Kinh giới (Elsholtzia ciliata), sold in the West as Vietnamese balm or lemon-mint, is a soft annual herb of the mint family whose bright, saw-toothed leaves smell of lemon crossed with warm cumin and a whisper of anise. It is one of the essential leaves of the northern Vietnamese herb plate, eaten raw with noodle soups, grilled and fried meats and fresh rolls, and steeped as a cooling summer tea.