral fertilizer. Then the beds should be dug up, leveled and watered with bird droppings or mullein (ratio 1 tbsp per bucket of water).
Feeding is usually carried out in the spring with a fertilizer consisting ofbucket of water, half a liter of mullein dissolved in it and two large spoons of nitrophosphate.
This plant differs from other similar plants (for example, peppermint) in that it is very thermophilic. Therefore, do not leave it in the winter without insulation. This can be done using sawdust, peat, fallen leaves and other suitable material. Information on how to grow and care for the lemon mint plant, photos of it can be found in many specialized print publications.
