← All plantsLemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Also: Balm, Melissa
CoolingDryingRelaxing
A cooling mint for heat in the nerves and a heavy heart.
A soft-leaved mint with a strong lemon scent that fades quickly once the plant is dried. Lemon balm releases heat and tension together, lifting the mood while it settles the mind.
- Energetics
- Cooling, drying, relaxing
- Taste
- Aromatic, sweet, lemony
- Family
- Lamiaceae (mint family)
- Parts used
- Leaves and flowering tops
Medicinal uses 9
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TTraditional useLLab and mechanism studiesCClinical studies
Calms agitation, worry, and restlessness, especially in people who run warm.
A gentle sedative for nights when the mind won't settle.
Lifts low, grey moods, including the seasonal kind, and suits people who can't take St John's wort.
Applied early, shortens cold sore outbreaks; it acts against herpes viruses.
Clears a foggy, scattered mind.
Releases heat in fevers that run hot and won't break.
Eases tight, constricted headaches.
A nervine for nerve pain that comes with heat and tension.
Lifts the moodiness and restlessness of the days before a period; capsules reduced PMS symptoms in a trial.
Preparations
Fresh or dried leaf tea, fresh-plant tincture, glycerite, and topical washes for cold sores.
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Cautions
- Very gentle, and a good herb for children and elders.
- Large daily amounts may slow an underactive thyroid; check with your practitioner if you take thyroid medication.
Medication interactions
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for lemon balm, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
PregnancyTea amounts
One of the calming herbs traditional herbalists reach for in pregnancy. Human data are limited, and no concerns have turned up.
BreastfeedingModerate amounts
Generally considered compatible in moderate amounts. Watch a sensitive baby for drowsiness.
Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.
Folklore
Melissa is Greek for honeybee, and beekeepers rubbed their hives with the leaves to bring a swarm home and keep it there. In 1611 the Carmelite friars of Paris began distilling it into eau de mélisse, a cordial for headaches, nerves, and fainting that is still sold today. The diarist John Evelyn wrote in 1699 that balm strengthened the memory and chased away melancholy.
How to grow
A hardy perennial for sun or part shade that forgives poor soil. Cut it back hard before it flowers for a second flush of tender leaves. It spreads by seed rather than runners, so deadhead it to keep it in bounds.
In the wild
Native to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, it has escaped gardens across Europe and North America and turns up along woodland edges and around old homesteads.
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