Editing Lemon balm (section)

== In history ==
The use of lemon balm can be dated to over 2,000 years ago through the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] and the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. It is mentioned by the Greek polymath [[Theophrastus]] in his ''[[Historia Plantarum (Theophrastus book)|Historia Plantarum]]'', written in {{circa}}300 BC,{{sfn|Kennedy|Scholey|Tindsley|Perry|2002}} as "bee-leaf" (μελισσόφυλλον).{{sfn|Theophrastus|1916|p=464}} Lemon balm was formally introduced into Europe in the 7th century, from which its use and domestication spread.{{sfn|Kennedy|Scholey|Tindsley|Perry|2002}} Its use in the [[Middle Ages]] is noted by [[Herbal medicine|herbalists]], writers, [[philosopher]]s, and scientists.

Lemon balm was a favourite plant of the [[Tudors]], who scattered the leaves across their floors.{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=12}} It was in the [[herbal garden]] of the English [[botanist]] [[John Gerard]] in the 1590s,{{sfn|Gerard|1876}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}} who considered it especially good for feeding and attracting [[honey bee]]s.{{sfn|Grieve|1971|p=76}} Especially cultivated for [[honey]] production, according to the authors Janet Dampney and Elizabeth Pomeroy, "bees were thought never to leave a garden in which it was grown".{{sfn|Dampney|Pomeroy|1985|p=12}} It was introduced to North America by the first colonists from Europe; it was cultivated in the [[Gardens of Monticello]], designed by the American statesman [[Thomas Jefferson]].{{sfn|Zirkle|2001|pp=84–85}}

The English botanist [[Nicholas Culpeper]] considered lemon balm to be ruled by the planet [[Jupiter (astrology)|Jupiter]] in [[Cancer (astrology)|Cancer]], and suggested it to be used for "weak stomachs", to cause the heart to become "merry", to help digestion, to open "obstructions of the brain", and to expel "[[melancholia|melancholy]] vapors" from the heart and arteries.{{sfn|Culpepper|1814|pp=15–16}}

In [[Traditional medicine|traditional Austrian medicine]], ''M.&nbsp;officinalis'' leaves have been prescribed as a [[herbal tea]], or as an external application in the form of an [[essential oil]].{{sfn|Vogl|Picker|Mihaly-Bison|Fakhrudin|2013}}{{page needed|date=May 2021}}