Lemon Balm

By Laina Poulakos, Owner

Mother's Nature Aromatherapy

More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles

Lemon Balm

In our stressful lives, we all look for time to relax. Many people choose to exercise, or practice yoga or meditation. Whatever your walk in life you experience stress, and it may be helpful to add lemon balm to your daily routine to help you relax.

Lemon balm is native to southern Europe and is a member of the mint family. It has a zesty lemon scent. It grows to be five feet tall and blooms as a lovely white flower. The flower is very fragrant and is known to attract honeybees. It is also known as “Melissa” which is Latin for bee.

There are many possible benefits to adding lemon balm to your daily routine. It is most commonly consumed as a tea. One of the benefits of adding lemon balm to your daily routine is that it is very calming to your nerves. A combination of valerian root and lemon balm makes a great herbal tea for a restful night's sleep.

Lemon balm has been shown to support healthy memory and cognitive function. A small recent clinical study found positive results in patients with Alzheimer's. It has also been studied in the treatment of Graves disease. The results of the study showed that lemon balm attaches to the TSH receptors which helps the thyroid.

Another study has shown that consuming lemon balm tea daily can reduce the affects of oxidative stress, in people who work in radiology. Workers that were exposed to low does of radiation during work drank a cup of lemon balm tea daily for one month. The results revealed significant improvement in plasma levels and a reduction in DNA damage.

So, why not add a cup of lemon balm tea to your nightly routine?