Uses for Lemon Bam?

Question

Do I eat it? Cook with it? Dry it and make sachets? Would it be good in a vinegar? Do you eat it like salad greens or use it for medicinal purposes? What's it generally used for?
(Melissa officinalis)
Thanks!

What? I meant Lemon BALM
not bam

Answer 1

Like most herbs Lemon Balm is antibacterial and anti viral in nature. It is also a slightly sedative herb, lowering fever, relaxing spasms and improving digestion. I can attest to the latter. Many a night I have come home after an evening of too much good food and gone straight out to the garden to pluck a handful of the tender young leaves. I make a tea with them, being sure to release the essential oils by tearing the leaves. Add a bit of honey, and soon everything is a bit more serene, and dinner begins to settle.
The taste of the leaves adds the perfect tangy note to fruit salads. Freshly steamed vegetables come alive when tossed with a chiffonade (thin strips or shreds of vegetables lightly sautÈed or used raw for garnish) of Lemon Balm and a touch of cracked pepper. For a general seasoning, use it in tandem with tarragon. Try adding some freshly minced leaves to lamb or fish marinades for the grill, and toss a few sprigs on the fire to perfume the air and keep away the mosquitoes. When using whole leaves be sure to handle them delicately; they tend to bruise and turn black. Combine Lemon Balm with other garden herbs for homemade herb vinegars. For a eye-catching garnish, freeze some small leaves into ice cubes to serve in lemonade.
the leaves are supposedly good for polishing wood. Lemon Balm is also one of the ingredients in Benedictine, as well as many other liqueurs and digestives. Fresh, the leaves make for a lightly astringent facial steam.