BT-012 · Lamiaceae

Lemon balm

Melissa officinalis

Evidence: LimitedGenerally safe

“Melissa” is Greek for honeybee.

Other names: Melissa, toronjil, oğul otu (Turkish)
Part used: Leaves
Region: Anatolia and the Mediterranean
Use: Healing

Photo: JLPC · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In short

What is Lemon balm?

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a plant of the Lamiaceae family. Traditions that use it: Anatolia and the Mediterranean. Part used: leaves.

What is Lemon balm used for?

Traditional use: Beekeepers rub hives with it to attract swarms; its Turkish name, oğul otu (“swarm herb”), comes from this. Scientific evidence: limited. The EMA recognises it for mild stress, sleep problems and mild digestive complaints as traditional uses.

Is Lemon balm safe?

Safety label: generally safe. Generally safe. People taking thyroid medicine should be careful.

Traditional use

Anatolia

Beekeepers rub hives with it to attract swarms; its Turkish name, oğul otu (“swarm herb”), comes from this. The tea is drunk to calm the nerves and for sleep.

In nature

Where it grows: Damp, half-shaded places and gardens on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts.
Harvest season: Picked before flowering, June–August.
Local names: melisa, oğul otu, limon otu, kovan otu

Mix-up risk

Its leaves look like mint and smell of lemon; it can be confused with other lemon-scented herbs.

Preparation

Fresh or dried leaves are steeped covered; the essential oil escapes easily.

What science says

The EMA recognises it for mild stress, sleep problems and mild digestive complaints as traditional uses. Small clinical trials report improvements in anxiety and sleep.

How strong is the evidence?

Claims often repeated online about Lemon balm, and what science says today.

Claim	Evidence	Note
Reduces mild stress and anxiety	Limited evidence	Improvement in small controlled trials; recognised by the EMA as traditional.
Helps sleep	Limited evidence	Benefit seen in studies combining it with valerian.
Speeds healing of cold sores (herpes)	Limited evidence	Faster healing in small studies with lemon balm cream.
Prevents Alzheimer’s	No evidence	No human studies show this.