You can use dried or fresh aerial parts. For an infusion pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2-3 teaspoons of dried herb or 4 -6 grams of fresh herb in a covered container for 10-15 minutes.
Q. A reader emailed me and asked, “Is it better to steep it dried or fresh from the plant? I have a large plant that I would like to use instead of drying the leaves first.”
A. You can absolutely use fresh lemon balm leaves straight from your plant, and in some ways, it's even better. Fresh is higher in volatile oils (like citral and citronellal) which give lemon balm its calming, lemony aroma and therapeutic effects.
But you will need more of it. Use about 3x the amount of fresh leaves compared to dried (e.g., 3 teaspoons fresh = 1 teaspoon dried).
Can you leave your recommendations for amt of lemon balm per cup of boiling water? I have both dried and fresh
You can use dried or fresh aerial parts. For an infusion pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2-3 teaspoons of dried herb or 4 -6 grams of fresh herb in a covered container for 10-15 minutes.
I have lemon balm growing abundantly in my rural garden and use it regularly in tea, it also goes very well with fresh elderflower
Oh that sounds nice.
Q. A reader emailed me and asked, “Is it better to steep it dried or fresh from the plant? I have a large plant that I would like to use instead of drying the leaves first.”
A. You can absolutely use fresh lemon balm leaves straight from your plant, and in some ways, it's even better. Fresh is higher in volatile oils (like citral and citronellal) which give lemon balm its calming, lemony aroma and therapeutic effects.
But you will need more of it. Use about 3x the amount of fresh leaves compared to dried (e.g., 3 teaspoons fresh = 1 teaspoon dried).