Syrup
Lemon balm & honey oxymel
Oxymel means acid and honey, and the recipe is from ancient Greece. Hippocrates wrote about it. It is one of the oldest ways of drawing the virtue out of a plant, and it has survived because it tastes far better than a tincture.
Vinegar draws out the water-soluble compounds, honey draws the rest and makes it drinkable. No alcohol, which means you can take it mid-morning without thinking twice.
It is sweet-sour and fresh, and lemon balm tastes of lemon without being one.
This is what I would reach for when the unease arrives in the middle of the day and you cannot lie down.
Ingredients
- Fresh lemon balm, chopped, enough to half-fill a jar
- Raw apple cider vinegar
- Raw honey, equal parts with the vinegar
Equipment
- Jar with lid
- Baking paper if the lid is metal
- Cloth or strainer
- Clean bottle
Method
- 1
Fill a jar halfway with fresh chopped lemon balm, cover with equal parts apple cider vinegar and honey, steep in the dark 2-4 weeks.
- 2
Take 1 tbsp in water for acute restlessness.
Dosage
1 tbsp in a little water for acute unease, up to 3 times daily.
Can also be taken regularly, one tablespoon in the morning, in periods when there is a lot going on.
Rinse your mouth with water afterwards. The vinegar wears at tooth enamel.
Shelf life
6-12 months refrigerated in a clean bottle. The vinegar and honey preserve it themselves.
Safety
Rinse your mouth with water after each dose, and wait half an hour before brushing. Acetic acid softens enamel, and brushing straight after grinds it away.
If you have reflux, acid indigestion or ulcers, the vinegar can make it worse. Take it with food, or leave it be.
Lemon balm can affect thyroid function with large, sustained use. If you have a thyroid condition, speak with your doctor before taking it daily over time.
It is mildly sedative. Take care if you also take sedatives or sleeping medication.
Honey must not be given to children under 1 year.
Put baking paper between the jar and a metal lid. Vinegar corrodes metal, and you do not want rust in your oxymel.
Unease and stress lasting months belong with a doctor. There may be a treatable cause.
How the herbs work
Lemon balm contains rosmarinic acid, which eases anxiety and lifts mood mildly, and volatile oils that loosen the bodily tension stress lays in the stomach and chest.
The vinegar is not merely preservation. The acid draws out the water-soluble plant compounds, and makes certain minerals more available.
The honey draws out what the vinegar cannot, and makes the mixture drinkable without pulling a face. That sounds trivial, but a plant only works if you remember to take it, and you only do that if it is not unpleasant.
Oxymel is alcohol-free, and that is the main practical difference from a tincture. You can take it in the middle of a working day.
The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.