* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: A herbaceous perennial of up to 0.9 m in height with angular stems, rugosely veined leaves in opposite pairs and cream-coloured to white flowers.
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor; commercial cultivation is centred in southwestern, central and eastern Europe.
Parts Used: Dried leaves of Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis (Melissae folium) and essential oil (Melissae aetheroleum)
Uses and Properties: In modern times, lemon balm has become popular as a calming and soothing herb, mainly for the treatment of minor sleeplessness and nervous stomach disorders in adults and children. It is said to stimulate appetite. Extracts of the herb have demonstrated activity against bacteria, fungi and viruses (including herpes) and are an ingredient of ointments and creams for topical use.
Preparation and Dosage: A cup of lemon balm tea (1.5 - 4.5 g of dried leaf) may be taken several times a day. Various products are available, mainly for oral use. Lemon balm is often used as a minor ingredient and then it is unlikely to have any therapeutic effect.
Active Ingredients: The drug should contain at least 0.05% of essential oil (a complex mixture monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenoids). The main ingredient is citronellal (about 30-40%), together with 10-30% citral. Citral actually comprises two compounds, citral a (geranial) and citral b (neral) in a ratio of 4:3. Major sesquiterpenoids include germacrene D and beta-ancaryophyllene. The drug contains about 4% rosmarinic acid (also known as labiate tannin), phenolic acids, triterpenes, monoterpene glycosides and flavonoids.
Pharmacological Effects: The essential oil has spasmolytic and sedative properties and is known for its antibacterial and antifungal activities. This is plausible with regard to the biochemical properties of lipophilic monoterpenes with aldehyde groups. Water extracts containing rosmarinic acid have virustatic effects (especially against herpes simplex). They also exhibit antihormonal and antithyreotropic effects.
Notes: The herb has a long history of medicinal use in Europe, associated with bees and honey, hence the name Melissa (mel is the Latin for honey).
Status: Pharm.; Comm. E+; ESCOP 2; WHO 2.
The Ancients called Balm Melisphyion, which means honey leaf. Virgil recommended making it available to bees hence the epithet apiastrum. The slight stimulating action it has on the nervous system has earned it a reputation hardly credited today as a cephalic, cordial, stomachic, carminative. It is, however, regarded as slightly stimulating and anti-spasmodic. It is useful in nervous complaints, hysteria, cardialgia, spasms, vertigo, migraine, in all cases of general atony.
In a tea-like infusion it is frequently used for flatulence, lack of appetite and indigestion. The Arabs used it extensively as a cordial. A distilled water is made from it. It is the basis of compound Melissa water, or compound alcoholate of Melissa; Carmelite's water, often used to good effect in inhalations; internally, in a dose of one teaspoonful to one glass of sweetened water, in cases of fainting, flatulence and weakness.
The fragrant and pretty lemon balm, a form of mint, is one of the good guys of the herb garden and pantry. Modern herbalists use the plant's green leaves medicinally, as the ancient Romans did. Native to the eastern Mediterranean, lemon balm is cultivated widely and known under a variety of names, including melissa, sweet balm, sweet mary, and cure-all.
Potential Health Benefits
Lemon balm lives up to its name; it's a balm for a nervous stomach and a treatment for sleep disorders.
Scientific Evidence
Lemon balm leaves contain terpenes, which are tranquilizing agents, plus bitter principles and flavonoids according to Commission E. In addition to its sedative effects, lemon balm reduces flatulence. The herb's lemon smell comes from citronella, which is also present in lemons and lemongrass. Animal studies have shown anti-bacterial, antitumor, and antiviral effects. These results haven't been obtained in humans, however, where controlled studies of lemon balm are few in number.
How to Use the Herb
Fresh leaves and dry extracts make a refreshing tea. Use 1.5-4.5 grams of dried leaves. Or pour boiling water over a sprig of fresh leaves and steep for several minutes for a lovely, lemon-scented tea.
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Directions
Take 1 capsule, 3 times daily, with meals.
Cautions
Do not use if you are currently on thyroid or hormones medication.
No significant adverse effects from lemon balm have been reported. Unlike sedative drugs, lemon balm is safe even while driving or operating machinery. Lemon balm's sedating effects are not intensified by alcohol.
No known drug interactions, side effects, or contraindications.
Additional Information
The TerraVita Premium Collection uses only the finest, purest and most potent plant extracts from around the world.
The TerraVita Premium Collection is hallmarked by the highest possible standards of purity, potency, stability and freshness. Our highest possible standards are certified by independent laboratories and backed by our personal guarantee.
The TerraVita Premium Collection is packed in child-proof, tamper-proof pharmaceutical-grade recyclable containers.
ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
