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Review
. 2023 Jan 12:16:11786388221146683.
doi: 10.1177/11786388221146683. eCollection 2023.

Antiviral Potential of Melissa officinalis L.: A Literature Review

Amirhossein Behzadi  1   2 , Sadegh Imani  3 , Niloofar Deravi  4 , Zahra Mohammad Taheri  5 , Fatemeh Mohammadian  6 , Zahra Moraveji  6 , Sepideh Shavysi  4 , Motahareh Mostafaloo  7 , Fateme Soleimani Hadidi  4 , Sepehr Nanbakhsh  1   2 , Sepehr Olangian-Tehrani  1   2 , Mohammad Hesam Marabi  8 , Parisa Behshood  9 , Mohadeseh Poudineh  10 , Ali Kheirandish  11 , Kimia Keylani  12 , Pooya Behfarnia  13
Affiliations
Review

Antiviral Potential of Melissa officinalis L.: A Literature Review

Amirhossein Behzadi et al. Nutr Metab Insights. .

Abstract

The use of synthetic drugs has increased in recent years; however, herbal medicine is yet more trusted among a huge population worldwide; This could be due to minimal side effects, affordable prices, and traditional beliefs. Lemongrass (Melissa officinalis) has been widely used for reducing stress and anxiety, increasing appetite and sleep, reducing pain, healing wounds, and treating poisonous insect bites and bee stings for a long time. Today, research has shown that this plant can also fight viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through various mechanisms such as inhibiting HSV-1 from binding to host cell, inhibiting HSV-1 replication during the post-adsorption or inhibiting main protease and spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, furthermore, be effective in treating related diseases. This Review investigated the antiviral properties of Melissa officinalis and its effect on viral diseases. More in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to determine Melissa officinaliss underlying mechanism, and more randomized controlled trials should be done to identify its effect in humans. Also, due to the usefulness and lack of side effects, it can be used more as a complementary medicine.

Keywords: Melissa officinalis; antiviral; herbal medicine; natural medicine; virus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Phytochemical components and Pharmacological effects of Melissa officinalis: Melissa officinalis is a therapeutic plant rich in organic active components which contains predominantly essential oils (including Citronellal, Menthol, Eugenol, Linalool, Pinocarvone, and Geraniol) and Polyphenols (including Rosmarinic acid, Caffeic acid, Chlorogenic acid, Salicylic acid, Ellagic acid, and Quercetin) that determine several pharmacological effects with possible therapeutic uses (including anti-inflammatory effects, anti-diabetic effects, anti-proliferative effects, anti-angiogenic effects, anti-depressant effects, anti-cancer effects, anti-oxidant effects, anti-microbial effects, anti-epileptic effects, and cardio-protective effects).-
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A summary of the antiviral effects of Melissa officinalis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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