Lemon verbena

The herb with magical properties

Lemon verbena comes from South America, specifically from Chile and Peru, and is cultivated for its aromatic leaves. It has a particularly distinctive, clean, fruity aroma similar to that of lemon.

It is a medicinal flower that takes care of our good health in many ways, as a decoction or oil, since both the flowers and the leaves are particularly beneficial to the human body.

In the past, the louise was a common ornamental plant in European gardens, but today it is rarely planted. It is a deciduous shrub, two metres high, with lance-shaped leaves with a characteristic fragrance and green and purple flowers.

The leaves of the plant are used, which are harvested in late summer. It loves the sun and is quite resistant to frost. It grows best in neutral or slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter. Propagates by cuttings in early March and needs pruning when the leaves fall in the fall.

Lemon verbena blooms in summer and usually grows along country roadsides, in the stony soils of many islands, and in areas with fertile soil it grows up to one and a half metres high. It can be grown in gardens or in pots on the balcony and is hardy even if not watered often.

Ingredients of Lemon verbena

Lemon verbena contains essential oil with citral, cineole, limonene and geraniol as well as tannins, flavonoids and wormwood. It also contains the active substances varennalin and varverine and mucilage.

The membranes at the bottom of the leaf contain volatile oils (in a proportion of 0,90 %, which replaces citronell in perfumery, has a density of 0,900 and contains 35 % citral). For this reason, the crushed leaves give off a strong lemon aroma. The taste is bitter, a little bitter and aromatic.

Therapeutic actions and uses

• -for problems of the stomach and digestive system, such as indigestion, flatulence, neuralgia and colic of the stomach and intestines.
• -has digestive, sedative and tonic properties of the nervous system.
• -Stops diarrhea and bleeding.
• -Helps slimming, the disappearance of cellulite and the elimination of excess fluids.
• -It is an excellent plant, with significant benefits in detoxifying the body, increasing metabolism and generally in the health and overall well-being of the body.
• -for drumming and gas.
• -It is an effective tonic, but at the same time soothing.
• -It is antipyretic.
• -It is a diuretic and is recommended in cases of kidney stones.
• -helps to detoxify the body.
• -Relieves migraines.
• -Combats bad breath.
• -Beneficial with cataplasms in nerve pains and nerve headaches, as well as earaches.

 

For bad breath

Let 50 g of louis leaves soak for 15 minutes in 1 litre of cold water and then boil them for a few seconds. Let them sit for another 10 minutes to allow the essential oil of the plant to dissolve in the water. Drink 3-4 cups of this “tea” during the day, and you will find that bad breath will be combated (bad breath is a symptom caused by many different reasons, such as oral, dental, respiratory or gastrointestinal problems. Until you find a definitive solution, try the recipe above).

For cellulite

Boil some water in a small pot and then add some louis leaves without continuing to boil. Leave it for 3-5 minutes so that the herb can extract its beneficial substances. Strain the drink from the leaves and it’s ready.

A medicinal herb

Lemon verbena is one of the most renowned medicinal herbs in the world for its contribution to slimming, fat dissolving, fighting fluid retention and therefore reducing cellulite.

According to scientific research, the herb luiza, in combination with omega-3 fatty acids, enhances memory and gives mental clarity.

A study by scientist Tom Karagiannis, Director of the Department of Molecular and Gene Research at the Baker Institute in Melbourne, showed that hydroxytyrosol, a component of luisa, destroys red blood cell K562 cancer cells but not peripheral blood mononuclear cells and prevents their proliferation. At the same time, it stresses that the anti-cancer effect of hydroxytyrosol is difficult to dispute because of the large body of evidence available.