Witnessed by: Unani
Lemon balm (badranjboya) (Melissa parviflora), of the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family. Soft-stemmed lemon-scented perennial of the mint kind, with small pale flowers in the leaf-axils; native range: the Himalaya from Kashmir eastward, and the hills of southern India through to Southeast Asia. Globally recognized as badharanjboya (بادرنجبویہ) in Arabic, badranjboya in Persian, badranjboya, billilotan in Urdu, and Himalayan lemon balm, small-flowered balm in English. The part used is leaf and flowering tops. Thin toothed leaves giving a fresh lemon fragrance when rubbed; the taste aromatic, sweetish and lemony with a light astringency.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
BADRANJBOYA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- lemon balm (badranjboya)
- Scientific name
- Melissa parviflora Benth.
- Family
- Lamiaceae (Labiatae)
Form
- Part used
- leaf and flowering tops
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Unani
- aromatic · sour · bitter
Temperature
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- heart · brain · stomach · nerves
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Unani
- mufarreh (exhilarant), muqawwi-e-qalb (cardiac tonic), muqawwi-e-dimagh (brain tonic), muqawwi-e-asab (nervine), kasir-e-riyah (carminative), muqawwi-e-meda (stomachic), mufattih-e-sudad (deobstruent)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- hot and bilious temperaments and hot states of the head
- Toxicity
- very low; large or long-continued doses may dull and over-relax
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