Melissa, Organic
Koru Essential Oils Organic Melissa
Notes From The Koru Oils Lab™ -
Koru's Organic Melissa, is also known as Lemon Balm, Bee Balm, Sweet Balm, Honey Plant, Cure-All, Sweet Mary, and Garden Balm. Melissa is a perennial herb from the mint family. The leaves have a mild lemon aroma and are used to make various medicines around the world. Aromatically, our Melissa essential oil possesses a wonderfully fresh, lemony, green, and sweet herbaceous character.
Melissa essential oil is one of the more prized and more expensive essential oils in aromatherapy and unfortunately much of what is sold on the market is really a blend of citronella and lemongrass. French producers noted that, in 1988, while world production of Melissa oil amounted to no more than 50 pounds, sales of over 1,000 pounds were recorded!1 Unfortunately, this still goes on today. Authentic Melissa essential oil costs anywhere from $1 to $2 per drop because it takes anywhere from 3-5 tons of fresh lemon balm to produce a single pound of Melissa essential oil. Because Koru is a direct to consumer business, rather than a multi-level marketing company, we are able to bypass further price markups while still offering authentic essential oils to our customers.
Emotionally, Melissa essential oil has been praised for its ability to help soothe anxiety and support those with depression. Robbi Zeck writes that "Melissa softens extreme emotions, eases resentment, gladdens the heart, and engages the soul in its own graceful rhythm."2
Melissa is one of the strongest anti-viral oils and is known to be supportive for herpes simplex (cold sores)3, nervousness, insomnia, headaches, and can be revitalizing to the body after periods of illness. For cold sores specifically, we suggest blending one drop of Melissa with 1 generous teaspoon of Jojoba Oil, melted (but not hot) coconut oil, or a similar carrier oil of your choice. If you choose coconut oil, be sure not to add essentials oils to hot melted oil as this can decrease the effectiveness of the essential oil. It is best to add essential oil to room temperature carriers. Maximum dermal use level of 0.9% is recommended.4 (One drop of essential oil in 1 teaspoon carrier oil is equal to a 1% concentration, so we suggest a generous teaspoon of carrier oil to 1 drop Melissa for this application.) If you have further questions about this formulation or would like other recommendatios please contact us at info@koruoils.com.
Name : Melissa (Melissa officinalis)
Origin : France
Cultivation : Organic
Extraction Method : Steam Distilled
Plant Part : Leaves/Tops
Aroma : Herbal, lemony, sweet, clean, subtle notes of mint and honey
Appearance: Transparent liquid
Precautionary Advice : Keep away from eyes and mucous membranes. Keep out of reach of children. If pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition consult your doctor. External use only. Always dilute. A maximum dermal use level of 0.9% is recommended.4
- Lavabre, Marcel. Aromatherapy Workbook, Marcel Lavabre, 1997, p. 86.
- Robbi Zeck, ND. The Blossoming Heart, Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation, 2008, p.97.
- https://herbal-medicine.imedpub.com/melissa-officinalis-extract-inhibits-herpessimplex-virusi-glycoprotein-b-interactionwith-heparin-sulfate.php?aid=9161
- Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young. Essential Oil Safety, Second Edition, 2014, pp.350-351.