Traditional Herbal Medicine Registration (THMR).

Culpeper: ‘Melissa. Bawm. Outwardly, mixed with salt and applied to the neck helpeth the King’s Evil [=tuberculous infection of the lymph nodes in the neck], bitings of mad dogs, venomous beasts, and such as cannot hold their necks as they should do; inwardly it is an excellent remedy for a cold and moist stomach, cheers the heart, refresheth the mind, takes away grief, sorrow and care, instead of which it produces joy and mirth.

Research carried out by Dr Paul Chazot and colleagues at the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Durham University suggest that essential oil of Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis may prove efficacious in reducing agitation in patients suffering from dementia.

Notes: It is still used in pot-pourri and as a tea for persons with fevers. Culpeper (1650) said it cured the 'King’s Evil' a disease which was so called as it was supposed – until George II gave up the practice – to be cured by the touch of a King. There is a report of a king ‘touching’ 1,500 people in one day, and one might have thought they would have got together afterwards to see the results. In children the King’s Evil is usually caused by non-tuberculous mycobacterium, in adults by tuberculosis. It is rare to see it now as it is so readily cured with antibiotics.

A lemon-flavoured tea can be made from the fresh or dried leaves. They are used mainly as a flavouring in salads and cooked foods.