Evidence supporting the use of: Lemon balm
For the health condition: Anxiety Disorders

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 2

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) for Anxiety Disorders: Evidence Synopsis

Lemon balm has a long history of traditional use as a calming herb for nervousness and insomnia, but in recent years, several scientific studies have evaluated its efficacy for anxiety. The active compounds in lemon balm, such as rosmarinic acid, are believed to exert anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effects, possibly via modulation of GABA receptors in the brain.

Several small randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored the effects of lemon balm extracts or preparations on anxiety and mood. For example, a 2004 double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Kennedy et al., 2004) reported that a single dose of a standardized lemon balm extract reduced experimentally induced laboratory anxiety in healthy volunteers. Other studies have evaluated combinations of lemon balm with valerian, but these make it difficult to attribute effects solely to lemon balm. There is also limited evidence from studies in people with mild-to-moderate anxiety symptoms showing positive effects on subjective anxiety ratings.

However, these studies tend to be small in size, short in duration, and often focus on acute rather than chronic anxiety or clinical anxiety disorders. Systematic reviews conclude that while there is promising preliminary evidence, larger and more rigorous trials are needed to firmly establish efficacy for anxiety disorders. Overall, the scientific evidence is modest (rated 2/5), supporting lemon balm as a possible adjunct for mild anxiety but not as a primary treatment for diagnosed anxiety disorders.

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