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What is lemon balm good for?
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a member of the mint family, is considered a calming herb. It was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort from indigestion (including gas and bloating, as well as colic).
How is lemon balm most commonly used?
Today, lemon balm is used in traditional medicine as both a sleep aid and digestive tonic. It can be consumed as tea, taken as a supplement or extract, or rubbed on the skin in balms and lotion. Lemon balm essential oil is also popular in aromatherapy, where it’s used to relieve stress and keep you calm.
What are the side effects of lemon balm?
Side effects are generally mild and might include increased appetite, nausea, dizziness, and wheezing. There isn’t enough reliable information to know if lemon balm is safe to use for more than 6 months. When applied to the skin: Lemon balm is possibly safe for most adults. It may cause skin irritation.
Is lemon balm anti inflammatory?
A popular herb of the mint family, lemon balm is a staple of traditional European medicine. It is known to be an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory with antibacterial qualities.
Can I drink lemon balm tea everyday?
How to use: Take 1200 mg of lemon balm daily for optimal results. This will allow the herb to get into your system long before it’s time for PMS symptoms to appear. Continued use is thought to reduce your symptoms over time.
How fast does lemon balm work?
It may take up to one month to see your desired results but lemon balm is strong herbal ally that will support you as often as you take advantage of its benefits.
Is lemon balm an antifungal?
The results of this study suggest that lemon balm and sage EOs can be considered as natural antifungal agents that can be used to inactivate ochratoxigenic P. verrucosum with respect to food safety applications.
Is lemon balm anti fungal?
Lemon balm is one of those plants and is used in several areas. A moderate amount of investigation on lemon balm has been carried out to determine its medicinal effects such as antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor and sedative effects.
Can you eat lemon balm leaves Raw?
Lemon Balm can be used both in hot and iced teas and in combination with other herbs such as spearmint. The plant is also often used as a flavoring in ice cream and its also suitable for spicing up chicken and fish dishes. Early fresh leaves can be chopped and added to salads.
Is lemon balm the same as citronella?
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) contains more citronella—as much as 400 times more—than the Mosquito Plant. And it turns out both lemon thyme and lemon balm are less expensive and easier to grow.
Is lemon balm addictive?
Although Melissa officinalis, a plant, is preferred by many patients as an alternative to pharmaceutical drugs, patients should be made aware that it may have a risk of dependency and can lead to withdrawal symptoms.
Does lemon balm affect hormones?
There is a concern that lemon balm may change thyroid function, reduce thyroid hormone levels, and interfere with thyroid hormone-replacement therapy.
Is lemon balm good for weight loss?
Lemon balm may help with anxiety and cognitive performance. In addition, it has other potential but insufficiently investigated health benefits, including helping with hyperthyroidism, reducing pain, and weight loss.
Is lemon balm good for the liver?
Lemon balm and its major constituent, rosmarinic acid (RA), effectively improve the liver injury and obesity; however, their therapeutic effects on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are unknown.
Does lemon balm affect thyroid?
Test tube studies have found that lemon balm blocks attachment of antibodies to the thyroid cells that cause Grave’s disease (hyperthyroidism). The brain’s signal to the thyroid (thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH) is also blocked from further stimulating the excessively active thyroid gland in this disease.
Is lemon balm the same as lemongrass?
Lemon balm comes from the melissa officinalis plant, and looks nothing like lemon grass. Lemon balm has a lighter flavor than lemon grass, but it gives off a very zesty scent that makes it perfect for aromatic teas. May 25, 2020.
Does lemon balm raise blood pressure?
Lemon balm may lower your blood pressure and therefore should be used with caution if you are taking medications with similar properties. It can also lower your blood sugar levels and people with diabetes should use lemon balm with care.
Does lemon balm tea have caffeine?
Examples of popular herbal teas that are 100% caffeine free include: Chamomile. Mint (including peppermint and spearmint) Lemon balm.
How do I eat lemon balm?
As a general rule of thumb, treat lemon balm as you would any other herb. It works especially well in place of mint, offering bright, fragrant notes. Add whole lemon balm leaves to green salads, or chiffonade the leaves and scatter them over a fruit salad for added zesty flavor.
Can you grow lemon balm indoors?
A hardy perennial shrub that is tolerant to USDA zones 3 through 7, lemon balm can be grown year-round indoors, as well as outdoors in warmer climates.
Can I smoke lemon balm?
The other herbs you can smoke are: Lemon Balm, Wormwood Herb, Greater Celandine Herb, Hemp Buds, Stinging Nettle, Marshmallow Leaf, Licorice Root.
Is lemon balm an antibiotic?
Among these products, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis, Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant and used for the treatment of headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, nervousness, and rheumatism. It is an antibacterial and antifungal agent.
Is lemon balm toxic?
Lemon balm essential oil is very toxic undiluted. In large doses, it produces narcosis and it is considered a narcotic. Doses above 2 g per day have produced hypotension, slow heartbeat and difficulty breathing.
Does lemon balm help with constipation?
Soothes constipation–Studies are still being done but early research shows that lemon balm, peppermint and angelica root may be helpful treatments for constipation. Reduces PMS symptoms–When taken in a capsule form, lemon balm reduced those pesky mood swings, weight gain and bloating in high school age women.