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TeaWiki > Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm


Category: Herbs
Version: 1.3
Last modified: 06/30/2007 19:21 PST

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb from the mint family Lamiaceae.

Table of contents
1. Classification
2. Description
3. Medicinal usage
4. Side effects
5. Tea blends
6. Chemical makeup
7. Learn more
8. References

Classification


  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • Order: Lamiales
  • Family: Lamiaceae
  • Genus: Melissa
  • Species: officinalis
  • Binomial name: Melissa officinalis

    Description


    Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb from the mint family Lamiaceae.

    Medicinal usage


  • Insomnia - a study of the herbal combination lemon balm and valerian root, in extract form, was found to be comparable in aiding sleep to the commercial drug Halcion ®. A separate study of the same combination, lemon balm/valerian root, suggests that taking the combination over a two week period is effective in improving sleep quality.

  • Graves' Disease - test tube studies have found that lemon balm blocks attachment of antibodies to the thyroid cells that cause Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism).

  • Herpes - several studies have found lemon balm to be an effective topical treatment for Herpes (Genital Herpes, cold sores), reducing the time to recovery.

  • Indigestion - lemon balm is often combined with peppermint to aid an upset stomach, though no studies to this effect have been done.

  • Infection - lemon balm is thought to have an antiviral effect, though no studies to this effect have been done.

  • Alzheimer's Disease - lemon balm is thought to help prevent Alzheimer's disease, though no studies to this effect have been done.

  • Colic - lemon balm is thought to help relieve colic, though no studies to this effect have been done.

  • Nerve Pain - lemon balm is thought to help with nerve pain, though no studies to this effect have been done.

    Ref: [3][4][5][6][7]

    Side effects


    No studies on the side effects of lemon balm usage have been reviewed.

    Tea blends


    Lemon balm can be used alone as a tea or blended with other herbals. Common blends include:

  • Lemon balm/Valerian root - these herbs are often combined to treat insomnia.

  • Lemon balm/Peppermint - these herbs are often combined both for their flavor and for treatment of an upset stomach.

  • Lemon balm/Bugleweed - these herbs are combined to treat Graves' disease.

    Note: the above combinations of herbs and their effects should be considered "folklore" and are not based on clinical studies.

    Chemical makeup


    This list of chemicals represents the leaf material only, where possible, and is not comprehensive.

  • Beta-bourbonene
  • Delta-cadinene
  • Gamma-candinene
  • 10-Alpha-cadinol
  • Caryophyllene
  • Catechins
  • Chlorogenic-acid
  • Citral-A
  • Citral-B
  • Citronellal
  • Copaene
  • Alpha-cubebene
  • Essential Oils
  • Geranial
  • Geraniol
  • Geranyl-acetate
  • Germacrene-D
  • CIS-3-hexenol
  • Alpha-humulene
  • Isogeranial
  • Linalool
  • Methyl-heptenone
  • Neral
  • Nerol
  • CIS-ocimene
  • Trans-ocimene
  • 3-Octanol
  • 3-Octanone
  • 1-Octen-3-ol
  • Octyl-benzoate
  • Oleanolic-acid
  • Rosmaric-acid
  • Stachyose
  • Succinic-acid
  • Thymol
  • Wax

    • Ref: [1]

    Learn more


  • PubMed - Clinical studies of Lemon Balm

    References


    1. Duke, James A. Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants. 2000 Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press.

    2. Mowrey, Daniel B. Ph.D Herbal Tonic Therapies 1993 Keats Publishing.

    3. Dressing H, Low H, Riemann D, et al. "Insomnia: Are valerian/balm combination of equal value to benzodiazepine?" Therapiewoche 1992;42:726-36.

    4. Dressing H, Kohler S, Muller WE. "Improvement of sleep quality with a high-dose valerian/lemon balm preparation: A placebo-controlled double-blind study." Psychopharmakotherapie 1996;6:32-40.

    5. Auf'mkolk M, Ingbar JC, Kubota K, et al. "Extracts and auto-oxidized constituents of certain plants inhibit the receptor-binding and the biological activity of Graves' immunoglobulins." Endocrinol 1985;116:1687-93.

    6. Wohlbling RH, Leonhardt K. "Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract of Melissa officinalis." Phytomedicine 1994;1:25-31.

    7. Koytchev R, Allen RG, Dundarov S. "Balm mint extract (Lo-701) for topical treatment of recurring Herpes labialis." Phytomedicine 1999;6:225-30.



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    The information presented here should be considered fiction unless verified by stated references.
    Medical statements presented have not been reviewed by the FDA.
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