Important: This is not medical advice
This page is for general information only. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose, treat or cure anything. Herbs are complementary support, not replacements for prescribed medicine.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using any herb, tea or supplement, especially if you take medicine, are pregnant or nursing, have a health condition, or are planning surgery.
- Do not stop or change any prescribed medicine on your own.
- Get emergency care right away (call 911) for serious symptoms such as chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, severe allergic reaction, heavy bleeding, confusion, or thoughts of harming yourself.
← Natural Healing: Herbs & Home Remedies (all 15 herbs)
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
- Traditional use
- A lemon-scented leaf of the mint family used for centuries in teas for calm, sleep and digestion.
- How people take it
- Tea from the leaves, extracts and capsules, or creams applied to the skin.
- What the evidence shows
- NIH NCCIH describes the research as limited. Small studies, often using lemon balm combined with other herbs, suggest possible help for anxiety and sleep, and the evidence is too weak to draw firm conclusions.
- Cautions and interactions
- Usually well tolerated in short-term use, but can cause nausea, dizziness or sleepiness. It may add to the effect of sedatives, and it may affect thyroid function, so ask your doctor or pharmacist if you take thyroid medicine.
More herbs
Where to read more
The information here was written for this site as a plain-language overview. For current, detailed and regularly reviewed information, check the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Mayo Clinic, which both have herb and supplement fact sheets. Your pharmacist can also check your medicines for interactions. Research changes over time, so these sources are always the better place to confirm the latest guidance.
Important: This is not medical advice
This page is for general information only. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose, treat or cure anything. Herbs are complementary support, not replacements for prescribed medicine.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using any herb, tea or supplement, especially if you take medicine, are pregnant or nursing, have a health condition, or are planning surgery.
- Do not stop or change any prescribed medicine on your own.
- Get emergency care right away (call 911) for serious symptoms such as chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, severe allergic reaction, heavy bleeding, confusion, or thoughts of harming yourself.
