Healing Properties of Lemon Verbena

Lemon Verbena, Aloysia Triphylla, Vervain, Lippia Citriodora – no matter what one calls this hearty herb, one cannot deny the extraordinary properties of this phenomenal plant. Coming from the family of Verbenaceae, this tiny tree is quite a well-known substitute of chemical allopathic medications. It is native to Argentina and Chile but is now generally grown in the tropics and Europe. It is an aromatic deciduous plant with lance-like leaves that possess a strong lemon fragrance and flavor which comes from an essential oil. This oil is known as citral and it also exists in lemon and other types of citrus plants. Lemon verbena also has small flowers which are often shades of white or lilac. This plant has been utilized for medicinal purposes since ancient times. It is an effective cure for numerous health issues and sicknesses.

How to use Lemon Verbena

Lemon verbena can be used both internally and externally. It is usually used internally as an herbal tea which gives a number of healing benefits to the body, including alleviating digestive track spasms, fortifying the nervous system, lessening feverish colds and easing stress and tension. Externally, one of the many roles of lemon verbena is to act as an anti-spasmodic and expectorant. It aids in breaking down cellulite and therefore to create a calming, healing and toning impact on the skin. It can also be used to diminish acne, puffiness and cysts and also act as a hair tonic. It has a lot of other therapeutic properties that can be utilized for various ailments which are discussed below in more details.

In order to make a flavorsome lemon verbena herbal tea, one must steep the leaves of lemon verbena in hot water to enhance the aroma and herbal properties of the herb. However, it is important to note that the tea will also be slightly sedative. On the positive side, it is profoundly calming and soothing. It does a lot of wonders such as aiding in regulating women’s menstrual cycle along with the symptoms of PMS. It also helps to lessen fever and colds with the aid of its antipyretic properties. It brings an extremely soothing impact and helps cure indigestion, flatulence and diarrhea. You can also buy ready made lemon verbena tea bags here . However, if someone wishes to avoid a cup of herbal tea and yet acquire the relaxing benefits of this plant, alternative method exists for that purpose – adding lemon verbena to bath water.

Lemon Verbena Essential Oil

Lemon verbena essential oil can be described in terms of these words – multipurpose miraculous oil. It concurrently acts as an effective anti-inflammatory and sedative that creates a de-stressing impact. This is why it is commonly utilized for treating anxiety, depression, exhaustion and insomnia. It is also very useful when it comes to curing asthmatic issues. In addition, lemon verbena can be applied in order to assuage aching and symptoms of a cold sore. This is due to the fact that this plant possesses effective antiviral elements. It also helps stimulate appetite and regulate spasms, digestion disorders and cramps. Furthermore, it aids in calming palpitations and heart issues and allay bronchial and sinus congestion. Apart from that, lemon verbena essential oil also includes geranial, limonene, terpineol, myrcenene, isovalerianic acid, the flavonoids apigenin, luteolin and the list of its elements with curative abilities goes on and on. These elements give lemon verbena essential oil antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, bactericidal, digestive, sedative, stomachic, tonic and various other properties.

Culinary Purposes of Lemon Verbena

Lemon verbena can also be used for culinary purposes. It can be added from simple dishes such as fruit salads, desserts and punches to more complicated ones such as baked custard and ice cream. Many claim that its flavor goes good particularly with mint, vanilla and most of the fruits. Thus it is mainly used to enhance the taste of fruit salads. It can further replace lemon in most cuisines containing chicken, fish, rice and salads. The leaves and flowers of lemon verbena can be used to flavor beverages as well while its lemony aroma is commonly utilized in the preparation of a number of perfumes.

Lemon Verbena as a Useful Herb

Lemon verbena is thus a fragrant herb with volatile oils that possesses a soothing effect. It strengthens the nervous system, aids in digestive disorders, minimizes fevers and eases colon spasms. It has anti-spasmodic, de-stressing and expectorant properties. However, although it is a popular and effective treatment for a range of illnesses, it should be noted that it cannot be a substitute of prescribed drugs, especially in critical cases.