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Review
. 2024 Oct 18;16(20):3545.
doi: 10.3390/nu16203545.

Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) in Psychological Well-Being: A Review

Imogen Maria Mathews  1 , Jessica Eastwood  1 , Daniel Joseph Lamport  1 , Romain Le Cozannet  2 , Pascale Fanca-Berthon  2 , Claire Michelle Williams  1
Affiliations
Review

Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) in Psychological Well-Being: A Review

Imogen Maria Mathews et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: There is renewed interest in the use of ancient herbal remedies for their potential health benefits, particularly in the psychological domain. One herb that is receiving growing attention is lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) which has received considerable interest for its influence on the brain. Lemon balm boasts an array of phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, citral, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid, which are believed to underpin these effects on psychological well-being. Pharmacological evidence from animal and cellular work reveals that lemon balm and its components may modulate several brain signalling pathways, including GABAergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic systems.

Results/conclusions: Although further robust randomised controlled trials using lemon balm are required, existing research indicates that lemon balm holds promise as a calming agent exhibiting both anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties and can elicit cognitive and sleep-quality enhancement.

Keywords: anti-depressant; anxiolytic; cognition; essential oils; polyphenols; sleep; triterpenoids.

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Conflict of interest statement

R.L.C. and P.F.-B. were employed by Givaudan France Naturals. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors declare that this study received funding from Givaudan France Naturals. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of the main active components present in Melissa Officinalis L. (lemon balm) herb, including phenolic acids [15], triterpenes [16], flavonoids [12,17], essential oils [18], and secondary metabolites [19].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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