Background
- Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is an herb with a lemon scent native to southern Europe. Historically, lemon balm has been said to possess sedative/tranquilizing, anti-gas, fever-reducing, antibacterial, spasmolytic, hypotensive (blood pressure lowering), memory-enhancing, menstrual-inducing, and thyroid-related effects and has been proposed by some to be an herbal cure-all. Laboratory data suggest that lemon balm may contain high concentrations of antioxidants.
- The German Commission E recommends lemon balm for nervous sleep disorders and functional gastrointestinal complaints. The European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) recommends its use for tenseness, restlessness, and irritability. Lemon balm has been placed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) GRAS (generally regarded as safe) list. No serious side effects have been reported, although there is limited research of long-term effects.
References
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