Lemon balm tea or capsules, and how to take it

What is lemon balm?

Turn over a box of bedtime tea and you may well find lemon balm on the ingredients list. It's a leafy herb, Melissa officinalis, from the same plant family as mint [1].

The leaf is the part that's used. It's sold dried for tea, as a powder, as a liquid extract or tincture, and as dried extracts in capsules and tablets [2].

What is lemon balm used for?

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) lists two traditional uses for lemon balm leaf. The first is the relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. The second is mild digestive complaints such as bloating and wind [2].

"Traditional use" means the EMA accepted these uses based on long-standing use alone, not because trials have proved they work [2].

Some trials in healthy adults have tested it Early. In a small UK study of 18 adults, a single 600 mg dose of an extract raised how calm people felt during a stressful computer task, an hour later [3]. A larger 2026 UK trial gave 106 stressed young adults a single 300 mg dose. It didn't change overall calmness, which was its main measure, though people did better on the hardest attention tasks 5 hours later [4].

So the research is mixed and mostly short. Our page of lemon balm studies lists the trials in people, with their doses and lengths.

Does lemon balm help you sleep?

It's one of its traditional uses, and two small trials of one extract point the same way Early.

In a 3-week trial of 100 adults with stress or poor sleep, those taking 400 mg of an extract a day reported better sleep than those on a placebo [5]. The extract group started with worse sleep scores, which makes the result harder to read.

In a 2-week trial of 30 adults who woke up feeling unrefreshed, the same kind of extract taken 30 minutes before bed lowered scores on an insomnia questionnaire. The trial was small and short, and sleep was tracked with a wrist watch, not in a sleep lab [1].

For habits that help, see our guide on how to fall asleep fast.

Lemon balm tea or capsules?

Both are ways of taking the same leaf. Tea is the traditional form, while capsules hold a dried extract, which concentrates the leaf into a small dose [2].

These amounts come from the EMA's monograph, for people over 12 [2]. Dried extracts are meant to match them. The trials above used extracts of 300 to 600 mg [3][4][5], but extracts differ, so a capsule's strength isn't the same as a cup of tea.

Tea suits a wind-down drink. Capsules suit people who want a set amount without brewing. Either way, follow the amount on the label.

How to take lemon balm

• For tea, pour 150 ml of boiling water over 1.5 to 4.5 g of dried leaf and let it steep [2].
• For sleep, the trial above used it 30 minutes before bed [1].
• For a busy day, single-dose studies tested it an hour or more before a stressful task [3][4].
• If your symptoms last longer than 2 weeks, the EMA says to see a doctor [2].

Lemon balm with L-theanine or valerian

Lemon balm is often sold with L-theanine or valerian. Only a few trials have tested these mixes in healthy adults.

In a 6-week trial of 64 adults with poor sleep, a blend of L-theanine, lemon balm, valerian and saffron did no better than a placebo on sleep [6]. We found no trial of lemon balm and L-theanine on their own together. Our guide to L-theanine covers what that ingredient does by itself.

A lemon balm and valerian product lowered anxiety ratings during a stress test at its lowest dose, 600 mg. The highest dose, 1,800 mg, raised anxiety in one testing session, and every dose made scores worse on one attention task [7]. In that study, more wasn't better.

Lemon balm side effects and safety

The EMA lists no known side effects for lemon balm leaf [2]. Recent trials reported no side effects linked to it [1][4][5], and a 2021 review of trials reported no serious side effects [8].

Don't take it if you're allergic to lemon balm, and see a doctor if you notice any reaction [2].

Frequently asked questions

Is lemon balm a type of mint?

It's in the same plant family as mint, the Lamiaceae, but it's a separate plant [1].

Can I take lemon balm every day?

The EMA's traditional amounts are for use up to three times a day. If symptoms last more than 2 weeks, see a doctor. The longest trial we found gave an extract daily for 96 weeks to older adults with mild memory problems [2][9].

Is lemon balm safe?

For most adults it looks safe at the usual amounts. The EMA lists no known side effects, though it isn't recommended for children under 12, and it's worth asking your GP first if you take medicines [2].

Does lemon balm affect the thyroid?

Lab and animal studies suggest the water extract may affect thyroid-stimulating hormone. It isn't known if this matters in people, so ask your GP first if you have a thyroid condition [2].

Can lemon balm make you drowsy?

It can. The EMA says it may affect your ability to drive or use machines, and in one small study a 600 mg dose made people feel calmer but less alert [2][3].

How quickly does lemon balm work?

In single-dose studies, effects on mood were measured from about an hour after taking an extract. Sleep trials ran for 2 to 3 weeks [1][3][5].

Read more in our guide to what nootropics are, which explains how herbs like this are studied.

References

Every study here is listed so you can read it yourself. This guide is for general information and doesn't replace advice from your GP or pharmacist. We check it again at least every six months.

1. Di Pierro F, Sisti D, Rocchi M, et al. (2024). Effects of Melissa officinalis phytosome on sleep quality. Nutrients 16(23): 4199. PMID 39683592
2. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (14 May 2013). Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., folium. EMA/HMPC/196745/2012. ema.europa.eu
3. Kennedy DO, Little W, Scholey AB (2004). Attenuation of laboratory-induced stress in humans after acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). Psychosomatic Medicine 66(4): 607-613. PMID 15272110
4. Mathews I, Eastwood J, Bell L, et al. (2026). The acute effects of Zensera (Melissa officinalis L.) extract on mood and cognitive performance during cognitive overload. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 16. PMID 41782777
5. Bano A, Hepsomali P, Rabbani F, et al. (2023). The possible "calming effect" of subchronic supplementation of a standardised phospholipid carrier-based Melissa officinalis L. extract in healthy adults with emotional distress and poor sleep conditions. Frontiers in Pharmacology 14: 1250560. PMID 37927585
6. Gutiérrez-Romero SA, Torres-Narváez ES, Zamora-Gómez AC, et al. (2024). Effect of a nutraceutical combination on sleep quality among people with impaired sleep. A randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Scientific Reports 14(1): 8062. PMID 38580720
7. Kennedy DO, Little W, Haskell CF, Scholey AB (2006). Anxiolytic effects of a combination of Melissa officinalis and Valeriana officinalis during laboratory induced stress. Phytotherapy Research 20(2): 96-102. PMID 16444660
8. Ghazizadeh J, Sadigh-Eteghad S, Marx W, et al. (2021). The effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on depression and anxiety in clinical trials. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytotherapy Research 35(12): 6690-6705. PMID 34449930
9. Noguchi-Shinohara M, Hamaguchi T, Sakai K, et al. (2023). Effects of Melissa officinalis extract containing rosmarinic acid on cognition in older adults without dementia. A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 91(2): 805-814. PMID 36502333