Lemon Balm Benefits: Tea, Sleep, Stress, Dosage & Side Effects

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Crush a fresh lemon balm leaf between your fingers and the smell of lemon rises right away, from citral and citronellal in the leaf's essential oil.9 This soft, crinkled member of the mint family has long been part of European and Iranian traditional medicine, steeped as a tea and added to dishes for its flavor.1

It's also one of the easiest healing herbs to grow and use. Jordan Rubin and I grow lemon balm on our farm.10 Modern placebo-controlled trials have tested it for stress, anxiety, sleep, mood and cold sores.

Did you know?

• In the U.S., lemon balm is on the FDA's list of spices and natural seasonings generally recognized as safe, and in Europe it's used to add fragrance to wine, tea and beer.119

• Lemon balm products have been sold in Europe for more than 30 years, and a 2013 European Medicines Agency review found no case reports of harm in the medical literature or the WHO safety database.9

• When Japanese researchers screened 681 hot-water plant extracts for one that blocks pentosidine, a compound tied to stiffening tissue with age, they chose lemon balm leaf; in lab tests it outperformed a reference anti-glycation compound.12

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What is lemon balm?

The leaf is the part you use. Its traditional use is recorded mostly in Europe, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.1 Only 0.06% to 0.8% of the dried leaf is essential oil, so Melissa oil is a concentrated product of its own, used on the skin.9

Lemon balm is a different plant from lemongrass and lemon verbena, which share its lemony scent. Its closer relatives are the other mint-family herbs you cook with, such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme.13

A short history of lemon balm

Lemon balm's medical record runs through both Persian and European medicine. Iranian traditional medicine has long regarded it as a remedy for heart palpitations, and in 2015 a placebo-controlled trial of 71 adults put that old use to the test and found fewer palpitation episodes on lemon balm.14 In Europe, herbal handbooks have recorded it for mild stress, sleep and digestive complaints such as bloating since at least 1938.9 Germany's Commission E listed it in 1984 at 1.5 to 4.5 grams of herb per cup of tea, several times a day, the same range the European Medicines Agency recognizes today.96

In Ancient Remedies, I list lemon balm among the additional herbs that help with anxiety.15

How to make lemon balm tea and use the leaves

Tea is the traditional way to take lemon balm and the easiest place to start. With fresh leaves from the garden, use about three times as much as you would dried, the ratio The Biblio Diet gives for leaf teas.16 Lemon balm works in food too: in two studies, a lemon balm extract mixed into an iced-tea-style drink or a yogurt eased stress or sharpened alertness within hours, as the stress section below describes.17

What the tea trials show

Four trials tested the tea itself:

• Heart rhythm: In 60 adults with premature ventricular contractions, extra heartbeats that start in the heart's lower chambers, 2 cups a day of lemon balm tea (2 grams of dried leaf in 250 mL of hot water each) plus lifestyle advice for 12 weeks left them with about 2,142 extra beats in 24 hours, against 3,126 with lifestyle advice alone. Triglycerides (145 versus 174 mg/dL), total cholesterol (155 versus 172 mg/dL) and fasting blood sugar (91 versus 100 mg/dL) also came out lower in the tea group, while LDL and HDL didn't differ; people knew which group they were in.18
• Burn recovery: In a randomized trial of 36 hospitalized burn patients, 20 days of lemon balm tea left fewer people with anxiety or depression and improved sleep quality compared with black tea; blood antioxidant levels didn't differ.19
• Arteries and skin: In 28 healthy adults, 6 weeks of lemon balm tea lowered arterial stiffness compared with barley tea, and women's cheek skin grew more elastic; people knew which tea they drank.12
• Antioxidant defenses: In 55 hospital radiology staff exposed to low-dose radiation at work, lemon balm tea twice a day (1.5 grams per 100 mL) for 30 days raised the antioxidant enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and lowered markers of DNA damage, in a before-and-after study with no comparison group.20

What is lemon balm good for?

How lemon balm works in your body

Researchers trace lemon balm's calming effect to rosmarinic acid and two triterpenes in the leaf, which slow the breakdown of GABA, your brain's main calming messenger, in lab tests.29

From leaf to calm

Two other routes show up in lab work. Dried lemon balm leaf bound to acetylcholine receptors, the brain's memory-and-attention switches, in human brain tissue,25 and the leaf extract and oil inactivated herpes viruses before they entered cells, which the cold sore section below covers.3031

Lemon balm benefits, ranked by evidence

Sorted by how much human research backs each one, lemon balm does the most for stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep, with encouraging results for cold sores, period pain, heart rhythm and the aging brain.

Does lemon balm help with stress and anxiety?

That trial, run at three centers in Pakistan, enrolled 104 adults aged 18 to 65 with moderate stress, anxiety, low mood or poor sleep and gave them 200 mg of a lemon balm leaf extract bound to phospholipids, a form made to improve absorption, twice a day after meals; 100 finished. Depression scores fell from 23.3 to 6.9, against 22.7 to 17.1 on placebo, stress scores fell from 26.3 to 8.2, against 26.1 to 20.0, and well-being and quality of life rose. Mild stomach upset affected 4 people on lemon balm and 5 on placebo, and no one had a serious side effect.7

Lemon balm can work fast. In a study at a UK university, 18 healthy adults each took 300 mg of a standardized extract, 600 mg and a placebo on separate days, then did a 20-minute stress test of four tasks at once an hour later. On 600 mg they rated themselves calmer, and on 300 mg they did math faster with no loss of accuracy.34

In two studies where young adults each tried every version, a lemon balm extract was mixed into an iced-tea-style drink or a yogurt and compared with plain versions. In 25 adults, the drink with 0.3 grams of extract lowered anxiety ratings 1 and 3 hours after a multitasking stress test and improved working memory, and in 21 adults, the yogurt with 0.3 grams improved alertness and word recall. The 0.6-gram servings brought mixed results, including more mental fatigue an hour after the yogurt, so the smaller amount worked best in food.17

In 80 adults with chronic stable angina, chest pain from narrowed heart arteries, 3 grams a day of powdered lemon balm leaf for 8 weeks lowered depression, anxiety, stress and sleep-disturbance scores more than placebo,35 and in hospitalized burn patients, lemon balm tea eased anxiety, depression and sleep problems more than black tea did, as the tea trials above show.19

In a placebo-controlled trial of 106 young adults with moderate stress, one 300 mg dose of a lemon balm extract improved accuracy on the hardest thinking tasks 5 hours later and helped calm return after each round of mental demand, though overall calmness across the day didn't change.43 In an earlier 15-day study in which people knew they were taking lemon balm, 300 mg of an extract twice a day lowered anxiety symptoms by 18% and insomnia by 42% in 20 adults with mild to moderate anxiety and sleep problems; 19 of the 20 responded, and by day 15, 14 were free of their anxiety symptoms and 17 of their insomnia.44

Lemon balm and low mood

In 60 adults with type 2 diabetes and symptoms of depression, 350 mg of an extract twice a day for 12 weeks lowered depression scores by 3.91 points, against 0.04 on placebo, and anxiety scores by 2.04 points, while they rose 0.23 on placebo; 44 people finished, and sleep quality, blood sugar and blood pressure didn't differ between the groups.23 In 45 adults with mild to moderate depression, 2 grams a day of dried leaf for 8 weeks gave similar results to the antidepressant fluoxetine (20 mg a day), with depression scores falling in all three groups of a trial that also tested lavender; there was no placebo group.45 If you take an antidepressant, keep taking it as prescribed; the side effects section covers using lemon balm alongside medicine.

Pair lemon balm with the stress relievers that address what's driving your stress; natural remedies for anxiety has more options. I use herbs like lemon balm inside a bigger plan, never as a substitute for fixing the cause. For more on cortisol, the hormone at the center of chronic stress, see cortisol levels.

Does lemon balm help you sleep?

The extract in that study was also bound to phospholipids and was taken as two 200 mg tablets 30 minutes before bed, with a week's break between the 2-week lemon balm and placebo periods. A wrist sleep tracker recorded 15% more deep sleep on lemon balm and 10% less REM sleep, while total sleep time and anxiety scores didn't change.3

In the 3-week stress trial, sleep-quality scores improved from 10.9 to 3.5 on lemon balm, against 8.6 to 6.6 on placebo, though the lemon balm group started with worse sleep.7 In 32 adults with poor sleep or emotional distress who knew they were taking it, 400 mg a day improved sleep scores by 30% in 3 weeks, twice the 15% gain at 200 mg.46

On my show I've said to aim for around 8 hours of sleep, 7 at minimum, with the ideal closer to 90 minutes to 2 hours each of deep sleep and REM sleep.47 Herbs work best on top of a steady rhythm. As my Deep Sleep Protocol puts it, "Add a sleep supplement to a day with no morning light, coffee at 4pm and a phone in bed and you're pushing against your own clock. Set the clock. Build the runway."8 Lemon balm is one of the herbs that protocol names, and an evening cup fits right into its wind-down. For the rest of the foundation, see sleep hygiene, natural sleep aids and the ideal amount of sleep.

Can lemon balm help cold sores?

The cream in that trial was made from a concentrated dried leaf extract, and the people using it also reported faster relief from itching, tingling, burning and swelling.4 Two earlier studies of the same kind of cream, one in which 115 patients knew they were using it and a placebo-controlled one with 116, found it protective against herpes simplex infections and most effective when started at the earliest stage.36 A 2025 systematic review of herbal creams for cold sores found that lemon balm preparations eased pain and swelling, with some trials also showing smaller sores than with placebo or the antiviral drug acyclovir.48

Lab studies explain the timing. Lemon balm water extract inactivated free herpes simplex virus and kept it from attaching to cells, including strains resistant to acyclovir, but had no effect once the virus was inside cells; rosmarinic acid did most of the work.3049 The essential oil cut herpes plaques by 98.8% for HSV-1 and 97.2% for HSV-2 in lab tests at concentrations that didn't harm the cells, again acting before the virus got in.31 That's why you start at the first tingle, and why lemon balm sits on lists of antiviral herbs.

In Ancient Remedies, I recommend applying Melissa oil, lemon balm's essential oil, to a cold sore three times a day.15 Dilute it first: mix 2 to 3 drops into a teaspoon of coconut oil or another carrier oil, about a 2% to 3% blend, and dab a little on the sore. The human trials used the 1% leaf-extract cream, so the oil's evidence comes from lab studies.31 Use the oil on the skin only.

Tea, extract, tincture, cream or oil: which form?

Choose the form by what you want from it: tea for a daily calming ritual, a standardized extract for the amounts tested in many of the stress and sleep trials, and the 1% cream for cold sores.

Products vary a lot. In 19 dried-herb samples from 12 Polish makers, rosmarinic acid ranged from 0.158 to 48.608 mg per gram,50 and Europe's standard for medicinal lemon balm leaf is at least 1% rosmarinic acid.9 Tea holds its own here: in lab tests of commercial lemon balm, a hot-water infusion drew out rosmarinic acid at least as well as a strong lab solvent did, though the solvent pulled out more of most other compounds.51

When you shop, check for:

• The plant name on the label: Melissa officinalis, leaf.

• A stated rosmarinic acid or hydroxycinnamic acid content on extracts, the measures the trials used.733

• A single-herb product if you want lemon balm alone, since many lemon balm products are blends with other herbs.9

• Organic, whole-leaf tea from a seller who names the source, stored airtight away from light and heat.

How much lemon balm should you take a day?

Timing follows the goal. For a stressful day, the single-dose studies measured calm and focus 1 to 6 hours after a dose.3425 For sleep, the trial gave the extract in the evening, 30 minutes before bed, and judged results at 2 weeks.3 Taking lemon balm with food raises how much rosmarinic acid you absorb and slows its peak.33 Start with tea or the lower trial doses; the side effects section covers drowsiness at larger doses.

There's no set limit on how long you can use lemon balm, but if stress or sleep symptoms last longer than 2 weeks of use, see a practitioner.9

Lemon balm side effects & who should be careful

In a 24-week trial in 23 people with mild Alzheimer's disease, 41.6% reported a side effect or other health complaint on lemon balm extract and 45.5% on placebo, with no serious events.41 In a randomized study of 11 healthy adults, an extract carrying 500 mg of rosmarinic acid didn't change liver, kidney or blood-cell tests,33 and a 90-day rat study found no harmful effects at the highest doses tested.52

Does lemon balm affect the thyroid?

In Ancient Remedies, I list lemon balm among the traditional herbs for an overactive thyroid,15 and lab studies line up with that use: lemon balm extract blocked thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from binding to its receptor on thyroid cells and blocked the antibodies that overstimulate the thyroid in Graves' disease.565758 In one documented case, a 27-year-old woman whose overactive thyroid hadn't improved enough on medication had normal thyroid tests within 3 months on a Persian-medicine plan of lemon balm tea, barley water and lifestyle changes.59 No human trial we found has measured thyroid levels during lemon balm use, and the EMA calls the relevance of the lab findings for people unknown.6

If you have an underactive or overactive thyroid or take thyroid medicine, have your doctor check your thyroid levels after you start using lemon balm daily, and keep taking your medicine exactly as prescribed.

The bottom line

Lemon balm: frequently asked questions

References

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2. Ghazizadeh J, Sadigh-Eteghad S, Marx W, et al. The effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on depression and anxiety in clinical trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytother Res. 2021;35(12):6690-6705. doi:10.1002/ptr.7252
3. Di Pierro F, Sisti D, Rocchi M, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis Phytosome on Sleep Quality: Results of a Prospective, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, and Cross-Over Study. Nutrients. 2024;16(23):4199. doi:10.3390/nu16234199
4. Koytchev R, Alken RG, Dundarov S. Balm mint extract (Lo-701) for topical treatment of recurring herpes labialis. Phytomedicine. 1999;6(4):225-30. doi:10.1016/S0944-7113(99)80013-0
5. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Beverages, tea, herb, other than chamomile, brewed. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 173232 (generic herbal tea record; no lemon balm-specific record exists).
6. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., folium. EMA/HMPC/196745/2012. 14 May 2013.
7. Bano A, Hepsomali P, Rabbani F, et al. The possible "calming effect" of subchronic supplementation of a standardised phospholipid carrier-based Melissa officinalis L. extract in healthy adults with emotional distress and poor sleep conditions: results from a prospective, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Front Pharmacol. 2023;14:1250560. doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1250560
8. Axe J. The Deep Sleep Protocol: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026. "The 30-Day Plan" (pp. 15–19) and "Top 8 Sleep Nutrients" (p. 20).
9. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Assessment report on Melissa officinalis L., folium. EMA/HMPC/196746/2012. 14 May 2013.
10. Axe J, Werner-Gray L. The Cancer Protocol She Wishes She Had Known Sooner | Liana Werner-Gray. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2026.
11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR 182.10, Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings (lists Balm (lemon balm), Melissa officinalis L.). Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
12. Yui S, Fujiwara S, Harada K, et al. Beneficial Effects of Lemon Balm Leaf Extract on In Vitro Glycation of Proteins, Arterial Stiffness, and Skin Elasticity in Healthy Adults. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2017;63(1):59-68. doi:10.3177/jnsv.63.59
13. Wagner W, Buczyłko K, Wagner A, et al. Higher Risk for Sensitization to Commonly Consumed Herbs among Adults and Youngsters Suffering from Birch, Mugwort or Grass Pollinosis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;20(1):33. doi:10.3390/ijerph20010033
14. Alijaniha F, Naseri M, Afsharypuor S, et al. Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:378-84. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007
15. Axe J. Ancient Remedies: Secrets to Healing with Herbs, Essential Oils, CBD, and the Most Powerful Natural Medicine in History. Little, Brown Spark; 2021. "Prescriptions for 70+ Conditions": Anxiety (pp. 218–219), Herpes (pp. 248–249), Hyperthyroidism (pp. 250–251).
16. Rubin J, Axe J. The Biblio Diet. Apiary (Hachette Book Group); 2025. "Healing Leaves Tea/Infusion."
17. Scholey A, Gibbs A, Neale C, et al. Anti-stress effects of lemon balm-containing foods. Nutrients. 2014;6(11):4805-21. doi:10.3390/nu6114805
18. Kheirkhah J, Ghorbani Z, Salari A, et al. Melissa officinalis tea favourably affects the frequency of premature ventricular beats and cardiometabolic profile among patients with premature ventricular contraction: A randomised open-label controlled trial. Int J Clin Pract. 2021;75(10):e14644. doi:10.1111/ijcp.14644
19. Chehroudi S, Fatemi MJ, Saberi M, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis L. on Reducing Stress, Alleviating Anxiety Disorders, Depression, and Insomnia, and Increasing Total Antioxidants in Burn Patients. Trauma Mon. 2016 (online). doi:10.5812/traumamon.33630
20. Zeraatpishe A, Oryan S, Bagheri MH, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis L. on oxidative status and DNA damage in subjects exposed to long-term low-dose ionizing radiation. Toxicol Ind Health. 2011;27(3):205-12. doi:10.1177/0748233710383889
21. Mirabi P, Namdari M, Alamolhoda S, et al. The Effect of Melissa Officinalis Extract on the Severity of Primary Dysmenorrha. Iran J Pharm Res. 2017;16(Suppl):171-177.
22. Shekarriz Z, Shorofi SA, Nabati M, et al. Effect of Melissa officinalis on systolic and diastolic blood pressures in essential hypertension: A double-blind crossover clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2021;35(12):6883-6892. doi:10.1002/ptr.7251
23. Safari M, Asadi A, Aryaeian N, et al. The effects of melissa officinalis on depression and anxiety in type 2 diabetes patients with depression: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2023;23(1):140. doi:10.1186/s12906-023-03978-x
24. Heshmati J, Morvaridzadeh M, Sepidarkish M, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on cardio-metabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytother Res. 2020;34(12):3113-3123. doi:10.1002/ptr.6744
25. Kennedy DO, Wake G, Savelev S, et al. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of single doses of Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) with human CNS nicotinic and muscarinic receptor-binding properties. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003;28(10):1871-81. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300230
26. Noguchi-Shinohara M, Hamaguchi T, Sakai K, et al. Effects of Melissa officinalis Extract Containing Rosmarinic Acid on Cognition in Older Adults Without Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023;91(2):805-814. doi:10.3233/JAD-220953
27. Ballard CG, O'Brien JT, Reichelt K, et al. Aromatherapy as a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia: the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Melissa. J Clin Psychiatry. 2002;63(7):553-8. doi:10.4088/jcp.v63n0703
28. Burns A, Perry E, Holmes C, et al. A double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial of Melissa officinalis oil and donepezil for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer's disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2011;31(2):158-64. doi:10.1159/000324438
29. Awad R, Muhammad A, Durst T, et al. Bioassay-guided fractionation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) using an in vitro measure of GABA transaminase activity. Phytother Res. 2009;23(8):1075-81. doi:10.1002/ptr.2712
30. Astani A, Reichling J, Schnitzler P. Melissa officinalis extract inhibits attachment of herpes simplex virus in vitro. Chemotherapy. 2012;58(1):70-7. doi:10.1159/000335590
31. Schnitzler P, Schuhmacher A, Astani A, et al. Melissa officinalis oil affects infectivity of enveloped herpesviruses. Phytomedicine. 2008;15(9):734-40. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2008.04.018
32. Awad R, Levac D, Cybulska P, et al. Effects of traditionally used anxiolytic botanicals on enzymes of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007;85(9):933-42.
33. Noguchi-Shinohara M, Ono K, Hamaguchi T, et al. Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Melissa officinalis Extract which Contained Rosmarinic Acid in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0126422. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0126422
34. Kennedy DO, Little W, Scholey AB. Attenuation of laboratory-induced stress in humans after acute administration of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm). Psychosom Med. 2004;66(4):607-13. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000132877.72833.71
35. Haybar H, Javid AZ, Haghighizadeh MH, et al. The effects of Melissa officinalis supplementation on depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep disorder in patients with chronic stable angina. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2018;26:47-52. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2018.04.015
36. Wölbling RH, Leonhardt K. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. Phytomedicine. 1994;1(1):25-31. doi:10.1016/S0944-7113(11)80019-X
37. Akbarzadeh M, Dehghani M, Moshfeghy Z, et al. Effect of Melissa officinalis Capsule on the Intensity of Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms in High School Girl Students. Nurs Midwifery Stud. 2015;4(2):e27001. doi:10.17795/nmsjournal27001
38. Heydari N, Dehghani M, Emamghoreishi M, et al. Effect of Melissa officinalis capsule on the mental health of female adolescents with premenstrual syndrome: a clinical trial study. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2018;31(3):20170015. doi:10.1515/ijamh-2017-0015
39. Kennedy DO, Scholey AB, Tildesley NT, et al. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2002;72(4):953-64. doi:10.1016/s0091-3057(02)00777-3
40. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003;74(7):863-6. doi:10.1136/jnnp.74.7.863
41. Noguchi-Shinohara M, Ono K, Hamaguchi T, et al. Safety and efficacy of Melissa officinalis extract containing rosmarinic acid in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease progression. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):18627. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73729-2
42. Ball EL, Owen-Booth B, Gray A, et al. Aromatherapy for dementia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;8(8):CD003150. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003150.pub3
43. Mathews I, Eastwood J, Bell L, et al. The acute effects of Zensera™ (Melissa officinalis L.) extract on mood and cognitive performance during cognitive overload: a randomised placebo-controlled, double-blind study in healthy young adults with moderate subjective stress. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2026;16:20451253261415706. doi:10.1177/20451253261415706
44. Cases J, Ibarra A, Feuillère N, et al. Pilot trial of Melissa officinalis L. leaf extract in the treatment of volunteers suffering from mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. Med J Nutrition Metab. 2011;4(3):211-218. doi:10.1007/s12349-010-0045-4
45. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. doi:10.1186/s12906-020-03003-5
46. Rondanelli M, Mazzola G, Barrile GC, et al. Melissa phospholipids improves sleep quality and mental well-being: concluding results from clinical study in adults with emotional distress. Food Nutr Res. 2026;70:13729. doi:10.29219/fnr.v70.13729
47. Axe J. Why SLEEP is Medicine: My 4 Tips to Improve Energy. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. March 23, 2026 (lemon balm line at 47:22–47:36 in the YouTube upload "How To Use Sleep Like Medicine," video ZmTNCfQO8_g).
48. Anheyer M, Cramer H, Ostermann T, et al. Herbal Medicine for Treating Herpes Labialis: A Systematic Review. J Integr Complement Med. 2025;31(11):946-954. doi:10.1089/jicm.2025.0131
49. Astani A, Navid MH, Schnitzler P. Attachment and penetration of acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus are inhibited by Melissa officinalis extract. Phytother Res. 2014;28(10):1547-52. doi:10.1002/ptr.5166
50. Arceusz A, Wesolowski M. Quality consistency evaluation of Melissa officinalis L. commercial herbs by HPLC fingerprint and quantitation of selected phenolic acids. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2013;83:215-20. doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2013.05.020
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53. Soulimani R, Fleurentin J, Mortier F, et al. Neurotropic action of the hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis in the mouse. Planta Med. 1991;57(2):105-9. doi:10.1055/s-2006-960042
54. Hajhashemi V, Safaei A. Hypnotic effect of Coriandrum sativum, Ziziphus jujuba, Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis extracts in mice. Res Pharm Sci. 2015;10(6):477-84.
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57. 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. Endocrinology. 1985;116(5):1687-93. doi:10.1210/endo-116-5-1687
58. Santini F, Vitti P, Ceccarini G, et al. In vitro assay of thyroid disruptors affecting TSH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003;26(10):950-5. doi:10.1007/BF03348190
59. Parvizi MM, Foolad S, Zeighami A, et al. Successful Maintenance Treatment of a Patient with Resistant Hyperthyroidism with Traditional Persian Medicine Recommendations: A Case Report and Literature Review. Complement Med Res. 2024;31(6):572-576. doi:10.1159/000541255

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