Melissa officinalis l.
Popular names: lemon balm, lemon balm, lemongrass, mother liquor, honeydew, bee grass, lemon balm.
Botanical characteristic. Family Lamiaceae. Perennial herbaceous plant with strongly branched rhizome. Stem erect, tetrahedral, branched, up to 120 cm high, strongly branched rhizome, with underground shoots. The leaves are light green, oval, opposite, 6 cm long and 3 cm wide, have a pleasant strong lemon peel aroma and a slightly astringent bitter-spicy taste. The flowers are small, white, yellowish or pink, arranged 3-10 in the axils of the upper leaves. Blooms from June to September. The fruits ripen in August.
Spreading. It occurs in the Crimea, the Caucasus, in the southern regions of the European part of the USSR, Central Asia, the forest zone of Azerbaijan, occasionally in Ukraine. Introduced into culture. It grows along the edges of forests and between shrubs, sometimes in weedy places as an adventive and solitary plant.
Medicinal raw materials. Collect the grass of the plant – leaves and apical shoots. It is cut off at a height of 10 cm from the soil plane, dried in the shade in the air, attics, in well-ventilated areas. Store separately from other aromatic plants in well-ventilated areas.
Chemical composition. The leaves contain up to 0.33% essential oil, the main components of which are citrol, citronellal, geranil, linalool. In addition, up to 7 mg% of carotene, up to 150 mg% of ascorbic acid, caffeic, oleanolic and ursolic acids, resins, bitterness, mucus, tannins, etc. were found in the leaves.
Фармакологические свойства. Благодаря наличию эфирного масла мелисса обладает седативным, спазмолитическим, болеутоляющим и успокаивающим нервную систему действием. Она благоприятно действует при сердечных заболеваниях: проходят боли в области сердца, прекращается сердцебиение, исчезает одышка. Водный настой листьев растения, принятый внутрь, возбуждает аппетит и улучшает пищеварение.
Применение. Настой мелиссы рекомендуют внутрь для возбуждения аппетита и улучшения деятельности желудочно-кишечного тракта, при метеоризме, неврозе сердца, хронических катарах бронхов. Компрессы из обваренной травы применяют как болеутоляющее и смягчающее средство при фурункулезе, ушибах и язвах. Ориентировочная доза настоя (1:20) внутрь: 1 — 1,5 мл/кг.
Теленку
Rp.: Infusi folii Melissae 10,0- 200,0
DS 2 tablespoons per reception (for flatulence).