The Powerful Herb That Can Heal Your Body While You Sleep

With more people placing more of a priority on sleep, you'll find plenty of supplements to help you sleep. Melatonin supports sleep by readjusting your sleep cycle, and magnesium relaxes your muscles and nervous system to help you sleep. Some sleep supplements combine the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) with the powerful herb lemon balm, so you'll sleep better. Lemon balm helps boost levels of GABA in the brain.

Lemon balm also has some medicinal properties you might not be aware of. Maggie Moon, M.S., R.D., a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian and author of a new book, "The MIND Diet: 2nd Edition," points to several research studies that show the health benefits of lemon balm. "Emerging clinical studies suggest lemon balm supplements may improve depression," she said.

The phenolic acids and other compounds in lemon balm make it useful for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective properties, according to a 2022 review in Frontiers in Bioscience. Lemon balm shows promise in treating conditions such as anxiety, hypertension, and dementia.

Taking lemon balm might be an easy way to lower your stress level, but be aware of your dosage. In a 2004 article in Psychosomatic Medicine, when people took 600 milligrams of lemon balm and encountered a stressful situation, they felt more calm but less alert. A 300-milligram dose calmed people enough to solve math problems faster. Spacing out your dosage to 200 milligrams twice a day might improve your mood without side effects, according to a 2023 article in Frontiers in Pharmacology. People taking lemon balm not only improved their mood but also reduced anxiety and stress while improving their mental well-being.

Because lemon balm is an antioxidant, it might also protect the brain in people showing signs of cognitive decline. A 2023 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that people without high blood pressure who took 500 milligrams of lemon balm a day for eight years had slightly lower levels of cognitive decline.

Moon suggests checking with your doctor before taking lemon balm, especially if you are younger, pregnant, or breastfeeding. Those with thyroid conditions or having surgery should also use caution when taking lemon balm. "For stress, anxiety, depression, and cognitive function, the best way to take lemon balm is by mouth, either in capsules or a dropper," Moon said. "Amounts up to 500 mg a day for up to 6 months appear to be safe for adults."

Lemon balm can also be useful outside the body in healing herpes simplex, per a 2016 article in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. Lemon balm has an antiviral compound called rosmarinic acid that prevents this virus from infecting cells. "Applying a 1% lemon balm lotion has been shown to help heal cold sores faster, especially if it's applied early," Moon said. Essential oils made with lemon balm can also work to kill bacteria and fungi.

Supplementing with lemon balm can be part of your treatment plan for high blood pressure. According to a 2021 study in Phytotherapy Research, when hypertensive people took lemon balm capsules three times a day (400 milligrams total) for four weeks, they lowered both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was reduced on average by 22 points, and diastolic blood pressure decreased by an average of 14 points.

Whether you take lemon balm alone or with other supplements, you might notice the calming effect. "Due to its calming and relaxing effects, it may cause sleepiness," Moon said. "That may be a benefit or a drawback, depending on the situation." If you purposely take it for sleep, that might be a good thing.