I love herbs and I love learning about them! I've been putting together a folder of a bunch of herbs and compiling everything about them. I have so many herb books---magical uses, medicinal uses, etc, but all the information is scattered between all the books and what I find online. So, I've been working on putting everything together into one piece. And then I thought--why not add this to a blog or something? So, I'm now doing an herb of the week blog post and this i my first... so here it is...  Feel free to let me know if I'm missing something or if something is horribly outrageously wrong or something!

Other names: Balm, Bálsamo de Limón, Cure-All, Dropsy Plant, Honey Plant, Melisa, Melissa, Melissa officinalis, Melissae Folium, Mélisse, Mélisse Citronnelle, Mélisse Officinale, Melissenblatt, Monarde, Sweet Balm, Sweet Mary, Toronjil
Physical Description: member of the mint family, native to the Middle East and Mediterranean
Height: 12-18”
Stems: square
Leaves: paired leaves, 1-3” longs, come to a point and serrated. They have a strong lemon scent when bruised
Flowers: Clusters that can be a variety of colors from pink, yellow, blue and white. 
Associations:
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Jupiter
Gods: Jupiter
Goddesses: Diana, Artemis, Cybele, Venus
Element: Water
Sabbat: Yule, Beltaine 
Growing and caring for:
              Culture: outdoors, containers, hydroponics
                Spacing: 12-15” apart
                pH Range: preferred 6-7.5 but tolerates 5.6-9
                Propagation: From seeds, start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost
                Germination Period: 12-21 days
                Soil Requirements: Fertile, well drained clay or sandy
                Sun and light requirements: full sun but can tolerate mild shade
                Water: requires constantly moist soil, do not let soil dry out between waterings
                Dangers: whitefly, spider mite, thrip, and powdery mildew
                Attractions: bees, butterflies and birds
                Harvesting/Gathering:
Medicinal Properties:
Sedative, anti-depressant, digestive stimulant, promotes sweating, relaxing, antiviral, antispasmodic, carminative, antibacterial. Mainly used as a tranquilizer, calms nervous stomach, colic, heart palpitations. Helps lower blood pressure; can be used with treating children; useful in treating HIV/AIDS.
Skin care: allergies, insect bites, insect repellent
Respiratory: asthma, bronchitis, chronic coughs, colds, influenza
Digestive: colic, indigestion, nausea, committing, nervous stomach, reliving spasms, flatulence
Circulatory: tonic for the heart, slows its action, relieves palpations, lowers blood pressure, menstrual problems and pains
Nerves: anxiety, depression, hypertension, insomnia, migraine, nervous tension, shock and vertigo
Emotion: calming, happiness, helps with grief and inner peace
Magical Properties:
Healing for psychological disorders, love, banishes evil, emotional balance, energy, calming, pre-ritual baths, health
Tussie-Mussie: Sympathy and pick me up
Other Important information:
              Safety Concerns: None