Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis Melissa expresses the melliferous

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Melissa expresses the melliferous character of Etymology the plant. Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Its specific name explains its medicinal usage. Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) It is an herbaceous and vivacious plant, with a variable height of 30 -90 cm. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Its square stems are branchy and straight. Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography The leaves are cordiform, petiolated, softly dentate, with a dark green colour on the leaf surface, and light green colour and pubescent in the bottom surface of the leaf. They release a pleasant aroma, which reminds of lemon and it has a hot and bitter taste. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Its flowers are yellow before opening and later become white or pink. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements They are arranged in 6 -12 verticils in the leaves' axils. It flowers in May. Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Its fruit is tetrachene. The parts of Lemon Balm, which are used are fresh stems and dried leaves, and occasionally also the flowers may be used. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Lemon Balm is found in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, in fresh and humid regions, with an altitude of 0 -1000 m. Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography It's a plant that doesn't require a very rich soil, but it rather prefers soils with a medium texture, deep, permeable, such as alluvium ones, fertile and well-drained. The climate should be tempered, avoiding strong rime-frost storms. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) It reproduces itself through seeds or through the plant's division. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography 1000 seeds weight 0. 512 g, with a maximum germination percentage of 35%, at light, in 24 days and alternated temperatures between 20 and 30°C. Seeding can be done in March or April and the flowers are harvested in autumn or in the next springtime. 2 g of seeds are needed to sow 1 m² of land, which will produce 500 plants. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) The division of plant is done between February -March. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting New stems with roots are harvested around the main plant, which allows a faster implantation of the cultivation, allowing production already during the first year. Productions Bibliography Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Origin and description of the plant For the considered lasts 5 or must be of soil management it should be that the cultivation of this crop more years, so manure application 20 -30 t/ha. Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Sowing is done in rows with 60 -70 cm space between, according to the work demands and with a distance of 35 cm between the plants. The plantation density should not exceed 50000 plants/ha. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Irrigatation is very important during dry weather and after the first trimming process. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Manual weeding and soil management are needed when the soil becomes hard and when the first weeds appear. Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Table - Lemon balm principal pests and diseases. Its recommended treatment. (Adp. Bustamante, 1993 and Ferreira et al. , 1998; Thorez, 1997) Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography Harvesting is done during dry weather, in order to avoid a change of colour toward black of vegetal matter, when it is dried. The superior part of the plant is harvested before flowering. In the first year only a single trimming process is allowed in August. In the second year two trimmings are done, one in May-June and the other in September. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Origin and description of the plant The plants are dried in a dryer with a temperature of 35°C, or in a fresh and dried shed, at the shade, avoiding leaves' becoming black. Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Packaging is done using opaque, impermeable and non-plastic packs. Productions Bibliography Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) In the first year there is a small amount of plants, perhaps 3 -4 tons of fresh pants / ha. Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography In the second year, 8 -12 tons of fresh plants are obtained. During drying the plant loses 75 to 80% of its weight, which corresponds to 1 ton of dried plants / ha in the first year and 5 -7 tons of dried plants / ha after the second year. The distillation 30 kg of corresponds to 0. 10% in dried of flowered plants ensures 25 essential oils/ha/year, this 0. 12 -0. 15% in fresh plants or leaves. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Bibliography Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting Productions Bibliography -Box, M. M. (1973). Cultivo de plantas medicinales. Publicaciones de extesion agraria, Ministerio de Agricultura, Madrid. 490 pp. ISBN: 84 -341 -0444 -X. -Bustamante, F. M. L. (1993). Plantas medicinales y armáticas. Estúdio, cultivo y procesado. Ediciones Mundiprensa, Madrid. 365 pp -Cantwell M. (2001). Caracteristicas y Condiciones Recomendadas para el Almacenamiento por Tiempo Largo de Frutas y Hortalizas Frescas. 8 pp. -Cermeño, Z. S. (1988). Prontuario del horticultor. Litexa Editora. DL: 21326/88. 408 pp -Charles, J. S. K. 1995. Effect of intercropping antagonistic crops against nematodes in banana. Annals of Plant Protection Sciences 3(2): 185 -187. -Cunha, A. P. ; Silva, A. P. ; Roque, O. R. (2003). Plantas e Produtos Vegetais em Fitoterapia. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa, pp. 701. ISBN: 972 -31 -10105. -Ferreira, J. C. ; Strech, A. ; Ribeiro, J. R. ; Soeiro, A. ; Contrim, G. (1998). Manual de Agricultura Biológica, Fertilização e protecção das plantas para uma agricultura sustentável. AGROBIO. 431 pp. -Gardé A. ; Gardé, N. (1988). Culturas Hortícolas. Bova colecção Técnica Agrária, Clássica Editora, 469 pp. -Indrio, F. (1995). Agricultura Biológica. Colecção Euroagro, Publicações Europa América 4, 2ª edição. 128 pp. Medical herbs and aromatic plants

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) Etymology Origin and description of the plant Edaphic requirements Multiplication Seed-plot and Care Harvesting -Maroto, J. V. (1995). Horticultura Herbacea Especial. Ediciones Mundi-Prensa, Madrid, 611 pp. -Panizza, S. (1998). Plantas que curam (cheiro de mato). 18ª edição IBRASA, São Paulo. -Sakai, Z. (2001). Guia ecológico das plantas aromáticas e medicinais. Tilgráfica, S. A. 221 pg. -Thorez, J. P. (1997). Guia de Agricultura Biológica Hortas e Pomares. Livros de vida, editores, Lda. 235 pp. -Volák, J. e Stola, J. (1990). Plantas Medicinais. Editorial Inquérito Portugal 319 pp. Productions Bibliography Medical herbs and aromatic plants