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Ingredients

Balm (Melissa officinalis L.)

General
Klosterfrau Melissengeist / Melisana® is a tonic based on 13 natural herbs, of which lemon balm is the most important one.

Depending on where it grows, balm can reach a height up to 1 meter; its stalks are rectangular, straight, and heavily branched. Bluish or yellowish white flowers grow at the corners of the leaves. The leaves are elongated, 3-5 cm long and up to 3 cm wide. The upper, smaller leaves have an oval form; the lower ones, larger and heart-shaped. The lower leaves are roughly toothed. The surface side of the leaves, like the rest of the plant, is covered with delicate hairs.

Period of flowering: from June to August

The leaves of the balm have a lemon aroma (thus the German name lemon balm). The aromatic oils in its leaves is the source of its particular aroma.

Optimal climatic conditions are essential for high aromatic oil content in balm – a great deal of sun and a good supply of water, conditions which are found chiefly in the Mediterranean region. The quality and quantity of aromatic oil, and thus its effect, are dependent on the following factors:

• The harvest must take place before the flowering season.
• Immediately after the harvest, the leaves must be carefully dried at a temperature of 20 to 35 degrees Celsius.
• The remnants of the stalks must be removed.
• One must be careful to store it only for short periods.
• Only water-alcohol distillation will guarantee the optimal retrieval of the active substances.

Production of Klosterfrau balm spirits. For even greater effect, the Klosterfrau firm has invested in new methods of breeding and cultivating balm. After multi-year selection, a plant has been obtained whose leaves contain up to 0.8% aromatic oil, which is 5-8 times more than in the normal balm. This "superbalm" (Melissa officinalis Klosterfrau) is cultivated exclusively for the Klosterfrau company in the Ebro River delta in Spain.

Occurrence
The original area in which balm appeared stretched from the eastern regions of the Mediterranean through the Caucasus and Iran to the southwestern edges of Siberia. Today balm can be found in almost all of Europe and North American, where it has spread as a cultivated plant. Balm is a very hardy plant, preferring sunny locations protected from the wind.

Used parts of the plant
The leaves and the aromatic oils derived from them are used for medicinal purposes.

Effects
Balm has a calming effect and is used for nervous ailments and for recuperating from colds.


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