The foliage is eaten by cattle, either fresh or dry. The leaves and shoots are mucilaginous and may be employed in poultices and fomentations. The flowers contain a fragrant, volatile oil, with no colour, tannin, sugar, gum and chlorophyll. The bark contains a glucoside, tilicin , and a neutral body, tiliadin . The leaves exude a saccharine matter having the same composition as the manna of Mount Sinai.
Prolonged baths prepared with the infused flowers are also good in hysteria.
In the Pyrenees they are used to soothe the temporary excitement caused by the waters, and M. Rostan has used them with success against spasms. The flowers of several species of Lime are used. Some doctors prefer the light charcoal of lime wood to that of the poplar in gastric or dyspeptic disturbances, and its powder for burns or sore places. If the flowers used for making the tisane are too old they may produce symptoms of narcotic intoxication.