Lemon-scented herb, lemon verbena

Lemon verbena, almighty refreshing herb

I discovered lemon verbena for the first time in southern Provence. The climate around the border of Umbria and Tuscany, where I live now, is very similar to that of Provence, and herbs such as lavender and rosemary grow surprisingly well, as does lemon verbena.  I planted a small lemon verbena plant about two years ago, and it quickly grew into a large bush.

This year, they grew so much as were in the jungle, so I pruned 1/3rd of the branches and hung them in the shade to dry.   When I harvested them in November the year before, it took about three weeks to dry, but with the dry Umbrian heat of August, they were already completely dry in only a few days.

To keep the fragrant leaves to last, I packed several glass jars with the dried verbena leaves. Now I have several months' worth of herbal tea to enjoy.

The Italian name for lemon verbena is “chedelina”. According to the herb book from Kew Gardens, the young leaves of lemon verbena can be used as pesto, soaked in vinegar for salads, for seasoning, and for many other dishes. Lemon verbena is also said to be sedative and good for digestion, making it an ideal herbal tea before bedtime. It is often used in perfumes and soaps because of its refreshing scent. You probably know the scent of verbena from the hand cream made by the French company L'Occitane. It is very easy to grow in sunny climate area as long as it is not too cold - if you like the scent of lemon, I highly suggest to try growing them.

I heard that in Italy, verbena is also used to make digestive aid and is sold as “.Liquore di Erba Cedrina”. Perhaps next time I will buy 90% alcohol and make a lemon verbena liqueur - something to look forward to!