Tea Leaves Thursday: Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm or Melissa officinalis has always been used as a great nerve-soothing and stomach settling herb. Nowadays, many people even take it as a replacement for prescription antidepressants.

Herbalists recommend the herb for calming tension; raising the spirits; relieving depression, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia; and calming an stress-induced upset stomach. It can also aid your memory, fight infection, and help clean and heal wounds.

A 15th-Century Swiss physician by the name of Paracelsus even dubbed Lemon Balm an "Elixir of Life," believing it to be a cure all.

If you suffer from anxiety or depression, try swapping out your morning tea or coffee with a Lemon Balm tea and watch it work wonders.