Summer is a busy time on the herbal homestead. Wherever I go outside to greet the horses or water the microgreens I am reminded of all that there is to harvest before the season wraps up. Suddenly I noticed that there was no more space in my herbal dryer and that before I can collect anything new I must take out the herbs that have been drying in there.
Inside the racks of the herbal dryer was lemon verbena leaves. I crumbled one up to test that they had indeed dried thoroughly. The leaf crunch and went to pieces in my hand, releasing the lemon-y scent it is so well known for.
This herb is super common here in Argentina. In the small shop where I worked for years we had a few different herbalism who provided packets to mix with yerba mate. In fact it is native to southern countries of south America (Chile and Argentina). In my garden where I grew up in California we had a small lemon verbena plant or two that could be called a shrub, if you were feeling generous.
Here on this homestead in Argentina we have lemon verbena TREES and even harvest the fallen wood for our fireplace in winter.
To be honest this herb is only really a priority for me because my hubby loves the tea so much. While he begrudgingly drinks medicinal teas & decoctions that I make for him, he is eager to sip on lemon verbena all winter long and even requests it.
So, while putting these leaves into their respective jars and preparing a sun tea for the hot summer day with the flowering tops I wondered ...
are there any medicinal benefits of lemon verbena?
And well, of course there is! Maybe it is the status as a "potpourri herb" or the late introduction to Materia Medica in Europe, but the herbalism books on my shelf don't have much to say for the medicine of this herb. I took to the internet to find out more.
According to Joybilee Farm's Website lemon verbena is carminative (warming and digestive), anti-spasmodic as well as anti-inflammatory. So what does all that mean? Basically lemon verbena helps the digestive tract by warming the body and promoting healthy digestion while also soothing inflammation and spasms in the organs it meets.
All of this leads to less cramps and discomfort as the body dissolves a meal and an overall calming affect on the body. I think that is what ultimately leads to the status as a nerve tonic. Our nervous systems are affected by all kinds of things happening both inside and outside the body. A build up of gas or poorly digestive food leads to an awkward feeling and cloudy mind which makes work & socializing more of a challenge.
After my stroll through the public Materia Medica that is the internet I am feeling inspired to included lemon verbena in more medicinal preparations. On a super hot day like today it didn't make sense to brew some hot tea. Instead I stuck a couple of lemon verbena's fresh flowering tops into a pitcher of filtered water with a heaping spoonful of honey and a pinch of sea salt. This is our digestive-calming herbal hydration for the day!