Tea with lemon balm: health benefits and harms

Many people like fragrant tea with lemon balm for its pleasant taste and delicate aroma. They drink it hot and chilled, add sugar or honey to it, play with bouquets of other herbs - and always it manifests itself gently and delicately. But not everyone thinks about the healing properties of such a drink. Let’s take a closer look at how tea with lemon balm is useful, whether it can harm and how to drink it according to different recipes.

Composition and calorie content

Tea with lemon balm is distinguished by its versatility, the mint aroma of the drink is combined with many other components and perfectly “solves”. You can prepare a drink in different ways:

• pure infusion of leaves and flowers of a plant;
• tea with additives from other phytocomponents;
• a drink based on green, white or even black tea;
• with the addition of sugar, honey, syrup or jam;
• with cardamom, ginger, cinnamon;
• with lemon and other citrus fruits;
• with milk or cream.

All these components affect not only the effect of tea, but also its calorie content. Melissa itself does not significantly affect the energy value of the product, each spoon of sugar will contain 20–25 kcal, in honey about 26 kcal, if you add 10–20 ml of milk to tea with lemon balm, it’s another 5–15 kcal, a little cream - 15-20 kcal. Spices on calories will not greatly affect. In total, a cup of tea with lemon balm can be from 0 to 60–80 kcal. Usually this gull is light and pleasant, safe even on diets.

As for the beneficial composition of lemon balm, you need to consider its components. The plant contains a complex of minerals, vitamins, essential oils, tannins, volatile, tannins, flavonoids, organic acids. Tea has a delicate peppermint aroma with acidity, which is why the plant is called lemon mint. This effect is obtained due to the characteristic oil in its composition. Melissa ether is useful for the body, so tea can be brewed not only on the basis of fresh or dried leaves of the plant, but also add a drop of oil to drinks, desserts, jams or used in home aromatherapy.

Dried leaves are no less useful when insisting, so it is not necessary to look for fresh bunches of plants. It is enough to purchase a collection of even six months ago and enjoy an excellent drink.

Interesting fact: A mixture of lemon balm oils and lemon helps eliminate bad breath. To wash dishes from fish, vinegar, fat, it is enough to rinse it in a solution with the addition of aromatic ethers. Also, the zest and lemon balm spread out around the house will help get rid of a musty or other unpleasant odor.

What is useful tea with lemon balm

General benefit

The amazing fact about melissa is that it is practically harmless. Of course, you should not be zealous with its use, but you can completely relax with a cup of such a drink at night on a regular basis.

The main property of lemon balm is a sedative effect:

1. It cools, relieves irritation, has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.
2. Relieves pain and cramping, has an antiemetic effect.
3. It normalizes digestion, helps to cleanse the body, evens out pH balance, and removes lingering fluid.
4. Visibly reduces pressure, helps with hypertension and arrhythmias, normalizes the state of blood vessels.
5. Soothes nerves, helps to overcome stress, relax, relieve emotional stress, anxiety.

In addition, the melissa infusion helps fight fungi, improves skin condition, maintains youth and cleanses the blood.It is used for colds to eliminate viruses and strengthen immunity, for poisoning to remove toxins, relieve heat and irritation, and eliminate nausea and body aches. After long hard work in the country, in the gym, at the factory, just such a drink will help relax the body and soul and fully relax.

With various characteristics of the body, the plant helps in its own way, so tea with lemon balm can be brewed for the whole family.

For women

The fair sex appreciates drinks with lemon balm, primarily for their mild sedative effect. Tea will help eliminate mood swings, increased anxiety, tearfulness, apathy. Melissa relieves fatigue and helps to fall asleep. Cooling properties and the ability to remove excess fluid will help with varicose veins and puffiness, and in addition, will be useful for losing weight.

Drinks with lemon balm stabilize the hormonal background, eliminate hot flashes after menopause, and during menstruation soothe and relieve pain, help reduce blood loss, lowering blood pressure. The plant also has an anti-inflammatory and antifungal effect, it is used as a medicinal drink or for irrigation during sexual diseases, for quick recovery after childbirth.

Melissa slightly brightens the skin and restores its healthy glow. Drops of lemon balm oil are added to the tonic or cream to cool, relieve irritation, moisturize and refresh the face. Drinking tea also gives a fresh, rested look.

For men

Melissa will help men fight severe stress, avoid hypertensive attacks and reduce the risk of heart attack. With impotence and a decrease in sexual strength on psychological grounds, the drink helps to relax, collect, and remove the clamps.

With a nervous strain, the drink will help to alleviate attacks of aggression, and with alcohol abuse - remove toxins and cause rejection of alcohol.

Also, such tea tones well and helps normal water metabolism, so you can drink infusion or tea with lemon balm during or after active training, to quench your thirst during heavy physical work.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, women suffer from hormonal toxicosis, nausea, mood swings. Often they complain of depression, appetite disorders, swelling, constipation. With all these problems, lemon balm will help to cope without side effects. This is one of the few plants that are completely allowed during pregnancy, however, it is advisable to consult a doctor before introducing such tea into the diet on an ongoing basis.

The infusion will eliminate digestive discomfort, normalize going to the toilet, help to cope with the increased load, soothe and improve sleep, and in addition, will prevent the formation of age spots that sometimes disturb women expecting a baby.

Melissa can be replaced with the main drink. You can also evaporate drops of oil, using them as aromatherapy to normalize mood, at bedtime and with nervous tension. It is said that such procedures help if the baby is restless and jostles hard.

When breastfeeding

Doctors do not prohibit the use of lemon balm during lactation, this can improve the taste of milk and maintain the health of a young mother. In addition, lemon balm has a mild analgesic effect if there is some discomfort during lactation. Experts urge you to drink no more than 1-2 cups of weak tea per day and monitor the condition of the baby - are there any rashes on the skin, is the chair normal. In case of allergy, tea with lemon balm is allowed to drink only after the end of the feeding period.

For kids

Little fidgets are recommended to give tea with lemon balm. It becomes a good supportive agent for ADHD or vice versa - if the child is sluggish, painful. Periodic drinking of tea will help the baby fall asleep better, strengthen immunity, and support for colds and poisoning.

If the child is allergic to insect bites or fever, tea will help relieve pain, itching, calm and normalize well-being.

Melissa helps teens to restrain hormonal bursts, better concentrate, eliminate inflammatory processes on the skin, and improve digestion.

The plant is considered safe for children from 4 years. If it is necessary to give the child tea earlier, it is better to discuss the dosage with the pediatrician.

When losing weight

For losing weight, lemon balm is useful in several aspects, since it:

1. Soothes an irritated stomach, so it will help with malnutrition and heartburn in the early stages of the diet.
2. It stabilizes mood, protects against nervous changes, insomnia, aggression or apathy.
3. It normalizes the hormonal background, which helps the body rebuild the metabolism and get used to the new regimen.
4. Supports immunity.
5. Promotes the normal balance of fluid in the body and its purification.
6. Helps to remove toxins, refresh the look.

Tea with lemon balm is not considered a means for losing weight, but it perfectly supports the body during strict diets, calming, dulling the feeling of nervous hunger and helping to distract from possible discomfort. Tea will help cleanse the body without discomfort.

Tea with lemon balm in medicine

For the first time they began to use melissa in ancient Greece and Rome. It was used to treat insomnia, migraines, digestive upsets and female inflammation. In the modern world, lemon balm is recommended as an adjuvant for stress and depression, insomnia, high blood pressure and even diabetes.

The medicinal plant effectively helps to normalize acidity in gastritis, cholecystitis and other diseases associated with digestion. Melissa is recognized by official medicine as a mild sedative and is recommended for the prevention and independent maintenance of the body's health.

Melissa infusions fight various inflammations, spasms, vascular disorders, soothe the children's nervous system, strengthen the immune system for colds and infections, lower the temperature.

Harm and contraindications

There are no direct contraindications to the use of this plant, lemon balm does not contain hazardous substances or potential irritants. In rare cases, individual intolerance to the substances contained in the plant is observed.

It is worthwhile to be careful with pure Melissa infusions for pregnant women, nursing women, people with neurological and psychiatric diseases, patients taking sedative and other potent drugs. In all these cases, a doctor’s consultation is required.

In diseases of the digestive tract and heart, as a rule, lemon balm is useful. The exception is hypotension, low blood pressure, or an unstable heart rate.

An overdose of lemon balm can cause stomach discomfort, headache, heart rhythm disturbance, drowsiness, confusion. You can not drink lemon balm tea in large doses to drivers and people working at machines with dangerous equipment.

How to brew tea with lemon balm

There are no special recommendations regarding the preparation of the infusion. If melissa needs to be brewed as a medicinal raw material, then it is recommended to take 3 teaspoons in a glass of hot water and leave for 15-20 minutes. Melissa does not need to be kept longer in water, the drink must be filtered and consumed or stored in the refrigerator for no more than 8-12 hours.

Melissa infusion deteriorates quite quickly and loses its healing properties.Tea is brewed weakly and quickly drunk - then the plant brings maximum benefits.

To prepare a classic infusion for drinking, you need to take 2 teaspoons of dry raw materials and brew in 250 ml of water. After 10-15 minutes, you can flavor the drink with lemon, honey, milk and other additives and drink. For children, 1–1.5 tablespoons per glass is enough.

It should also be borne in mind that the collection of grass at different times and varietal characteristics can affect the composition and intensity of the action of the active substances of the plant. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on taste. For children and the elderly, it should be slightly minty, full of taste or slightly watery, for adults it should be minty. The healing potion should be brewed strong, slightly nibbling on the tongue, cooling, but drink no more than 2-3 servings for 3 days, taking a break or reducing the dose.

When brewing your favorite herbal or classic tea, you can add a pinch of dry powder or 2-3 fresh lemon balm leaves to give the drink a delicate aroma. Melissa is laid in 2-3 minutes before drinking after the main drink is infused - then the taste of tea will be delicate, airy and delicate.

How to Dry Melissa for Tea

You can dry lemon balm at home in the fresh air. There are several options: tie small bundles and hang them on a balcony or spread leaves on a towel, covered with gauze on top - this will protect the raw materials from dust, insects and prevent it from flying in the wind.

When drying grass in an oven or an electric apparatus, it is worth setting no more than 40 degrees so that useful elements do not disappear under the influence of high temperatures.

It is recommended to choose not only the leaves, but also the stems, as well as the flowers of the plant. It is better to grow lemon balm on your own, and when buying from herbalists, pay attention to the integrity of the leaves, a uniform shade and a fresh, pronounced aroma of the grass. You can also get ready-made dry mix. Melissa is sold in pharmacies, tea shops and in departments with spices.

This is useful to know: in tea, it is recommended to combine leaves, stems and flowers in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. Since the branches contain the main concentration of essential oil, they should not be taken as a basis.

How to drink tea with lemon balm

An amazing mint drink, tender and pleasant to taste, you can drink without any special rules and recommendations at any time of the day all year round. It is necessary to take into account the light sedative effect of tea with lemon balm, so you should not drink it while on duty or consume large quantities while driving, especially if the dream was short the day before. In optimal portions, tea will help calm down, gather, and relieve increased anxiety.

Melissa is not customary to boil or brew with boiling water, enough water temperature of 80–90 ° C to infuse a delicious tea. It is better to drink tea at a temperature of 40–65 ° С, so its taste and useful properties are revealed as much as possible.

Pure tea with lemon balm is consumed separately, but if you add a pinch of fragrant grass to regular tea for aroma or make a hot drink with jam, it is perfect for baking, cakes, crackers, sweets and other foods.

How much can I drink per day

Melissa is one of the few plants that does not actually cause allergies or side effects, therefore, in general, its use per day is not limited. But those who love this tea very much and drink it regularly, still should adhere to certain standards:

• 2 cups of weak infusion per day for children;
• 2-3 cups of medium-strong tea for adults.

If you drink 4 cups a day regularly, you may experience problems with the heart, kidneys, nervous or hormonal changes. Experts recommend giving preference to soft combinations of green tea with the addition of lemon balm, infusions with sage, thyme, as well as compotes and fruit drinks, for example, apples, currants, lingonberries, with the addition of fragrant grass. Then its beneficial effect will be optimal.

Can I drink at night and on an empty stomach

Thanks to the calming properties, lemon balm is completely safe for the body, so it can be drunk in the morning on an empty stomach or before bedtime. It will even be useful, help to relax, fall asleep faster and stronger.

Melissa has a mild effect on the body, does not cause mucosal irritation, and does not upset the acid-base balance. On the contrary, it will help relieve heartburn, calm digestion at bedtime, and neutralize the pathogenic environment in the mouth, which will help to maintain healthy teeth. In the morning, eating lemon balm will awaken the digestive system.

Such an infusion can be used instead of a morning glass of water for those who cannot drink pure liquid. Only in this case, it is desirable to exclude the addition of honey, sugar or lemon. The only minus of the drink with lemon balm in the morning can be considered its sedative effect. Tea will not help to cheer up and gain energy.

Interesting facts about Melissa

1. The plant has been known for many thousands of years. His healing effect was mentioned in the writings of Pedania Dioscorides, Pliny the Elder and Avicenna - the great healers and the first medical scientists of the past.
2. Juice of hypoallergenic grass can burn insect bites, abrasions to disinfect them, soothe the skin, relieve pain and speed healing.
3. The name of the plant is interpreted as "honey bee." According to one of the Greek legends, there was such a beautiful nymph who watered Zeus with milk and honey and revealed to people the secret of beekeeping. There is also a version that other goddesses, out of envy of her beauty, turned the nymph into a plant, but even after that she continued to smell, captivating hearts and healing health. It is believed that this is why the drink with lemon balm can be combined with honey and milk.
4. Also in Greece, melissa was famous as an aphrodisiac. It was believed that it arouses subtle sensuality, calms, eliminates anxiety and helps to tune in the right way.
5. Oddly enough, it was believed that the fragrance of a delicate plant repels snakes and harmful insects. Melissa twigs were laid at the doorstep and in the house to freshen the air and establish the atmosphere.
6. Slavic healers used melissa from fainting, dizziness, nervous and cardiovascular diseases.
7. A hot drink is recommended for colds and inflammations, and for infectious diseases. In a warm form it is drunk to relieve heat, pain, from nervous overwork. And in a chilled form, it helps to gather, freshen up, awaken strength. Cool teas with lemon balm are also used as a remedy for flatulence or as a weak diuretic.
8. If you are prone to nausea, you can carry with you fresh lemon balm leaves or its oil, rub it between your fingers and inhale the vapors to eliminate motion sickness, panic attacks and a “cloudy” condition.

If you like the pleasant and unobtrusive taste of tea with lemon balm, feel free to enter it into your daily diet. It will help you relax while staying healthy at any time of the year.

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