Lemon Balm Cut, 1 oz by 1618 Gold (Melissa officinalis)

Lemon Balm is the herb of gentle love and good cheer. Its bright, lemon-sweet leaf has been worked for centuries to draw love and friendship, to lift heavy spirits, and to carry a quiet wish for success. The old charm is the sweetest in the cabinet: soak the leaf in wine for a few hours, strain it, and share the cup with someone you love. Sacred to the bee-priestesses of the Greek goddesses, Melissa has always been the herb of warm bonds, between friends, family, and lovers.

Reach for Lemon Balm when a working leans toward love, friendship, and lightness of heart, the soft lunar herb that opens the heart and steadies the spirits.

Key Features of Lemon Balm

A love and friendship herb. Lemon Balm's oldest working is love: soaked in wine and shared, carried to draw a lover near, or folded into sachets for loving, faithful bonds between friends, family, and partners.

A herb of success. Beyond love, Cunningham records lemon balm in spells to ensure success, making it a fitting addition to ambition, opportunity, and new-beginning workings.

Soft, lunar, and uplifting. A feminine herb of the Moon and Water, lemon balm was long burned in healing incenses, hung in the home to drive off melancholy, and worked to invite peace and good cheer into a space.

Product Details

• Botanical: Melissa officinalis (lemon balm)
• Folk names: bee balm, sweet balm, sweet Melissa, heart's delight
• Form: cut and sifted dried leaf
• Weight: 1 oz
• Packaged by 1618 Gold
• For ritual and spiritual use; not packaged or sold as a food product
• Storage: keep in a sealed container in a cool, dry place away from light

The Spiritual Significance

In Scott Cunningham's correspondences, lemon balm is a feminine herb of the Moon and the element Water, with the powers of love, success, and healing. Its name tells its oldest story: Melissa is the Greek word for honeybee, and the herb was sacred to the bee-priestesses, the Melissae, who served Artemis and Demeter. Beekeepers rubbed it on the hives to keep the bees home and draw new ones, and that gathering, binding quality carried into its magic, where lemon balm is the herb of loving bonds between friends, family, and lovers.

The classic love working, recorded by Cunningham from Arabian herb magic, is to soak the leaf in wine for several hours, strain it, and share the cup with one you love, or simply to carry the herb to find love. Its lunar, watery nature also makes it a healing and peace herb: burned in healing incenses and sachets, hung in the home to drive off melancholy and bad dreams, and planted by the door in old custom to turn away evil spirits. It also lends its bright energy to spells for success.

How To Use Lemon Balm

1. For love, soak a little lemon balm in wine for a few hours, strain it, and share the cup with someone you love, or carry the dried leaf to draw love near.
2. For friendship and loving bonds, fold lemon balm into a sachet with rose or lavender and keep it where your household gathers.
3. For success, add the leaf to a sachet or candle dressing when setting out on a new venture or opportunity.
4. For peace and good cheer, burn a pinch in a healing incense or hang a little in the home to lift heavy spirits.
5. Return the leaf to a sealed container between workings so it keeps its bright, lemony scent.

Pairs Well With

• Love Gemstone Set, 5 Stones: the heart-current stones to anchor lemon balm's love and friendship work.
• Pink Rose Petals (Rosa gallica): the classic love flower to pair with lemon balm in a sachet or love bath.
• Lavender Flowers Whole (Lavandula angustifolia): pair for peace and gentle, heart-soothing blends.
• Peace Soy Votive Candle: light it alongside lemon balm to settle a home and lift the spirits.
• Lemon Balm Cut, 1 Lb: step up to the bulk size for regular love, friendship, and peace work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is lemon balm used for in magic?

Lemon balm is primarily a love and friendship herb, worked to draw love, strengthen loving bonds, and invite good cheer. Cunningham also records it in spells for success and in healing incenses and sachets, and folk custom hung it in the home to drive off melancholy.

What is the lemon balm love charm?

The classic working, recorded by Cunningham from Arabian herb magic, is to soak the dried leaf in wine for several hours, strain it, and share the cup with someone you love. Carrying the herb is also said to help you find love.

What are lemon balm's correspondences?

Cunningham places lemon balm under the Moon and the element Water, a feminine herb of love, success, and healing. Its lunar, watery nature gives it a soft, emotional, heart-opening character.

Why is it tied to bees?

Its name, Melissa, is the Greek word for honeybee, and it was sacred to the bee-priestesses of Artemis and Demeter. Beekeepers rubbed it on hives to keep bees home, and that gathering, binding quality became part of its magic of loving bonds.

Can a beginner use lemon balm?

Yes. A pinch in a love sachet, a leaf carried to draw affection, or a little burned for good cheer is a complete working on its own, with no special tools needed. It is one of the gentlest herbs to begin love work with.

How should I store it?

Keep it sealed in a cool, dry place away from light. The cut leaf holds its bright, lemony scent for a year or more; refresh a sachet when the fragrance fades from the work.