Synonyms: Lippia citriodora (Lam.) Kunth, Aloysia triphylla Britton
English Name: Lemon Verbena
Other Names in English: Lemon Beebrush
Family: Verbenaceae
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About Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena is a perennial shrub that reaches one and a half meters in height. The young stems of this shrub are initially thin, red-green, and its cross-section is square. But after a while it becomes wooden. The leaves of the Aloysia citriodora shrub are elongated and pointed, and their side has several very small teeth and they grow reciprocally with very short petioles. These leaves usually grow in fours or threes and have many transverse leaf veins. The young leaves and stems are very fragrant and have a lemon-like aroma and tastes bitter.
The flowers are trumpet-shaped, small and have four almost oval and wrinkled petals that grow in clusters at the end of the stem. The outer part of the flowers is purple and sometimes pink. But the inside is white.
Temperament: Hot and dry
Chemical Constituents: The oil was characterized by a high content of monoterpenes (69.2 %) and moderate levels of sesquiterpenes (29.1 %). Although the oxygenated fraction was dominant (total = 55.5 %: 43.6 % as monoterpenes and 11.9 % as sesquiterpenes), the levels of hydrocarbon terpenoids were also notable (total = 42.8 %: 25.6 % as monoterpenes and 17.2 % as sesquiterpenes). Limonene (17.7 %) was the principal component, which, together with the citral isomers, geranial (10.1 %) and neral (9.8 %), make the oil obtained from this Jordanian species with characteristic flavor and fragrance. 1,8-Cineole (11.7 %), γ-terpineol (3.4 %), β-caryophyllene (2.6 %), α-curcumene (6.3 %), spathulenol (4.6 %), and caryophyllene oxide (3.1 %) were also identified as major compounds.
Health Benefits
Lemon Verbena strengths the stomach, is digestive, heart tonic, nerve pain reliever and sedative. Lemon verbena helps to treat hysteria, nerve pain, fever, indigestion, flatulence, palpitations, headache, dizziness, and body fatigue. Its leaves and young stems tea is beneficial for tinnitus. The leaves are used to flavor drinks, fruit salads and jellies.
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