Lemon Verbena: Must Know Information I became acquainted with this tasty treat the first time my sister took me for a walk through her herb garden.
She pulled a leaf from one of her plants and broke it open, and immediately its wonderful scent wafted upward to my nostrils.
For weeks I could not forget it, and then I finally learned how to incorporate it into my daily life.
From her I learned that lemon verbena, known biologically as aloysia triphylla, works miracles on skin problems caused by stress.
If your skin is affected by rosacea or stress-induced eczema, there are wonderfully calming lotions and shampoos that relieve skin dryness and trouble areas.
Many people develop skin rashes and hives from their nerves acting up.
That happens because the brain stimulates the release at the cellular level of histamines, and when the histamines are trapped in cells just beneath the skin, that's when you get hives.
I am not certain why it works well for people with rosacea.
But approximately sixty percent of people affected by this skin condition associate it with stress, and I believe that this particular lemon has a very relaxing effect for them.
Not only does it keep skin soft and supple, but also the scent is very soothing.
People with itchy scalps will find that lemon verbena shampoo removes residue from the scalp and softens the skin.
It also smells great! You have to be watchful when you are choosing a lemon verbena product, however, because many of them contain lemongrass, which rates just a step or two below the verbena.

• If you want to use it in your recipes, try steeping it in milk used for baking pies or cakes.
  You need a cup or two of fresh lemon verbena leaves for the same amount of milk.
  Wash and dry the leaves, of course, and then place them in the saucepan.
  Pour in the milk and warm it up, then turn off your heat source, and allow the leaves to steep in the milk for about an hour.
  You can also make tea pretty much the same way.