Lemon verbena, Aloysia triphylla L'Her. Britt. (Spanish Louisa), Verbenaceae, a regular member of my garden.  Pick the leaves and make a cold infusion.  Sometimes I mix these leaves with mountain mint, lemon balm, lemon thyme and lime (lemon) juice for a antiseptic and stimulating tea.  Mexicans dry the leaves and keeps this plant handy to make infection fighting teas.

NATIVE AMERICAN USES: Native to Argentina and Chile the plants is used by Indios to treat stomachaches, it is carminative, sedative, antispasmodic and antipyretic.  Essential oils may be bactericidal and acaricidal.  Ethanol extract is antibiotic in vitro to E. Coli, M. tuberculosis and S. aureus.  

INSECTICIDAL: Oil will kill aphids and mites.   No toxicity reported, save a few allergic reactions to oil on leaves.

Chemistry:  oil of verbena including methyl heptenone, carvone, limonene, depentene, geraniol.

Also used to make perfume and flavor food, beveriges.