Lemon Balm Benefits – Should You Take This Supplement?

The many Lemon Balm benefits for mind and body make this an essential herbal remedy for modern life.

Long used as a sedative to beat insomnia and a healing agent for flesh wounds, Lemon Balm also has strong applications for mood imbalances.

Anxiety and panic attacks are reduced by the herb’s biochemical interaction with natural GABA. Memory and thought clarity are also boosted by the plant’s effects upon acetylcholine.

Physical benefits of lemon balm include improved appetite, reduced inflammation, and even the healing of cold sores.

We’ve assembled a summary of the plant’s major uses and effects, as well as recommendations for how to take it safely. Read on to find out why this simple mint plant deserves a role in your wellness regimen.

Lemon Balm

Herbal Supplement

Mood

Sleep

Stress

How It Works:

• Helps to support a positive mood
• Promotes healthy sleep patterns
• Alleviates stress and boosts relaxation

Dosage:

Between 1.5 - 4.5 g per day

Safety:

Rated Possibly Safe

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Lemon Balm Benefits for Wounds and Sores

The original use for Lemon Balm was as a healer of flesh wounds and sores.

In fact, the minty perennial herb was immortalized in ancient Greek mythology as a tonic which could heal battle injuries resulting from swords.

In common use in ancient Greece, the leaves of the plant were distilled into oils and applied topically to heal cuts. It was eventually used similarly in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Today, we most frequently see supplements which contain the plant used to battle cold sores and herpes outbreaks. It has been widely reported by users online as a viable solution for cold sores, provided an ample dose is taken at the very first indication of a sore, usually a light tingle in the skin.

L-Lysine is another natural supplement which is purported to have the same effects. Lemon Balm is anti-viral and anti-bacterial, making it a highly effective treatment for topical wounds of all kinds.

Lemon Balm for Mood and Cognition

Lemon Balm was also used historically as a relaxing sedative. It was frequently administered in ceremonies, often relating to the occult, as a means of relaxing participants. It is possible that Lemon Balm’s soothing properties made it easy for local medicine men to convince their followers of the presence of magic in these ceremonies.

Today, Lemon Balm is widely used as an antidote to daily stress and common anxiety. It helps cut the physical reactions to stress triggers, including high blood pressure and inflammation. Lemon Balm is also taken as a daily booster to memory and general cognitive function.

The combination of relaxing sedation and fluid thoughts makes the herb a good complement to creative activities like writing or playing music. It helps reduce feelings of personal frustration attached to depression, and replaces them with a sense of peacefulness.

It can also help the user focus and clear the mind of hyperactive thoughts associated with ADHD. If mood imbalances have caused difficulty sleeping or chronic insomnia, Lemon Balm can restore productive and predictable sleep patterns.

Understanding the Mechanism of Action

The majority of Lemon Balm benefits relating to mood can be attributed to its interaction with natural GABA. GABA (Gamma Aminobutyric Acid) is the brain’s chemical response to stress.

GABA calms agitated nerves and allows brain communication to proceed normally even in times of great physical and mental extremity. While it is very difficult to directly supplement GABA, Lemon Balm extracts can inhibit the chemical which block GABA, known as GABA transaminase.

Lemon Balm also contains various compounds known to soothe upset nerves and muscles. These include eugenol, which has the ability to numb sore muscles on contact. Lemon Balm’s cognitive effects are the result of its interaction with acetylcholine receptors.

These sites are activated by Lemon Balm, and as a result are more able to deliver the acetylcholine neurotransmitter’s memory and signaling enhancements. The overall boost to thought clarity and concentration that accompanies acetylcholine is thought to accentuate Lemon Balm’s mood-lifting effects.

Is Lemon Balm Safe for Everyone?

On its own, Lemon Balm is not dangerous or overly sedative. In fact, it does not produce many significant side effects at all. Still, there are some fears about Lemon Balm exhibiting dangerously narcotic effects. This is only a worry when Lemon Balm is combined with other prescription anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic drugs, or muscle relaxers.

Together, these pairings can overly sedate users to dangerous levels. If you are thinking of combining these drugs to produce more dramatic Lemon Balm benefits of stress relief and relaxation, it would be preferable to explore other non-prescription anxiolytics first.

Supplements like Sulbutiamine, L-Theanine, and Valerian can adjust mood and energy by increasing available amounts of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These supplements also exhibit strong neuro-protective properties.

Another option is to take Lemon Balm as a part of a proprietary combo product such as New Mood. This mood enhancement supplement adds the Melissa Officinalis herb to 5-HTP, Tryptophan, Valerian, and various other relaxation herbs. Any of these supplements can be taken on their own for general emotional support, or they can be safely combined to augment the benefits of Lemon Balm.

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