People mainly take Lemon Balm for sleep, anxiety, mood. Based on 361 first-hand reports and 14 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #70 of 2,750 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 66% are positive.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: The small number of clinical trials and differences between their methods were the limitations of the present study. Further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the lemon balm.
PubMed 34449930 ↗Conclusion: We have not found any convincing evidence that aromatherapy (or exposure to fragrant plant oils) is beneficial for people with dementia although there are many limitations to the data. Conduct or reporting problems in half of the included studies meant that they could not contribute to the conclusions. Results from the other studies were inconsistent. Harms were very poorly reported in the included studies. In order for clear conclusions to be drawn, better design and reporting and consistency of outcome measurement in future trials would be needed.
PubMed 32813272 ↗Conclusion: Here, we perform a systematic analysis of studies assessing the mechanisms of action of various herbal medicines on different subtypes of GABA receptors in the context of sleep control. Currently available evidence suggests that herbal extracts may exert some of their hypnotic and anxiolytic activity through interacting with GABA receptors and modulating GABAergic signaling in the brain, but their mechanism of action in the treatment of insomnia is not completely understood.
PubMed 33561990 ↗Conclusion: There is moderate to low-certainty evidence on the effects of 21 interventions. Most studies were small and at a high risk of bias related to blinding and incomplete outcome data. Where there is moderate-certainty evidence, practitioners should consider the applicability of the evidence for their patients.
PubMed 38837237 ↗As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“Lemon balm might have a positive effect on cognition too, a less foggy mind helps to reduce anxiety”
“I found supplements like valerian root, lemon balm, passion flower, and chamomile helpful”
“Drink some chamomile or lemon balm and try to work.”
“I've grown, for instance, Melissa officinalis a.k.a. Lemon balm, and used it as tea. It's quite pleasant tasting, tho' I can't personally vouch for it's nootropic benefits.”
“lemon balm -- rarely, only if really worked up over something.”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 3, 2026. How we rate