Lemon Balm with Maria Noël Groves + Lemon Balm Fresh Tincture
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2024
- This is Maria Noël Groves’s second time on the show, and I’m thrilled to have her back! You can tell that Maria is an herbal teacher, because this episode is packed with in-depth herbal information about lemon balm. She shares so much wisdom about lemon balm’s gifts that I just can’t wait to get into the garden and work with this wonderful plant again!
Maria also shared many ways to work with lemon balm, including her recipe for Lemon Balm Fresh Tincture. The free, downloadable and printable recipe card for this recipe can be found in the resource section below.
When might you turn to lemon balm? Here are just a few instances when lovely lemon balm can be helpful:
► When you want to improve your focus
► When you’re feeling stressed out or anxious, and need some nervous system support
► When you need some immune system and antiviral support
But in all of these cases, you need to know how to source or prepare the most potent herbal medicines with lemon balm. Otherwise, your results will probably be disappointing. Tune in to the entire episode for all the details so you can enjoy the most lemon balm benefits!
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► How herbs can help to support you in getting a good night’s sleep
► What makes lemon balm such a powerful herbal ally
► Why it’s important to source high-quality lemon balm (or grow your own!)
► Three tips for harvesting lemon balm when it is most potent
► Maria’s tips for making a glycerite with lemon balm
► Why it’s best to get to know herbs by working with them, rather than simply reading lists about what they’re “good for”
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Maria Noël Groves is a clinical herbalist nestled in the pine forests of New Hampshire. Her business, Wintergreen Botanicals, is devoted to education and empowerment via herbal courses, health consultations, and writing with the foundational belief that good health grows in nature. She is the author of the books Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self Care, Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies, and the new Herbal Remedies for Sleep.
I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today.
-- RESOURCES --
► Get your free, downloadable recipe card, plus herbal goodies every Wednesday when you sign up for my weekly newsletter: bit.ly/44KZonW
► Access the transcript for this episode here: www.herbalremediesadvice.org/...
► Watch Maria’s episode on motherwort here: • Motherwort Benefits wi...
► Maria’s website: wintergreenbotanicals.com
► Maria’s Instagram: / marianoelgroves
► Maria’s Facebook: / wintergreenbotanicals
► Maria’s books and classes: wintergreenbotanicals.myshopi...
► Are you looking for high quality dried herbs? My recommendation is Mountain Rose Herbs. Click here to check them out: bit.ly/3ms3vQ2.
You can also look for local places to buy herbs near you in my directory here: bit.ly/3NRQq0U
-- DISCLOSURE --
I’m a huge fan of Mountain Rose Herbs and will often share referral links to buy herbs or herbal supplies at their online herbal apothecary.
By using the above affiliate link, you help support this channel. Thanks!
-- TIMESTAMPS --
01:10 - Introduction to Maria Noël Groves
02:33 - Updates from Maria since her last appearance on the show
04:13 - Herbal Remedies for Sleep
11:24 - The medicinal benefits of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
23:33 - Grow your own lemon balm!
26:16 - Fresh Lemon Balm Tincture
29:55 - Lemon balm and the thyroid
36:04 - Working with your own lemon balm
41:31 - Closing thoughts about lemon balm
44:22 - Learning opportunities with Maria
46:31 - How herbs instill hope in Maria
50:54 - Herbal tidbit
-- SWEATER PATTERN --
Yes, I did knit my sweater! Pattern is: Very V Raglan by Jessie Maed Designs.
-- DISCLAIMER --
The herbal and plant information in this video is for educational purposes only. The information contained is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Always consult with a health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy or food, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.
Thank you so much, Rosalee, for inviting me to come and speak and for sharing the love for Lemon Balm (and my new Herbal Remedies for Sleep book)!
Thank you Maria! You are a delight to have on the show and I am so grateful I got to spend some time with you in Italy!
@@HerbsWithRosalee
I really enjoyed this episode. Have listened to it three times already.
@@danakrueger7833 awe, I am so honored to hear that!
ive been making a fresh lemon balm tincture. But I make it one year then add fresh material to the same tincture base and do it for 3 season. Triple strength! tastes good. Thanks for the video and information!
You mean it takes three years to make?
@@12prettythings10 yes! I use it as I go but I like the strength of it with 3 fresh rounds.
Sounds amazing!
lemon balm grows year round cold weather and summer. It can be invasive but it can be contained. Great as a hot or cold tea. as a cold drink with watermelon pulp.
It doesn't grow year round here in NH but it will survive the winters - I'm jealous you have access to yours in winter!
When I first began growing my own herbs, I was "warned," but went ahead anyway and planted all of the dozen seedlings that I had started from seed haha! She has been SO abundant, I'm so thankful to have tuned into this episode so I can get to know her better. I have found that, like roses, they very much appreciate getting a haircut and are so refreshed by that. Very curious about Maria's seasonal energetics class!
Even in my very novice stage of herbalism, I have discovered that herbs often deliver a needed action that was in addition to what I was going for.
I have my first tincture going from the last time you two herbal geniuses got together and gave me the confidence to harvest some of my motherwort ❤ looking forward to this episode as I have an abundance of lemon balm as well. 😁
awesome! :D
I drink a lemon balm stinging nettle tea with turmeric and black pepper. It's very soothing but also helps with allergies. It packs a healthy punch ❤️ I grow the stinging nettles, lemon, balm and turmeric.
I am so grateful this was the podcast this week. Serendipitous as in class we are doing tinctures next and just did the glycerites. I have so much lemon balm in my garden and have wanted to be able to enjoy them. Was pondering this to be the herb I work with in class. And now I know I will. Thank you!
Wonderful, Heather! Let us know in class how it goes.
Cheers,
Karin Rose
Nice! FYI I finally found my lemon balm glycerite test batch and though it still tastes good and I wilted it, it has some questionable “sediment” that l suspect is some kind of microbial growth ☹️
I love my lemonbalm. I just can't be without. Have in my garden to make my medicinal.❤
I just drank my first cup of lemon balm tea. Cut from my garden (which just showed up this year) and made it right away.
Very cool! I assume you confirmed identity first since it "just showed up", right? The aroma is pretty distinctive. :)
Thank you so much for all the information! I enjoyed it very much! ❤
Great explanation on how to make the tincture. Do you give the plant a quick rinse in water before putting it in the jar? Thanks so much.
No, not usually, because that adds more water to the tincture throwing off the ratio. Plus, rinsing it washes off the volatile oils that you want in your herbal preparation.
Cheers,
Karin Rose
As Rosalee said it’s not great to add more water by rinsing but I’ve also heard of some people waiting till after a good rain storm to harvest.
I agree with what Rosalee/Karin and Paige said.
This was an amazing episode 👏 I am learning so much thanks you
Please do a series on helping with hormonal issues like pcos so many women out here suffering with infertility God Bless❤
That is definitely a great topic that affects lots of people. I do have classes on hormone and blood sugar balance in my Home Herbalist Series, but there are probably other herbalists who are even more skilled in PCOS and fertility support.
I recently harvested my first lemon balm, wow it smells so good. I am trying to find my 6-8 herbs to really get to know. I want to be able to grow them also I'm in Oregon 8b. Narrowing down the many choices wow not so easy. Can I make a tincture with something other than alcohol? maybe glycerin? Thank you for all you do for the Herbal community.
Hi, great plan to really get to know 6-8 herbs that you can grow! Truly a fabulous learning process with many rewards. Medicine making is part art and part science. Language adds an interesting layer to it all. Tinctures are alcohol extracts, so technically no. However, there are many different types of herbal medicine. A lemon balm tincture and a lemon balm glycerite will have slightly different gifts and uses due to the different "menstruum" and how each substance extracts the herb's constituents. Infusions (strong teas) are often more similar to tinctures, but you can certainly use a glycerite, if that is what you are excited about.
Cheers,
Karin Rose
I totally agree with Rosalee's response! I have played with a few different things with lemon balm and they're all a bit different. I did really enjoy both the glycerite I made as well as the vinegar/oxymel I made with fresh-wilted lemon balm. My biggest concern with them is shelf life, and their properties will be a tad different but both are were lovely, especially if finishing them up within a short-ish time or keeping extras refrigerated or frozen (theoretically). I did find my trial batch of lemon balm glycerite and... I am not sure. It smells and tastes good but there's some darker "dust" on the bottom that could be mold or simply plant sediment... but I worry it might be mold so... :( So many of my remedies that I have made with lemon balm (besides dry for tea and fresh tincture) have gone bad pretty quickly.
Hello Rosalee, during my herbal learning I repeatedly come to one question: when using herbs for managing chronic challenges, do we need to address tolerance or dependence on herbs? Will cycling herbs be necessary? For example, when using lemon balm regularly for people with a sensitive or anxious nature or people with ADHD, how can you integrate the herb in their lives without causing it to lose effect long-term etc. Most books or podcasts I encountered barely mention this topic. What's your thoughts about it? It would also be so lovely if you can have an episode on that!
Sounds like a great topic! I'm sure Rosalee will reply, too, but for me, I think of it less about tolerance and dependence and more about listening to the body. Many herbs that are tonics do even more with long-term use, but if someone no longer needs an herb, most often they naturally cease it. For the herbs Rosalee and I tend to teach about, there are very few I am concerned about tolerance or dependence. That said, if you totally ignore root causes (for example for pain or insomnia), often herbs become limited in how much they can do long-term - in my experience.
@@MariaNoelGroves Thank you for the answer! I totally agree. That's why I feel very comfortable using trophorestoratives like oats and such, together with addressing root causes, but always feel a bit held back or even paranoid when using herbs for symptomatic relief. I guess the key is really to see healing with herbs as a communication between two sentient and intelligent entities, and to really trust the wisdom within all of us.
@@themuchfriendlyshow2872
Has anyone tried curing the Lemon Balm as opposed to drying? I’m considering setting up a makeshift curing station with a mini dehumidifier as opposed to my dehydrator. Hoping it will keep its color.
I am not familiar with "curing" but if you have good airflow, something that dries without much heat should work well. (I hear freeze drying is fantastic but that machinery is $$$)
Is an infusion just as effective as a tincture?
I personally feel like a good fresh plant tincture is stronger, but I do LOVE the dried herb in tea blends (often with holy basil). You can also play with other remedy methods, but alcohol is a good solvent.
I agree with Maria that alcohol is a great solvent. I also think it depends on dosage. A few drops of tincture won't be as strong as a nourishing infusion of lemon balm. I often prefer teas because I can use larger dosages and not have to worry about excessive alcohol intake.
@@HerbsWithRosalee great point! :)
@@HerbsWithRosalee Thank you, Rosalie and Maria!
Can ACV be used instead of alcohol. Like an oxymel?
You can certainly make a lemon balm vinegar (and add honey for an oxymel, if you wish). This will be a different preparation than lemon balm tincture, with different gifts and uses. Oftentimes, an infusion (strong tea) will be more similar to a tincture. I recommend you try what you are drawn to.
~Karin Rose
Yes lemon balm vinegar and oxymel are delightful! Likely more digestive and less nervine but still a nice array of properties. Also if made with fresh herb (which would be more potent than dry for lemon balm) the moisture content would give the extract a shorter shelf life. You could try wilting it first to reduce that.
How can you make a tincture if you’re an alcoholic and can’t have alcohol?
Hi, teas may be a better option for you. Here's a great link to Rosalee's Three Ways to Make Lemon Balm Tea: www.herbalremediesadvice.org/lemon-balm-tea-benefits.html
Cheers,
Karin Rose
Last year I planted a whole package of lemon balm and mint and nothing came up. This year I bought 2 packs of each. What am I doing wrong? Everyone says it's easy to grow and yet it never even came up. Does it need fertilizer or somthing special?
It shouldn't... try buying seeds from MIGARDENER or baker creek... the first place has a really high germination rate I've purchased MANY TONS of seeds from them and alot from baker creek too❤... or just go buy one to transplant and then you should have them for a long time depending on your zone... I live in 6/7 and my lemon balm comes back every year plus I have it popping up near it so I can dig those up to give away 😊
How did you try to start it?
@@rainwaterrefugehomestead2267 I planted some inside and they all died then the rest I planted direct in the garden
One of the best things you can do is connect with local gardeners near you. Growing conditions can be location-specific. An independent nursery often will hire plant enthusiasts and have free gardening classes where you can learn more AND where you can meet other gardeners. There are online groups, too.
In addition, Rosalee and Emily have a wonderful class called Rooted Medicine Circle with a fabulous bonus gardening class and lots gardening information throughout the class. You can read more about it here:
www.herbalremediesadvice.org/online-herbal-courses.html
Cheers,
Karin Rose
@@rainwaterrefugehomestead2267 have you tried using a heat mat