The divine lemon verbena

Lemon verbena, Aloysia citrodora, is one of the most divine smelling herbs I can think of. For this reason, most of the world’s use of this herb is in personal products, herbal teas and in alcoholic beverages. It has a beautiful lemon scent that I swear I can nearly eat! I love using the leaves and flowers in a herbal tea and the delicate white flowers make this an attractive plant for the home garden. It has shallow fibrous roots that like well drained soil. I have lost one when we had an especially wet winter. It’s deciduous and perennial in Canterbury, but it may need frost protection when a young plant.

This is a herb that has been insufficiently studied to date but may have positive applications for multiple sclerosis as an anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity as it may suppress appetite. The essential oil has been shown to have sedative properties, have antiparasitical actions topically against ticks and mites and antimicrobial affects. But it is known to be an irritant topically.

As always, consult your health professional to check for any conatraindications for this herb.