Lemon Verbena

↑About Lemon Verbena

>Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) is a plant with a strong lemon scent, similar to lemon balm, lemongrass, and lemon myrtle. Not closely related to lemongrass and lemon myrtle, it is only a distant relative of lemon balm, both being in different families in the order Lamiales.

Lemon verbena is the most well-known of the verbenas, a family which includes a number of plants which mimic the aromas of various other plants, such as pineapple verbena (Nashia inaguensis), or Bushy Lippia (Lippia alba), a verbena native to Texas with many of the same chemical components of lemon verbena. Other verbenas are also used in herbal teas.

Lemon verbena is frequently consumed as a tea on its own, and also blended as an ingredient in other teas, sometimes together with lemon balm and/or lemongrass. Although its aroma is in many respects similar to lemon balm and lemongrass, it nevertheless has its own distinct qualities. Lemon verbena, and other verbenas, in addition to their uses in tea, are also used to flavor a liqueur called verveine; because of this, teas sometimes reference the presence of verbena with the name "verveine".

Most lemon verbena is sold in broken-leaf form, but whole-leaf lemon verbena is sometimes commercially available. Lemon verbena is easy to grow in temperate climates, and can also be used to brew a fresh herbal tea, without drying the herb.

Health benefits & chemical constituents

Lemon verbena is commonly used in Brazilian herbal medicine.[1] It has been found to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, a type of yeast that can sometimes cause infections in humans.[1,2] It also was found to inhibit the growth of several potentially harmful species of bacteria.[2]

One study found the three main chemical constituents to be geranial, nerol, and limonene.[2] These chemicals occur in lemongrass, lemon balm, and in lemons, although in very different proportions, which explains the similar but distinct aromas. The chemical citral, present in all three plants, has shown some promise for its potential to kill cancer cells.[3]

↑Recent Lemon Verbena Reviews — RSS

Read More Reviews of Lemon Verbena (6) ...