MELISA

MELISA

Castilian: Hierbabuena.

English: Balm / Melissa.

French: Melissa / Citronelle.

From the family of Labiadas.

Cramping stomach, intestine and the array of nervous origin. Palpitations nerve. Bronchial asthma. Insomnia. Hysteria. Weakness of the heart. Dizziness. Cramps. Vomiting in pregnant women.

Introduction: The Arabs in the x - century, the balm felt like the floor of the heart, both in the strict sense (to be used against any defect of the heart and to regulate the heartbeat) as in the metaphorical sense (it was recommended to recover from the evil of love, Of sadness, of desánimos, etc. Christian culture overlooked, like many other Arab contributions to science, the medicinal properties of the balm, and it was not until the twentieth century to rehabilitate our plant.

FEATURES: It is a perennial plant whose aerial parts (stems and leaves) was dry and spring every year with new shoots in spring. Grows to one meter in height, with an upright stem, branched from the base of square section. The leaves are very large (about 8 cm long by 5 wide) oval, with jagged edges and nerviaciones heavily marked on the underside. They grow in pairs, one against another, inserted into the stem at the same point in which the flowers or a small branch bearing flowers. These are yellowish at first, but during development are becoming white or pink. The herb appears pleasant odor reminiscent of the lemon. He was also known as Melissa, abeyadera and cidronela.

LOCATION: It is native to southern Europe, but is everywhere. Perfectly adapted to the American continent, appears in the tracks, next to the orchards and streams, derived from crops abandoned.

COLLECTING: We use the flowering tops (ends of the stems containing flowers and leaves) which must be cut before they hatch and Bloom, the flower is lost because the active substances, and since the balm is held in low quantities, they must maximized. Can be used directly or dry, fresh.

USES AND APPLICATIONS: It is used in infusion, though, unusually, no matter the number of plant that is used because it will never be excessive. Recall that has little quantity of active ingredients. Is usually take three cups a day, or more, although it will most often take a single cup when you have a moment of excitement and you need a soothing immediately (the balm fulfills this role Because honey is pleasant to taste and carries a psychological impact supplemental) there is no impediment to taking it as a simple infusion for pleasure since it is an excellent tonic.

His name evokes the honey: In fact, the bees appreciate their flowers and honey they produce with it is the richest (Melitta means honey in Greek) but attention! If we do not like bees in our garden, avoid plantar Melisa.

Used Part.

Leaves, flowering tops.

Active Principles.

Essential oil (0. 3%) rich in aldehydes (citral, citronelal) terpenes (pinene, limonene) and alcohols (geraniol, linalol) tannins Catechists; phenolic acids: chlorogenic, caféico; bitter principle; mucílagos urónicos, flavonoids.

Drug Action.

Aperitif, digestive, Carmine, spasmolytic, slightly sedative, antiseptic, antiviral, colerética, balsamic, healing.

Indications.

Inappetence, gastritis, gastrointestinal spasms, meteorism, dyskinesias Hepatobiliary, cholecystitis, diarrhea. Neurovegetative dystonia, anxiety, insomnia. Hypertension, tachycardia, headaches, asthma, dismenorreas, wounds, herpes simplex.

Contraindications.

Hypothyroidism (described above antithyroid effect of extracts of balm) Unless otherwise indicated, we recommend not to prescribe essential oils through internal during pregnancy, lactation, children under six years or patients with gastritis, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, hepatopathy, epilepsy, Parkinson and other neurological diseases.

Do not administer, or topically applied to children under six years old or people with respiratory allergies or with known hypersensitivity to this or other essential oils.

Do not prescribe dosage forms with alcoholic content for oral administration in children under two years or consultants in the process of alcohol addiction.

Side Effects.

The sedative effect is often preceded by a short Excitement. The intake of 2 g of essential oil can cause drowsiness, bradycardia, and hypotension bradipnea.

Caution / Poisoning.

Take into account the alcohol content of the fluid extract and tincture.

Galenica forms / Dosage.

Internal use:

Infusion: one tablespoon per cup of dessert, infuse 10 minutes. Three or more cups a day.

Fluid extract (1: 1) 30 - 50 drops, 3 times a day.

Tincture (1: 5) 50 - 100 drops, one to three times a day.

Dry extract (5: 1) 500 mg 3 times daily (1 g equals 5 grams of dried plant)

Water melissa (or "Agua del Carmen") 5 - 10 cc, a three times a day.

Juice of fresh plant: 2. 5 ml, 1 - 3 times a day.

External use:

Alcohol compound melissa: in the form of friction.

Infusion: in the form of hot baths, such as relaxing and antidismenorreico.

Compresses fresh plant (bruises, mastitis)

Juice of fresh plant: to alleviate the symptoms of insect bites.

Bibliography.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M. Dans la Plantes Les Thérapeutiques Moderne. 2. Paris: Maloine, 1986, pp. 286 - 7.

Bézanger - Beauquesne, L; Pinkas, M; Torck, M; Trotin, F. Medicinal plants of temperate Regions. Paris: Maloine, 1980, pp. 329 - 30.

Bruneton, J. Elements of Phytochemistry and Pharmacognosy. Zaragoza: Acribia, 1991, p. 259.

European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy. Monographs on the medicinal uses of plant drugs. Fascicle II: Melissae folium. March, 1996.

Fernandez, M; Nieto, A. Medicinal Plants. Pamplona: Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, 1982, p. 118.

Lastra, JJ; Bachiller, LI. Medicinal Plants in Asturias, Cantabria and the cornice. Gijón: Ediciones Trea, 1997, pp. 181 - 2.

Le Floc'h, E. Etude Ethnobotanique une contribution to the Flore Tunisienne. Imprimerie officielle de la République Tunisienne, 1983, p. 214.

Mulet, L. Ethnobotanical survey of the province of Castellon. Castellon: Provincial, 1991, pp. 279 - 80.

Paris, RR; Moyse, M. Summary of Matter Médicale. Take III. Paris: Masson, 1971, pp. 264 - 6.

Peris, JB; Stübing, G; Vanaclocha, B. Applied Fitoterapia. Valencia: M. I. Official College of Pharmacists, 1995, pp. 368 - 9.

Peris, JB; Stübing, G; Figuerola, R. Guide to Medicinal Plants of Valencia. Valencia: Las Provincias, 1996, p. 197.

Simon, R. Guide for Pharmaceutical and Medical Pharmacology. Madrid: A Madrid Vicente, 1993, p. 29.

Rivera, D; Obon, C. The Guide INCAFE of useful and Poisonous Plants of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearics. Madrid: INCAFE, 1991, pp. 129, 848 - 51.

Trease, GE, Evans, WCh. Pharmacognosy. Mexico City: Inter - MacGraw - Hill, 1991, p. 455.

Van Hellemont, J. Compendium of Phytothérapie. Bruxelles: Association Pharmaceutique Belge, 1986, pp. 251 - 2.

Villar, L; Palacín, JM; Calvo, C. Gomez, D; Montserrat, G. Medicinal Plants of the Aragonese Pyrenees and other tierrras Huesca. 2. Huesca: Provincial, 1992, pp. 152, 285.

WICHTL, M. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceutical. A Handbook for Practice on a scientific basis. Stuttgart: Medpharm Scientific Publishers, 1994, pp. 329 - 32.

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