Lemon Balm Uses- Exposed

Lemon Balm has been used for thousands of years to treat a wide variety of aches, pains, and medical problems. It was used historically to soothe tension and muscle pains, as a toothache cure, as a wound dressing, and morning sickness for pregnant women. These days, people around the world use it to treat bronchial inflammation, fevers, headaches, earaches, high blood pressure, the flu, vomiting, and menstrual cramps. But just because a lot of people do something doesn't necessarily mean it is safe and effective. So just what evidence is there that lemon balm has any medicinal properties?

The History:

Lemon Balm was used as a tribute to the greek goddess Diana, and has been used for over 2,000 years. It is also referred to by its latin name: Melissa Officinalis. It used to be used to treat boils, toothaches, mad dog bites, and crooked necks! Some people believed it could cure baldness. As with many herbs, these popular uses for lemon balm continued throughout the ages until the discovery and penicilin, and other "modern" antibiotics and antiviral medications. Lemon balm is just in the last 20 years gaining traction as a valid aid for some specific medical issues based on the research that has been conducted.

The Real Deal:

In spite of the many medical maladies that lemon balm uses were applied to, many of those have no research or evidence to support any of the claims. Although some lab studies show it to have a variety of antibiotic, antispasmodic and antiviral properties, there are only a few limited uses that have really cut the mustard, so to speak.

One of the modern day uses of lemon balm is as an antiviral herpes simplex medication. There was a double blind, placebo controlled study following 66 herpes infected people who were starting to develop an oral herpes breakout. Treatment with a cream containing lemon balm produced a signficant decrease in symptoms on day 2 including: intensity of discomfort, number of blisters, and blister size. This research team targeted day 2 because it typically has the most pronounced symptoms.

But, that isn't the only evidence that lemon balm works to fight herpes. Another double blind placebo controlled study of 116 people with both oral and genital herpes showed people who used the lemon balm cream for 10 days had a substantially better recovery rate in terms of legion size, duration of discomfort, and visible symptoms than those who took the placebo cream.

Another possible application of lemon balm is its calming or soothing effect. Based on the sedative effects of lemon balm in mice, several studies have been conducted on humans, with decent results.

In a double blind placebo controlled study of 42 alzheimers patients, researchers found that over a 4 month period it substantially decreased agitation and loss of temper.

In another study a lemon balm cream was able to reduce agitation of 71 alzheimers patients.

Furthermore, in 2 small studies, lemon balm brought an increased sense of calmness and had an anti-anxiety effect on healthy test subjects.

There are also some promising studies related to insomnia...but the results are not as strongly demonstrated as in the herpes and anti anxiety applications

Lemon Balm Exposed:

Even though lemon balm has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of health problems, there are only 2 that right now have the science behind them to demonstrate a very real effectiveness. For those suffering from herpes or anxiety, it is possible to experience some real relief using lemon balm. However, always consult a physican before use, particuarly if you take any anti anxiety medications or sedatives...because lemon balm has been known to cause a drowsy effect, lower reaction time and decrease coordination.