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It's the balm!
Lemon balm is the Herb of the Year for you and your dog.
(HERBAL MEDICINE)
From: Whole Dog Journal | Date: April 1, 2007 | Author: Puotinen, C.J.
Next month, on May 6, the first day of National Herb Week,
lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) becomes
Herb of the Year for 2007. A dog-friendly plant with a distinctive
lemon-mint fragrance and flavor, lemon balm is best known as a nervine, a
calming herb that soothes and relaxes. It's also a digestive aid that
neutralizes gas in the stomach and intestines. Add its muscle-relaxing,
deodorizing, disinfecting, and insect-repelling benefits, and you can see
why lemon balm belongs in your garden, window box, or patio planter.
Native to the Middle East, lemon balm traveled through all of Europe.
Charlemagne ordered his subjects to plant it, Benedictine monks put it in their
monastery gardens, and Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello. Today the plant
is grown commercially as an ingredient in cosmetics, skin care products, and
furniture polish.
Lemon balm's key constituents include volatile oils, tannins, flavonoids,
terpenes, and eugenol. Its terpenes are relaxing, the tannins have antiviral
effects, and eugenol calms muscle spasms, kills bacteria, and has an analgesic
(pain-relieving) effect. In recent years, lemon balm has made headlines for
its ability to treat cold sores and other breakouts caused by the herpes simplex
virus and as a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease.
Its strong performance in the Alzheimer's studies and its safety make it a
compelling candidate for a trial with senior dogs suffering from cognitive
dysfunction, or to reduce the depression and agitation that dogs with cognitive
dysfunction can display.
People whose dogs' flatulence drives them out of the room may especially
appreciate lemon balm's ability to reduce gas.
Long considered a "universal remedy," lemon balm is an herb that can be used
for almost any ailment but is perhaps most strongly indicated in dogs with
digestive problems, separation anxiety, sleep disorders, stress, and
irritability. It is also an effective topical treatment for ringworm.
Easy to grow
Like all members of the mint family, lemon balm has square-shaped stems and
spreads more through its roots than through seeds. Under the right conditions,
it grows like a weed and often is one, taking over entire gardens. Its small
white blossoms are so sweet that they attract bees, hence the plant's scientific
name. Melissa is Greek for honey bee.
Lemon balm is easy to grow in full sun to partial shade. It doesn't need
fertilizer--in fact, fertilizing the plant reduces its medicinal benefits. Lemon
balm is happiest in poor, sandy soil. Its seeds need several weeks of exposure
to light and moisture before sprouting. Many nurseries sell lemon balm
seedlings, and once plants are established, they care easily propagated by
dividing the roots.
Lemon balm is a thirsty plant, so water it during dry weather. However, too much
rain or moisture can produce mildew, so good drainage is vital.
Unlike most herbs, lemon balm is best harvested in the afternoon, when its
essential oils are strongest. For maximum yield, cut lemon balm before flowers
bloom. The more it's trimmed, the more leaves it produces.
Use the fresh herb
Finely mince or chop lemon balm leaves and add them to your dog's food at the
rate of 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight. This is approximately 1
tablespoon for a dog weighing 45 to 50 pounds.
Fresh minced lemon balm can also be used as a poultice or wound dressing. Mash
leaves or pulverize them in a blender, apply to the affected area, and hold in
place with a bandage.
Lemon balm can be used straight from the garden to keep your dog smelling fresh.
Simply pick a few stems, crush the leaves, and run them over your dog's coat. In
addition, lemon balm's citronella-like fragrance is said to repel mosquitoes and
other insects. If you can convince your dog to chew on a lemon balm leaf, her
breath will smell wonderful.
Brew a tea
To make a medicinal-strength lemon balm tea, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2
tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh leaves. If using dried lemon balm, the amount
to use depends on the quality of the dried leaves, which usually declines during
drying and storage. Most teas made from dried herbs are brewed with half the
amount recommended for fresh herbs, but to produce a medicinal-strength lemon
balm tea, you may need 2 tablespoons dried herb per cup of water, or even more.
Don't worry about exact measurements as this is a very forgiving and nontoxic
herb. Cover the brewing tea and let stand until it cools to room temperature.
Add the tea to your dog's food and/or drinking water, starting with small
amounts while your dog becomes accustomed to the taste and fragrance. Add up to
1 tablespoon tea per 20 pounds of body weight twice or three times daily, and if
treating a specific condition, such as indigestion or anxiety, double that
amount. If your dog is ill or dehydrated, serve plain instead of herb-flavored
water or encourage him to drink more by adding broth (instead of herbal tea) as
a flavor enhancer to his water bowl.
Lemon balm tea is a disinfecting rinse for cuts and other wounds. To make the
rinse even more effective, add 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt to each cup of tea
and stir to dissolve. Simply pour cold or room-temperature tea over the injury.
To use lemon balm tea as a compress, soak a wash cloth, cotton dressing, or
tissue in cold tea, apply, and hold the compress in place for several minutes.
To keep the area cold, soak the compress again and reapply. Cold compresses are
recommended for recent or acute injuries.
To help treat chronic conditions like arthritis, hip or elbow dysplasia, or old
sports injuries, use hot lemon balm tea as a fomentation or hot compress.
Lemon balm has mild muscle-relaxing and antispasmodic properties. Soak a wash
cloth in comfortably hot tea, wring just enough to stop dripping, test the
temperature on your inner wrist to be sure it isn't too hot, then apply to the
affected area and hold it in place for several minutes. Soak the compress again
and reapply as needed to keep the area warm for 10 to 15 minutes.
After bathing your dog (except for dogs with white or very light colored coats),
pour lemon balm tea all over as a final rinse.
Fill a spray bottle with lemon balm tea and use it as an air freshener.
Store leftover tea in the refrigerator. For best results, use within three or
four days.
Make an herbal honey
Coarsely chop enough lemon balm to fill a glass jar. Next, fill the jar with
honey, completely covering the chopped herb. The more lemon balm you put in the
jar, the more medicinal the result. If the honey is too thick to pour easily,
warm it by placing the honey jar in hot water.
Seal the jar of lemon balm and honey and leave it in a warm location, such as a
sunny window, for at least two weeks. Alternatively, heat honey in a saucepan
and pour it over the herbs. For a double-strength herbal honey, wait four to six
weeks, then fill another glass jar with lemon balm and pour the contents of the
first jar into the second jar. Before using the herbal honey, filter it through
cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer and store at room temperature.
Consider making two lemon balm honeys, one from raw, unfiltered honey with its
nutritional benefits intact and one from pasteurized, filtered honey. Use the
thick raw honey for internal use and the pasteurized honey for topical
application. Raw honey often crystallizes, creating sharp points that can damage
burned or injured skin, unlike honey that has been heated and filtered.
When applied as a first-aid dressing, honey creates a protective barrier that
seals the skin, absorbs moisture from oozing wounds, and speeds healing. Honey
also releases hydrogen peroxide, which kills germs. Because honey doesn't stick
to bandages, it makes dressings easy to remove and change. Some honeys, such as
manuka honey from Australia, have proven antibacterial properties, including the
successful treatment of drug-resistant E. coli and staph infections. Honey
infused with lemon balm can be even more potent. Lemon balm honey is an
effective dressing for cuts, surgical wounds, burns, lick granulomas, abrasions,
hot spots, and infected wounds. Most dogs will want to lick it off, so protect
the wound with a bandage or cervical collar.
Lemon balm honey can be used to prevent infection from viruses or bacteria,
soothe a sore throat, help an anxious dog relax, improve sleep, and speed
recovery from illness. Added to food, lemon balm honey helps reduce gas and
other symptoms of indigestion.
Aromatherapy
Lemon balm's essential oil, usually labeled melissa oil, is so expensive that
it's often misrepresented. Much of what is sold as steam-distilled Melissa
oil is really a blend of citronella and lemon grass. True Melissa oil costs
up to $1 per drop. That's because it
takes 3 to 5 tons of fresh lemon balm to produce a single pound of essential oil.
Fortunately, Melissa hydrosol, the "flower water" byproduct of steam
distillation, is far less expensive and has the same healing benefits.
In her book Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy, Suzanne Catty recommends taking
Melissa hydrosol during flu and allergy seasons as a prophylactic because of its
immune-stimulating, infection-fighting, and antiviral properties. It also aids
digestion and has a calming, emotionally uplifting effect.
For pet use, Catty recommends adding 1/4 teaspoon hydrosol per cup of
drinking water. Full-strength hydrosol can be added to food at the rate of 1
drop per pound of body weight per day, which is 1/2 teaspoon for a 30-pound dog
and 1 teaspoon for a 60-pound dog.
"For a health maintenance regimen, this works well," she explains. "You can
treat chronic conditions with 2 drops per pound on a three-weeks-on,
one-week-off cycle. This way the body has a week to assimilate the changes and
healing process. Then the treatment can be adjusted as necessary. For acute
conditions, give 2 drops per pound per day."
With their sensitive noses, dogs may at first avoid water to which Melissa
hydrosol has been added. Introducing it in small amounts, starting with just a
few drops in the water bowl, can make it more palatable. As noted earlier, if
your dog is ill or dehydrated, serve plain water or water containing broth as a
flavor enhancer to encourage drinking. Most dogs accept the addition of
hydrosols to food without a problem, but if yours has a picky appetite, try
starting with tiny amounts. Alternatively, use an eye dropper to fill an empty
two-part gelatin capsule with hydrosol and hide it in a favorite food.
Spray full-strength Melissa hydrosol in the air and directly on your dog's coat
to deodorize, disinfect, improve coat quality, reduce anxiety, and treat skin
allergy problems, fungal infections, rashes, irritations, and hot spots.
Lemon balm's safety
The only contraindication listed for lemon balm in most herbal references is its
ability to interfere with the body's assimilation of iodine, thus affecting the
thyroid. In human herbal medicine, lemon balm is sometimes used in the treatment
of hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. However, it is not sufficiently
thyroid-suppressing to be used as a stand-alone therapy, and in the amounts
mentioned here, it is unlikely to contribute to hypothyroidism in dogs.
Susan Wynn, DVM, co-author of the recently published reference book Veterinary
Herbal Medicine and founder of the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association,
describes lemon balm as one of the world's safest herbs. "I would not hesitate
to give it to most dogs, including those with underactive thyroid function if
the herb is potentially useful for the patient," she says.
Like all mints, lemon balm is said to counteract the effects of homeopathic
remedies. If a veterinary homeopath prescribes a remedy and warns against
combining it with peppermint, it's a good idea to avoid lemon balm as well.
What you can do ...
* Plant lemon balm in your garden, window box, or in pots.
* Add fresh lemon balm to your dog's food.
* Add lemon balm tea to food and drinking water, and use it as a rinse after
bathing.
* Brush your dog with fresh lemon balm to help repel insects.
Herb of the Year
Since 1995, the International Herb Association has announced its Herb of the
Year during National Herb Week in May, raising public awareness about herbs that
are easy to grow, attractive, and well known for their medicinal or culinary
properties.
Lemon balm (Melissa
officinalis)
now joins fennel, bee balm, thyme, mint, lavender, rosemary, sage, echinacea,
basil, garlic, oregano, and geranium on that exalted list.
The IHA's 2007 Herb of the Year information packet provides a comprehensive
review of lemon balm's history, chemistry, varieties, traditional and modern
uses, growing tips, and recipes. See page 16 for contact information.
Lemon Balm Resources:
Lemon Balm, herb of the year information packet. $9.50 (includes postage).
International Herb Association, PO Box 5667, Jacksonville, FL 32247-5667, (904)
399-3241, iherb.org
Lemon balm seeds and plants (organic) Richters Herb Specialists, Goodwood,
Canada. (905) 640-6677, richters.com
Lemon balm tea (dried leaves, organic) Jean's Greens, Schodack, NY. (518)
479-0471, jeansgreens.com
Melissa hydrosol (organic) Nature's Gift, Madison, TN. (615) 612-4270,
naturesgift.com
Manuka honey Manuka Honey, USA, Orlando, FL. (800) 395-2196, manukahoneyusa.com
Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy, by Suzanne Catty. Healing Arts Press, 2001.
Available from acqua-vita.com and most booksellers.
Veterinary Herbal Medicine, by Susan G. Wynn, DVM, and Barbara Fougere, BVSc.
Elsevier, 2007.
Veterinary Botanical Medicine association, 1785 Poplar Drive, Kennesaw, GA
30144, vbma.org
A long-time contributor to WDJ and author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet
Care, Natural Remedies for Dogs & Cats, and other books, CJ Puotinen lives in
New York with her husband, a Labrador, and a tabby cat.
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