Melissa

Also called: Lemon Balm

Profile

TCM Categories

• Clear Heat (LR, HT)
• Cool the Blood

Functions

• Clear Heat in the Wei level (use small amounts - 1% dilution), good to open the portals, especially the teeth for latency (acute dental abscess)
• Clear Liver and Heart Fire & Heat in the Blood, calms the shen
• Opens and relaxes the chest
• Descends Stomach Qi and regulates bile secretions, good for liver overacting on spleen

Indications

• Deficient Spleen Qi due to Liver Overacting on the Spleen with indigestion, nausea, flatulence, lethargy, flank distention (LR-13, LR-14, SP-6, CV-6, SP-3)
• Liver or Heart Fire with red complexion, red eyes, angry outbursts, palpitations, chest tightness, insomnia, irritability, hypertension, hysteria, angina (HT-7, PC-6, PC-7, CV-14)
• Liver Blood Stasis due to Heat with painful menses, intermittent sharp migraine headaches, vertigo, infertility (BL-17, SP-10, LR-8, CV-2)
• Rebellious Stomach Qi with vomiting, belching, morning/motion sickness, epigastric spasm, food stasis, plum pit Qi from Qi and/or blood stagnation (CV-13, PC-6, ST-40)

Topical Applications

• Make a cream with Melissa for herpes and chickenpox
• 1% - 2% in sesame seed oil for dental abscess

Specific Protocols

• 4% dilution of Melissa (40%), Sandalwood (30%), and Ylang Ylang (30%) for Heart Fire (add Clary Sage if Empty Heart Fire).
• Can apply to Heart Luo Vessel.
• Apply direct to LR-14, Tai-Yang, and GB-21 for Liver Fire affecting the head and eyes (e.g., migraines and red eyes)

Actions

• Antiviral
• Sedative
• Hypotensive
• Antispasmodic

Contraindications & Cautions

Notes

• Release the Exterior & Cooling (wind heat)
• Affiliation with yin wei mai
• Expensive oil – no substitute
• Strong antiviral
• Topical for oral herpes
• Strong to clear heat at the wei level, not strong to release the exterior
• Great for pulling out toxins
• Strong to invite and nourish change
• Good for someone who has trouble saying what they feel (verbalizing)
• HT Luo treatments
• Plum pit Qi – having trouble saying what they are thinking

Additional Comments

• Melissa is one of the most powerful anti-viral essential oils
• In high doses, Melissa aggravates wei qi and irritates skin and respiratory conditions
• High dosage (2%) would be more appropriate for Wind-Cold.
• Melissa is often adulterated with Lemon, Lemongrass, Litsea, and/or Citronella
• Melissa has 2 chemotypes - citral and citronella (more sedating)