This lovely lemon verbena lemonade features lemon verbena tea, nourishing honey, and tart lemon juice. I love lemon verbena so much that it’s the first plant to welcome me home as I walk to my door. We’ll also look at lemon verbena tea benefits and why you’ll want to sip on this refreshing drink all the time.
Ever since I was little and watched my teacher dissolve a fellow classmate’s lost tooth in some coke, I knew I was done with soda. There are so many other healthy options available, like herbal tea with orange and mint or lemon verbena lemonade. We have the opportunity to nourish both body and spirit with each delicious sip.
Nutritious Honey
First, let’s take a look at the sweetener used in this lemon verbena lemonade recipe. Instead of sugar, we’re using nutrition packed honey. Regular pasteurized honey isn’t worth much and is often adulterated with cheaper ingredients.
Raw honey though, especially local from a nearby beekeeper, has a plethora of health benefits. Local honey is great for seasonal allergies, scratchy throats, and immune support. It adds a sweet, floral note to lemon verbena tea or lemonade.
Lemon Verbena Tea Benefits
Lemon verbena is one of those plants that just makes people happy. It relaxes the mind and mood to create a peaceful, tranquil feeling. It reduces inflammation, calms spasms, tightens and tones tissues, improves digestion, and relaxes the nervous system. Lemon verbena is also high in antioxidants.
Native to South America and Africa, lemon verbena has been the subject of quite a few recent studies. Research is further confirming lemon verbena tea benefits the brain and nervous system, is antimicrobial, and has anti-cancer properties.
One study found that along with omega 3 fatty acids, lemon verbena helped reduce joint pain and stiffness. Another found it helped reduce inflammation in patients with multiple sclerosis. Several studies show lemon verbena improves muscle recovery and inflammation after working out.
Traditionally lemon verbena is used to relax the mind for a restful night’s sleep. Sipped with meals it helps aid digestion and release stresses of the day. Herbal drinks are just one way we can create herbal self-care routines.
Lemon Juice
Of course, we can’t have lemonade without lemon juice. While it’s known for being high in vitamin C, lemon juice boasts other virtues. Lemon can boost the immune system and helps the body create collagen necessary for healthy skin. Combined with water or tea, lemon also helps the body clear toxins and jumpstart digestion.
Serving Lemon Verbena Lemonade
Lemon verbena tea benefits the body in so many ways that it’s worth having some as a daily staple. Lemonade is a fabulous way to enjoy the benefits of lemon verbena herb and makes a great drink to serve to guests or bring to parties. A lot of lemon verbena lemonade recipes add the herb as an afterthought, but here it’s the star of the show!
You can add a little bit of carbonated water at the end for a fizzy drink. Dress it up with some lemon slices or lemon verbena leaves for garnish. The lemonade will last for several days in the fridge, but it will likely disappear before then it’s so delicious!
I would love to hear from you! Have you used lemon verbena in drinks before? What are your favorite ways to use this herb? Please share in the comments below!
Lemon Verbena Lemonade
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves (use about 2 tablespoons if dried)
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup raw honey
Instructions
- Place the lemon verbena leaves and water in a saucepan.
- Bring the water to a boil, immediately turn it off and remove from the heat. Let steep for 1-2 hours.
- Strain the lemon verbena tea, then stir in the raw honey and lemon juice. You may need to heat the mixture a little bit so the honey will combine.
- Serve over ice and garnish with lemon verbena herb and lemon slices as desired.
Kami, I fell in love💛with lemon verbena tea since attending your classes from 2000-2002. I’m still enjoying it and my beautiful plant hangs out with my mugwort💚
<3
Hello Kami, I just received this recipe from you for lemon verbena and I am eager to try it. This appears to be a more healthier version of Lemonade along with other health benefits. This would be a great thirst quencher when it starts to get warmer out. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have had lemon verbena in my tiny garden and never really made good use of it. This summer I look forward to trying this. I just love the fragrance.
Marianne Collins
I love lemon verbena and here in the Northeast I put a pot next to my back door every year. I have wintered it over once or twice but it isn’t really happy indoors. It seems to be regaining popularity but when I did a Materia Medica several years ago on it there weren’t a lot of information sources. I think it is one of the best tasting tea plants.I
I am so happy to have learned about your Lemon Verbena Lemonade. I’m definitely going to try some. I LOVE the smell of Lemon Verbena. I tried growing it once in Ohio but it didn’t do well. However, I’ve become a better gardner since I tried it and am going to do so again.
Thanks Kami for sharing your expertise!
I just had a customer testimony, her and her father went to a barber and right after their skin broke down in bumps pus white. She used my Peppermint Shea Butter with Lemon Verbena and the issue was resolved next day. I can’t think Kami more to give me an opportunity to learn from you.
Irina
Hi Kami,
I know they’re not the same, but do you think it would also be beneficial to use lemon balm? I can’t grow lemon verbena where I live, but I can’t stop the lemon balm from growing! I like to use what I can grow in most situations!
Thanks for the recipe.
Sure, my recipes are intended to inspire you
Hi Kami, this sounds delicious and I like that you added the amount of dry herb to use. I can’t grow my own where I live so I have to get online. I also have a query, I have been trying to find Horehound plants or seeds but I am not having any luck. I have tired the usual places like Mountain Rose Herbs, and most of the garden centers I know of including Vessey seeds. Do you know where I might be able to find either the plants or seeds? Thank you so much for all the work you… Read more »
Hi, I purchased horehound seeds from Baker’s Creek (rareseeds.com) a few years ago. I’m in Illinois & they grew wonderfully here. Hope that helps.
Try Baker Creek seeds
Try Strictly Medicinal Seeds. I like their seeds. Their live plants though have been hit or miss.
I love lemon verbena and I have a field of it. Lol. I did not know I should step it for so long so I am glad to now prepare it better. I am very interested in drinking “live” water, that is perhaps better absorbed by our cells. While live water may be sourced from a pure running stream I suspect adding herbs to my daily water will also help mineralize the water to better serve my body. I think this water has been called alkaline water. Even adding a pinch of salt or lemon to water can help the… Read more »
Awesome information!
Really like that you show us actual plants.
Helps to see & remember them.
I’m looking forward to getting my kitchen in order so I can make all these great teas, etc.
I live in AZ, different climate. Think though maybe I can grow some of these herbs…
🌻🌻🌻
Hi Kami! This sounds really delicious!! Do you grow your own plants? xx
Hi Kami. You are the first person I have heard that they use lemon verbena in their lemonade besides me. It makes so much sense to me. I do it a little differently. You might want to make a lemon verbena simple syrup (I don’t heat the leaves; I put them in water that is already hot and the honey is already dissolved, and I turn the heat off right before I add the leaves. I let it sit until the mixture is at room temperature, and remove the leaves. I keep it in the fridge. I add it to… Read more »