Encyclopedia/Botanical/TEM · Folk medicine/encyclopedia-lemon-balm

Lemon Balm

Melissa officinalis

Sources

5 listed

Best forFor those looking for a mild herbal tea in the evening or after meals. For medicinal use, observe the age, pregnancy and breastfeeding precautions.

Clinical evidence

Emerging

Real World Significance

92Exceptionally high historical significance

Breadth 83 Depth 100 Density 83 Convergence 100 Continuity 95

SafetyUsually well toleratedLemon balm leaf is generally well tolerated when used as directed. EMA lists no known adverse effects but warns of possible impairment of driving. Adequate data are lacking for pregnancy, breastfeeding and children under twelve. The human relevance of laboratory thyroid findings remains uncertain.

Tradition

TEMFolk medicine

Common preparations

TeaTinctureHerbal vinegarSpirit melissaeCapsule

In short

Summary of findings for quick reference

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a lemon-scented herb of the mint family with a long history in European gardens and herbals. Ancient texts describe a bee plant called melissophyllon, commonly identified as lemon balm. Its historical uses were not consistently the same as today.

The EMA lists specified lemon balm leaf preparations for traditional use in mild stress, as an aid to sleep and for mild digestive complaints. Commission E and ESCOP also cover the leaf in their monographs. Familiar preparations such as Carmelite water contain several herbs, so their effects cannot be attributed to lemon balm alone.

Kennedy and colleagues studied an extract in 2002 and encapsulated dried leaf in 2003, each in 20 healthy adults. Mood and cognitive results were mixed. Cases and colleagues reported improvements after a lemon balm extract in 20 adults with anxiety and sleep complaints in 2011, but without a control group the contribution of the preparation remains uncertain. These results cannot simply be transferred to tea.

Clinical evidence ↔ Historical significance

We display two separate evidence categories: clinical evidence from modern trials and historical significance from documented healing tradition. Both are valuable, but they answer different questions.

In every encyclopedia entry we evaluate two distinct categories of evidence. Clinical evidence as used in trials meets a narrower but scientifically essential bar. At the same time, the hundreds of thousands of plant species worldwide have only partially been captured and tested in modern studies.

Alongside the trial picture our researchers compile a comprehensive overview of where and since when a plant has been used across different traditions of natural medicine. When a plant has been used as a medicinal plant in many cultures across many generations, that historical significance deserves to be visible too.

Our position: a truly informative overview emerges only when both categories sit side by side. We communicate transparently what counts as what.

Overview

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a lemon-scented perennial in the mint family (Lamiaceae). The fresh and dried leaves have a soft, gentle lemon aroma and have been used for centuries across Europe as a calming evening tea and as a kitchen herb in summer cooking. The European Medicines Agency Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (EMA HMPC) lists lemon balm as a traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and as an aid to sleep, and traditionally for mild digestive complaints.

In Austria and across the German-speaking world, lemon balm has a long history as a household garden herb. Small studies of different preparations have examined mood, attention and sleep. Some results were favourable and others were not; they do not establish how reliably ordinary lemon balm tea helps with stress or sleep problems.

History

The name Melissa derives from the Greek word for honeybee. In his Natural History, Pliny describes rubbing beehives with melissophyllon to retain bees. The plant is commonly identified as lemon balm. He also records uses for insect stings and intestinal complaints, but this does not establish an uninterrupted ancient tradition as a calming evening tea.

Lemon balm later became a familiar plant of monastery and household gardens. Carmelite water (Eau de mélisse des Carmes), an alcoholic multi-plant preparation, is associated with the Carmelite friars of Paris. Its current manufacturer traces its history to 1611. Such formulas are distinct from lemon balm tea. EMA, Commission E and ESCOP now cover lemon balm leaf in their monographs.

Mechanism

Lemon balm leaves contain rosmarinic acid, a plant compound also found in rosemary. Laboratory work has examined its effect on the breakdown of the nerve messenger GABA. Aromatic compounds such as citronellal contribute to the characteristic lemon scent.

GABA reduces nerve-cell activity. In a laboratory experiment, lemon balm extract and individual compounds inhibited an enzyme that breaks down GABA. The experiment used rat-brain material, not tea consumed by people. Whether this explains the traditional calming use remains uncertain.

Kennedy and colleagues studied a standardised lemon balm extract in 2002 and encapsulated dried leaf in 2003. Each blinded, placebo-controlled study included 20 healthy adults. After single doses, some measures of calmness, attention or memory improved depending on dose, while other test results worsened. This does not establish a treatment for anxiety or sleep disorders.

Cases and colleagues studied a specific lemon balm leaf extract in 20 adults with mild-to-moderate anxiety and sleep disturbances in 2011. They took 600 mg daily for 15 days. Symptoms improved, but the study was open-label and had no control group, so expectations and the natural course cannot be separated from an extract effect. These small studies do not establish reliable benefits from lemon balm tea. With multi-herb preparations, lemon balm’s individual contribution also remains uncertain.

Usage

Forms and preparation

For medicinal tea, pour 150 ml boiling water over the weighed dried leaves. Steep covered for about ten minutes, then strain, following the package directions as well. Covering helps retain the aroma. Fresh summer leaves work well in salads, with strawberries, in lemonades or chopped into yoghurt. Alcoholic preparations such as Carmelite water contain several plants and are produced by distillation. A homemade, strained herbal macerate is therefore not the same preparation.

Dosage

For medicinal tea, EMA specifies 1.5 to 4.5 g dried, comminuted lemon balm leaf in 150 ml boiling water, one to three times daily, for adults and adolescents over twelve. This is a dried-leaf amount, not the same quantity of fresh leaves. Follow the directions on packaged medicinal teas. For extracts and combination products, follow the directions for the specific preparation. Milligram doses used in studies cannot be transferred to every other preparation. Seek medical advice if symptoms persist beyond two weeks or worsen.

Safety

Safety profile

Do not use lemon balm medicinally if you have a known allergy to it. Laboratory and animal studies with aqueous extracts suggest possible effects on thyroid signalling, but their relevance in people is unknown. If you have a thyroid condition or take thyroid medication, discuss regular medicinal use with your doctor first. Lemon balm preparations may impair driving. If you feel sleepy or less attentive after taking them, do not drive or operate machinery. EMA reports no available interaction data. Have use alongside sedatives or sleeping medicines checked as a precaution and avoid additional alcohol. EMA does not recommend medicinal use during pregnancy or breastfeeding, or in children under twelve, because adequate data are lacking.

Look-alikes

Botany

Family

Lamiaceae

Native regions

Mediterranean (native), Central Europe (naturalized), Austria, cultivated worldwide

Harvest window

Aerial parts May to September, before flowering for best aroma

Habitat

Sunny garden bed with well-drained soil. Lemon balm tolerates partial shade and self-seeds readily. Its native range extends from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. It is introduced in central Europe, including Austria, and cultivated worldwide.

Identification & foraging

Soft, finely hairy perennial of the mint family, thirty to ninety centimetres tall. Opposite, oval, toothed leaves with a soft texture and a clear lemon scent when the leaves are crushed between the fingers. Small whitish flowers in clusters where the leaves meet the stem in summer; square stem typical of Lamiaceae.

Similar plants and look-alikes

Unpleasant

Calamintha nepeta (lesser calamint)

Similar leaves but a stronger minty aroma, less lemony. Calamintha is not toxic but tastes noticeably different in a cup of tea and belongs to a different genus. When the leaves are rubbed between the fingers the clear lemon character of true lemon balm is missing.

FAQs

Is fresh or dried lemon balm better?

Fresh leaves usually give tea a more distinct lemon scent. Dried leaves are also suitable and are used in medicinal teas. Store them tightly closed, dry and protected from light. The same spoonful of fresh and dried leaf does not represent an equivalent dose.

Can I combine lemon balm with valerian?

Lemon balm and valerian are offered in herbal combination products. Their effects do not establish the individual contribution of lemon balm. Follow the directions for the specific product. If you take sedatives or sleeping medicines, have the combination checked by a doctor or pharmacist first.

What should pregnant readers know before using lemon balm?

There are insufficient safety data for medicinal use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so EMA does not recommend it. This includes lemon balm leaf as a medicinal tea; a blanket allowance for one or two cups is not supported. Discuss planned use with your doctor or midwife.

How many cups per day?

For adults and adolescents over twelve, EMA specifies a medicinal tea of 1.5 to 4.5 g dried, comminuted leaf in 150 ml boiling water, one to three times daily. Follow the directions for your medicinal tea. Seek advice if symptoms persist beyond two weeks or worsen.

References

5 sources.

European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Melissae folium: herbal medicinal product (European Union herbal monograph). 2013. Source
D O Kennedy, A B Scholey, N T J Tildesley, E K Perry, K A Wesnes. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm).. 2002. doi:10.1016/s0091-3057(02)00777-3
D O Kennedy, G Wake, S Savelev, N T J Tildesley, E K Perry, K A Wesnes, A B Scholey. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of single doses of Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) with human CNS nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-binding properties. 2003. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300230
Julien Cases, Alvin Ibarra, Nicolas Feuillère, Marc Roller, Samir G Sukkar. Pilot trial of Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract in the treatment of volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. 2011. doi:10.1007/s12349-010-0045-4
Rosalie Awad, Asim Muhammad, Tony Durst, Vance L Trudeau, John T Arnason. Bioassay-guided fractionation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) using an in vitro measure of GABA transaminase activity. 2009. doi:10.1002/ptr.2712

Legal notice: The depiction of historical significance and traditional use is context within our encyclopedia and not a health claim for any product, not a treatment promise, and not a substitute for medical advice. What may be stated on product labels, product pages, or in advertising is governed by the applicable legal requirements.