#lemon verbena

[aesethewitch]

My mom gave me one of the lemon verbena plants she acquired over the summer, and I... have no idea what to do with it??? I can make tea, and definitely I'll dry some for magic purposes, but like. What the hell do I do with an enormous lemon verbena??? Practical suggestions for both fresh and dry leaves welcome because holy shit I've got a lot of this.

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Friday 4 October 2024

At the Deerness Distillery, Orkney, I discovered that their award-winning signature Sea Glass Gin included a range of botanicals including Aloysia citrodora (lemon verbena, cidron, herb Louisa, lemon plant, limonetto, sweet-scented verbena, verbena oil plant). This is a deciduous sub-shrub with narrow, lemon-scented leaves and open panicles of tiny white flowers. The plant thrives in a Polycrub on Orkney and is on the edge of hardy in the milder areas of the U.K.

Jill Raggett

[y2kbeautyandother2000sstuff]

Yankee Candle Deck Delight Tea Light Candles in (yellow) Lemon Verbena, Lavender and Wild Rosemary, and (blue) Wild Rosemary and Marigold and Geranium

2005

Found on Ebay, seller chanceorcoincidence

[mochillery]

Ororon's garden 🪴🦇

Feat. cherry tomatoes 🍅 (in progress), hibiscus, and lemon verbena 🍋 🌿

[morethansalad]

Roasted Mirabelle Plum, Red Currant & Lemon Verbena Popsicles (Vegan)

[calendulacraft]

Herbs of Argentina ~ Lemon Verbena

Summer is a busy time on the herbal homestead. Wherever I go outside to greet the horses or water the microgreens I am reminded of all that there is to harvest before the season wraps up. Suddenly I noticed that there was no more space in my herbal dryer and that before I can collect anything new I must take out the herbs that have been drying in there.

Inside the racks of the herbal dryer was lemon verbena leaves. I crumbled one up to test that they had indeed dried thoroughly. The leaf crunch and went to pieces in my hand, releasing the lemon-y scent it is so well known for.

This herb is super common here in Argentina. In the small shop where I worked for years we had a few different herbalism who provided packets to mix with yerba mate. In fact it is native to southern countries of south America (Chile and Argentina). In my garden where I grew up in California we had a small lemon verbena plant or two that could be called a shrub, if you were feeling generous.

Here on this homestead in Argentina we have lemon verbena TREES and even harvest the fallen wood for our fireplace in winter.

To be honest this herb is only really a priority for me because my hubby loves the tea so much. While he begrudgingly drinks medicinal teas & decoctions that I make for him, he is eager to sip on lemon verbena all winter long and even requests it.

So, while putting these leaves into their respective jars and preparing a sun tea for the hot summer day with the flowering tops I wondered ...

are there any medicinal benefits of lemon verbena?

And well, of course there is! Maybe it is the status as a "potpourri herb" or the late introduction to Materia Medica in Europe, but the herbalism books on my shelf don't have much to say for the medicine of this herb. I took to the internet to find out more.

According to Joybilee Farm's Website lemon verbena is carminative (warming and digestive), anti-spasmodic as well as anti-inflammatory. So what does all that mean? Basically lemon verbena helps the digestive tract by warming the body and promoting healthy digestion while also soothing inflammation and spasms in the organs it meets.

All of this leads to less cramps and discomfort as the body dissolves a meal and an overall calming affect on the body. I think that is what ultimately leads to the status as a nerve tonic. Our nervous systems are affected by all kinds of things happening both inside and outside the body. A build up of gas or poorly digestive food leads to an awkward feeling and cloudy mind which makes work & socializing more of a challenge.

After my stroll through the public Materia Medica that is the internet I am feeling inspired to included lemon verbena in more medicinal preparations. On a super hot day like today it didn't make sense to brew some hot tea. Instead I stuck a couple of lemon verbena's fresh flowering tops into a pitcher of filtered water with a heaping spoonful of honey and a pinch of sea salt. This is our digestive-calming herbal hydration for the day!

[askwhatsforlunch]

Verbena Mint Tea

A soothing hot beverage, this Verbena Mint Tea is a favourite of mine before bed. The preparation is part, I feel, of the calming ritual! Happy Saturday!

Ingredients (serves 1):

1 ½ tablespoon dried lemon verbena leaves and flowers (Aloysia citrodora)

250 millilitres/1 cup cold water

a dozen leaves fresh mint

Spoon dried lemon verbena into a small saucepan. Pour in cold water. Heat over a low flame until just simmering.

Meanwhile, crush mint leaves with a pestle in a mortar, to extract their oils and flavour.

Stir crushed mint leaves into the pot.

Remove from the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer, 10 minutes.

Return over a low flame, and bring to a slow boil. 

Remove from the heat and strain Verbena Mint Tea into serving cup.

Enjoy Verbena Mint Tea hot.

[acourtofquestions]

Funny that Aelin describes smelling Lemon Verbena in Wendlyn when she meets Rowan when that’s the smell he associates with her…