07/13/2025
Herb Meet and Greet: Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)
Lemon Balm is one of the many amazing plants we use in our salve formulations. You may know this beautiful plant from it's lemony scent, it's pleasant aroma that makes such a beautiful tea or baking additive; but this plant is actually a powerfully medicinal herb!
Melissa Officinalis is in the mint family, and has been studied in clinical trials, as well as examined for it's chemical structures that prove to be so effective for so many physiological needs.
Here is a direct quote from one such study:
"Lemon balm boasts an array of phytochemicals, including rosmarinic acid, citral, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid, which are believed to underpin these effects on psychological well-being. Pharmacological evidence from animal and cellular work reveals that lemon balm and its components may modulate several brain signalling pathways, including GABAergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic systems. Results/Conclusions: Although further robust randomised controlled trials using lemon balm are required, existing research indicates that lemon balm holds promise as a calming agent exhibiting both anxiolytic and anti-depressant properties and can elicit cognitive and sleep-quality enhancement."
Here at Set Apart Remedies, we are passionate about bringing forth evidence based, powerful herbs in an accessible way. See you next time!
(Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) in Psychological Well-Being: A Review, Imogen Matthews, et al.)