Lemon balm

A lovely, soft, lemony-scented member of the mint family, lemon balm graces two of my gardens so far. It calms and soothes like chamomile, but I have to be careful as it alters thyroid hormone function. It lowers it for hypothyroidism, but has been used by some for Graves disease.

Last year I discovered I had placed my catnip too close to it. The catnip is more aggressive, and soon overwhelmed it. I found no sign of it by the middle of the season and had to replant. Now I keep them a ways apart.

Lemon balm saved us from mosquitos the year before. They came out in a feeding frenzy every evening while we were still working the garden, and my partner is so sensitive to bites he can end up in hospital. Rubbing lemon balm on your skin releases the oils from the leaves, which repels the hungry insects. I also stuck the leaves everywhere in our clothing, as the released oils only seem to work for about half an hour.