Name: Lemon Balm Tincture
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 28 d
Total time: 28 d 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Lemon Balm Leaves, Chopped; 1 Cup Vodka

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I make a small batch of lemon balm tincture every summer. My husband can’t use it because of his thyroid, so it’s just for me, tucked away for those nights when sleep won’t come easily.

It’s one of the simplest things you can make from the herb garden and one of the most useful to have on hand. If you grow lemon balm you almost certainly have more than you need and this is a good quiet use for some of that abundance.

Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the mint family that has many uses for both food and medicine in our seasonal homes.

A canning jar full of chopped leaves submerged in liquid sitting next to a brown dropper bottle with fresh lemon balm leaves on the table with text overlay reading: how to make lemon balm tincture.

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Harvesting Lemon Balm

Cut lemon balm before it begins to flower. Simply cut the stems from the plant.

Be sure to give it a quick rinse or clean to remove any bugs or dirt.

Let the surface water dry and then remove the leaves from the stem. Compost the stems, you only need the leaves for the tincture.

How to Make Lemon Balm Tincture

The following is the folk method. It’s easy because there’s no precise measuring while still being effective. This method is great for home herbalists who don’t necessarily need repeatable results like a professional would use for sale.

Roughly chop your lemon balm leaves, no need to be precise.

Fill a jar about half full with the chopped lemon balm. Add vodka to the jar so that it covers the lemon balm by about an inch.

The size of your jar will depend on how much you want to make. Don’t make more than you can feasibly use in a year’s time. I make just half a pint and that’s more than enough, but go up or down depending on your planned usage.

Cover the jar with a lid and place in a cabinet to infuse for at least 4 weeks. Longer is just fine.

After the 4 weeks, strain the lemon balm from the vodka.

Store the finished tincture in clean glass dropper bottles. If you’re reusing old ones, here’s how to get them properly clean before filling.

Stems of lemon balm sitting in a wicker basket.

Lemon Balm Tincture Uses

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a wonderful nervine. It is gentle and effective.

Add a few drops to hot water as a sort of tea to encourage sleep before bed.

Take a dropper full of tincture a few times a day to help ease anxiety or frazzled nerves.

The bitter properties of lemon balm means it can have an antispasmodic effect on the digestive system. Take some after large meals to avoid discomfort.

Lemon balm has long been studied for its ability to heal cold sores more rapidly. A salve applied topically is easy but Rosemary Gladstar also suggests using the tincture for cold sores. Beware that the alcohol might sting too much for some folks.

A canning jar full of chopped leaves submerged in liquid sitting next to a brown dropper bottle with fresh lemon balm leaves on the table.

Who Should Avoid Lemon Balm Tincture

Lemon balm is mostly safe but there as with all things it isn’t safe for everyone, everywhere.

Folks on thyroid medications or who have thyroid problems in general should avoid lemon balm.

If you’re taking any kind of sedative medication don’t use lemon balm.

And as is often the case with many herbs, lemon balm hasn’t been widely studied for use in pregnant women. So to be on the safe side, expectant mothers should avoid it.

As with all herbal preparations, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, herbalist, or other healthcare practitioner before taking any herbal remedies.

Yield: 8 ounces