Make a Lemon Balm Glycerite
Merry wives of windsor, shakespeare
Search Windsor Castle, elves, within and out:
Strew good luck, ouphes, on every sacred room. That it may stand till the perpetual doom,
In state as wholesome as in state ’tis fit,
Worthy the owner, and the owner it.
The several chairs of order look you scour
With juice of balm and every precious flower:
Make a Lemon Balm Glycerite. October 21, 2026.
By the end of summer, many herbs are well past their prime and starting to slow down. Their stalks are tough, some have gotten woody, and the leaves are overgrown and yellow. They are spent from the Summer heat and no longer resemble the tender, green herbs of Spring that we harvested for use in our homes. This is when I like to prune them back to encourage new growth to harvest before winter. Many herbs thrive in the cooler temperatures of autumn and will produce fresh leaves to harvest. This applies to most culinary herbs if you live in a temperate region. But on a side note, don’t clip the woody part. Just clip down to the wood, as some herbs won’t respond well to their wood being cut.
Lemon balm is one of those herbs that are productive in cooler weather, and since my plant has lots of tender new leaves, I am going to make a glycerite. If you are wondering what to do with a lemon balm glycerite, the answer is to use it as a nerve-soothing and/or mood-boosting syrup. Lemon balm has a long history of being used to lift the spirits and soothe an anxious spirit. Back in the 14th century, the Carmelite nuns created a lemon balm-based tonic called “Carmelite Water” that was used for various ailments, including melancholy. Even now, it is an EMA-approved herb for mild stress and as a sleep aid. Herbalists will use it as an atrophorestorative, meaning it builds up and rejuvenates a particular system, or in this case, the nervous system.
Balm is sovereign for the brain, strengthening the memory and powerfully chasing away melancholy.
john evelyn (1620–1706)
Making a Lemon Balm Glycerite
As a member of the mint family, lemon balm is easy to grow and spreads quickly, just like other mints. You will likely end up weeding it if you live in a temperate climate. Given how prolific it is, you wouldn’t expect lemon balm essential oil to have such a high price tag, but that’s because its oil is difficult to harvest. Thankfully, there are other ways to enjoy its benefits. This glycerite is one of them. The method to make this is below.
Lemon Balm Glycerite
Equipment
- Glass jar with lid
- Blender or stick blender
- cheesecloth
- sieve
- Container for holding sieve
- Small funnel
- Amber colored dropper bottles (I ended up using 1 4oz and 1 2oz bottles as I harvested 6 oz of glycerite when finished)
Ingredients
- 50 g fresh, clean and dry lemon balm leaves
- 100 ml food grade vegetable glycerine
Instructions
- Place the 50 g of lemon balm leaves in a small bowl.
- Pour the 100 ml of vegetable glycerine over the lemon balm leaves and stir briefly.
- Using a stick blender, blend this mixture for about a minute. It is okay if it is still chunky. Or put the mixture into a countertop blender and blend for a few seconds. A bullet blender also works great, although I add the leaves a few at a time and shake it around while blending.
- Pour the mixture into a lidded jar labeled with the proper information, then set aside for 2-4 weeks, stirring once a day. (free template link below)
- Line a strainer with cheesecloth.
- Pour the herbs into the cheesecloth.
- Grab the four corners of the cheesecloth together and squeeze the syrup out.
- Set aside your syrup.
- Place a small funnel on an amber dropper bottle.
- Pour your syrup into the amber dropper bottles.
- Put the lid on and label. Store in a dark cupboard.
- The dosage for glycerites is generally higher because they aren't as strong as tinctures. Try doubling the dosage: 60 drops, 3- 5 times a day.
- Properly made, a glycerite should last 1-2 years.
Notes
Have a beautiful day!
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