Melissa Day Cream

New Day Cream for Combination Skin: Oily T-Zone, dry and sensitive.

New Dr. Hauschka Day Cream

Dr.Hauschka Melissa Day Cream helps sensitive combination skin to regain its healthy balance. Our hero ingredient Melissa (Lemon Balm) combines with Anthyllis, Witch Hazel, Daisy and Carrot to soothe and fortify. Used in conjuction with Cleansing Cream and Clarifying Toner, matte texture Melissa Day Cream provides harmonising, shine-reducing day care for a sensitive combination skin.

Plant Profile

Synonyms for Lemon Balm: balm, common balm, garden

 balm, melissa, sweet balm
Scientific Name: Melissa officinalis L.
Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) has been known since the Middle Ages for its mediating properties. It is able to strike a balance between opposing forces.  Combined with other extracts of medicinal plants, Melissa helps to restore harmony to oily, dry and sensitive areas of skin.

Melissa’s ability to bridge great differences can also be seen from its natural habitat. It prefers moist, well-drained soil, but can also handle dryness. It needs sun, but can still thrive in partial shade.

With the previous year’s dried stalks still standing, there is a rush of activity in the soil as the first sprouts and shoots emerge. They grow into a strong, bushy plant about 60 to 90 cm tall, which has broad, oval, intensely green leaves with serrated edges. It forms the very picture of lush vegetation. Growing in tiers, the leaves emit a lemony fragrance when rubbed.

As the Melissa (lemon balm) plant begins to bud, its appearance changes drastically. It starts to sprout much smaller, yellow-green leaves. Small, yellowish white flowers appear, clustered in circles between the ranks of leaves. The blossoms and leaves are clustered on multiple levels, giving the bush a lighter and less dense appearance. At the same time, a mild lemony scent begins to surround the plant, enveloping it in a cloud of fragrance and attracting increasing numbers of bees. This is the origin of lemon balm’s scientific name, Melissa officinalis: “Melissa” is Greek for “honey bee”.

The plant’s stems dry out in autumn, to be replaced by new shoots in the spring. Lemon balm yields an evanescent essential oil that has invigorating properties.

Description

Lemon balm is a popular addition to herb gardens, although if left to grow unchecked its runners tend to invade surrounding areas. This branching herb can reach a height of 90 centimetres and bears a thick foliage of light green leaves growing from a square stem. In shape its leaves resemble those of mint. The plant releases its lemony fragrance when its leaves are touched, but the scent loses its intensity as the herb starts to flower.

Uses

Lemon balm has a primarily calming action. A tea made with lemon balm and taken in the evening will help people suffering from nervous tension who find it difficult to get to sleep. Lemon balm can also soothe gastrointestinal symptoms of nervous origin, helped additionally by the plant's antispasmodic and carminative properties. This threefold effect is equally beneficial in disorders of the biliary system. In combination with other medicinal plants, lemon balm can support cardiovascular functions in cases of nervous strain. The antiviral action of lemon balm, for example against herpes viruses, is probably due to its labiate tannin content.

Interesting facts

The scientific name Melissa comes from the Greek and means honey-bee. It refers to the fact that lemon balm is very attractive to bees. In earlier times, beekeepers liked to plant lemon balm around their hives and rubbed hives with lemon balm oil to cleanse them.

Filed Under: Plant Profiles | Added on: 11 April 2011 | Tagged with: Melissa, Melissa officinalis, Lemon Balm, Combination skin, Oily t-zone dry skin