What is Tisane?
Tisane is a fancy word for herbal tea, or an infusion of herbs in very hot water, that you steep and then strain into a tea cup. Lemon balm tisane is one of my favorites, as I love the flavors of lemon and mint, and when you drink it, it feels like it relaxes your whole body. So if your body tends to hold a lot of tension (or if your mind won’t stop racing), this may be the tea for you!
Soothing to the Nervous System and the Stomach
If you haven’t tasted lemon balm before, think of it as a lemony version of mint. Rub the leaves and you’ll see how fragrant it is! Lemon balm is in the mint family and has various healing properties. Taken as lemon balm tisane, it’s soothing to the nervous system and the stomach. That’s why I recommend drinking it warm right before bed or to relax in the afternoon as an iced tea.
Lemon balm can also be used for a “balm” for insect bites, as a lip balm for cold sores, or an insect repellent. Scroll down past the recipe for more ideas for how to use lemon balm.
Grow Your Own Lemon Balm
Try growing your own lemon balm, as it is very difficult to find at the market. Fortunately, lemon balm has been the easiest herb to grow in my porch garden. On hot days it does need to be watered daily, but besides that, it grows and grows and grows with very little care.
I started with a tiny seedling from the nursery, planted it in a big pot with well-drained potting soil, and in a short amount of time it completely filled the large pot. It’s best to grow lemon balm in its own pot, or in its own area of the garden, as it likes room to grow. Keep trimming off sprigs to promote new growth. If the plant gets leggy, you can cut it way back (reserve the leaves to dry for later use if you can’t use them all at once) and it will regenerate from underneath.
Lemon Balm Tisane
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Tea
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
3–4 sprigs fresh lemon balm (leaves/stems)
3 sprigs fresh mint (spearmint or applemint work well)
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers (optional)
3 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Place lemon balm, mint, and lavender in a teapot or heat-proof glass jar.
- Pour water over herbs, stir, and let stand for 10 minutes.
- Pour through a tea strainer and serve warm or chilled.
Notes
You can also make this with lemon balm only if you don’t have the other herbs handy.
More Things to Make with Lemon Balm
Lemon balm can quickly take over a garden bed or large pot! Wondering what to do with all of that lemon balm? Click here for some things you can make with lemon balm besides lemon balm tisane.
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