As a traditional food plant and herbal medicine in many cultures, lemon balm has picked up a bevy of common names, and not all of them line up with our modern botanical definition of the species. In addition to the names listed as “also known as” on our lemon balm page, which are exclusively used for lemon balm, there are several common names that sometimes refer to lemon balm and sometimes to other plants. These include:
- Balm mint
- Mountain balm
- Balm
- Garden balm
- Lemon mint
- Badranjbuye
- Baadranjboyaa
- Billilotan
- Honey balm
- Faranjmoshk
These common names often refer to lemon balm, but they’re also sometimes used to refer to other plants, mostly in the mint family. For example, “billilotan” can refer to lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), catnip (Nepeta cataria), or Nepeta hindostana.[1] Similarly, faranjmoshk is sometimes taken to mean lemon balm, but one study of Iranian herbal markets found that faranjmoshk seeds were actually Clinopodium graveolens.[2] And although “honey balm” is often listed as a synonym for lemon balm,[3] some plant sellers market the unfortunately named bastard balm (Melittis melissophyllum) under the more palatable name of honey balm.[4] When considering an herb or herbal product sold under any of these names, always check to make sure it’s the desired botanical.