The Benefits Of Lemon Balm

The lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) is a perennial herb in the Lamiaceae family which is native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean in particular. The herb was used by the ancient Greeks and has seen continual use through the centuries.

The leaves have a powerful lemon scent. The leaves are traditionally used in a herbal tea. They are claimed to have antibacterial, antifungal, (Mimica-Dukic et al., 2004) antiviral, anti-stress, sedative and calming properties. It is particularly popular as a treatment for stress and anxiety and, sometimes in conjunction with Valerian, to help relieve insomnia.

Lemon Balm is a popular food flavour and can act as a lemon scented seasoning.

The leaves contain rosmarinic acid which has antioxidant, antiseptic and antibacterial properties (Wang et al., 2004). The essential volatile oil contains a wide variety of components including monoterpenoid aldehydes, flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenes and oleanolic acids. Some of the main chemicals are citronellal, citronellol, citral A and B, and geraniol terpenes.

Lemon Balm Products

Purchase from good herbalists and whole food shops in either 50g or 100g amounts of the organic dried leaves. The pure powdered leaf is obtainable in capsule form as 60 x 400mg. Please note this article contains links to our affiliate marketing partners (see our disclaimer on affiliate marketing).

Uses Of Lemon Balm

• Lemon Balm is widely used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Recent clinical studies with students showed it might increase their ability to concentrate, perhaps because it reduced anxiety, stress and improved calmness during examinations and testing.
• Lemon Balm tea is thought to ease menstrual cramps and help with the symptoms of PMS
• Lemon Balm has antibacterial and antiviral properties making it a popular and soothing treatment for colds and flus
• It has also been used widely to treat headaches, chronic fatigue, gastro-intestinal pains and nausea, hypertension and hypothyroidism

Preparation

Lemon Balm Oil is a good way to preserve the effects of the leaves and makes it suitable for external applications.

Alternatively the leaves of the plant can be easily steeped in hot water for over ten minutes for a relaxing and soothing tea or infusion.

Cautionary Information

• Do not give to any child under two years old
• Do not use while pregnant or nursing
• For over 65s, use low levels, infrequently
• If Lemon Balm is used with other medications, prescription or non-prescription, as well as with other sedating herbs such as Valerian or St John’s Wort, it may cause excessive sedation and appropriate care should be taken such as not driving or operating machinery.

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References

Mimica-Dukic, N., Bozin, B., Sokovic, M., & Simin, N. (2004). Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Melissa officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) essential oil. J. Agric. Food Chem., 52 (9) pp. 2485-2489

Wang, H., Provan, G. J., & Helliwell, K. (2004). Determination of rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid in aromatic herbs by HPLC. Food Chem., 87(2) pp. 307-311