Essential Lemon Balm Oil For Stress, Memory, and Healing

Melissa Essential Lemon Balm oil is used in aromatherapy and other practices to employ the health-boosting benefits of this perennial herb.

Extracting oils from plants for medicinal use is an ancient method which has gained popularity again in modern holistic medicine.

Consuming the Lemon Balm herb is known to produce stress-reducing and cognition enhancing effects, particularly due to its interaction with GABA.

The herb’s topical application as an oil is a lesser known technique, but it still carries benefits for mind and body. The following will cover the preparation and use of these oils, as well as the benefits of taking the herb as an edible supplement.

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 Oils

Melissa Officinalis, what we now know as the Lemon Balm plant, was actually given the name “balm” as a result of its common use as a therapeutic oil.

Essential oils are created by steam distillation of herbaceous plants.

The resulting oil is then applied topically, or used as aromatherapy. For this reason, plants with a particularly strong or pleasant smell were used more frequently.

Lemon Balm is a deeply aromatic, minty, bush-like plant. It was prepared for use as a ceremonial oil as far back as ancient Greece, when it was dedicated to the mythological Goddess Diana.

In the Middle Ages, a tonic elixir made from lemon balm oil was used for two main purposes – to promote sleep and relaxation, and to heal wounds relating to the skin. To this end, the oil could be literally applied to injuries or pressure points to induce a reaction.

Though our understanding of the chemical properties of lemon balm has developed, the essential oil is still employed in much the same way today. It can be used to spread a citrus scent in the room, or applied in a carrier lotion directly to skin. This is done to cut the intensity of acids in the oil, which can burn skin.

How Is Melissa Lemon Balm Oil Prepared?

Organic Lemon Balm oil is typically prepared through steam distillation. Adding hot water or steam to Lemon Balm leaves at a temperature just lower than the boiling point of the liquid effectively separates the components of the compound.

Volatile (active) components are collected in a condenser, which then collects the resulting liquid. This liquid contains essential oil of the compound, separated from water. All essential oils are prepared in this manner.

Topical Application of Melissa Officinalis Oil

When Lemon Balm oil is applied to the skin, it must generally be added to a “carrier” lotion such as jojoba first. This will prevent the possibility of burns and irritation due to the essential oil’s strength. Then, the oil’s main effects are delivered in two ways.

First, the minty, lemon scent of the oil acts as powerful aromatherapy, imparting a sense of calm and peacefulness. It is unclear if these effects are solely the result of our longstanding positive associations with these scents, or if indeed said emotional association arose out of the biochemical effects of the compound. Either way, the smell of the oil alone has a pleasant, sedative quality.

Next, a compound called Eugenol within the oil seeps into the skin and causes an immediate numbing and soothing sensation to muscles. For this reason, Lemon Balm oil is frequently used as a holistic therapy after exercise or sport.

Using Lemon Balm as a Dietary Supplement

In addition to using Lemon Balm oil as a topical treatment, extracts of the plant can be consumed orally to achieve even more heightened effects. However, in both cases, the active ingredients of Lemon Balm leaves are the same. When digested, more of these ingredients reach the bloodstream more easily than when the compound is leeched through the skin as with oil.

The active ingredient for stress relief is Rosmarinic acid, an inhibitory compound which restricts the amount of GABA transaminase in the brain. This is important because the end result is more available GABA. GABA is the brain’s natural mechanism for stress reduction, limiting the amount of excessive nerve cell activity accompanying stress.

The Eugenol and terpenes within the extract also have an overall soothing effect, comparable to the numbing which occurs from topical application, though less specifically positioned. Taking the leaf as a powdered extract is preferable for full-body muscle relaxation, whereas oil is best for acute injuries to muscle and skin.

Are Lemon Balm Oil Effects Comparable to Teas and Pills?

All forms of Lemon Balm oil exhibit stress relieving properties. For overall relaxation from typical work or school stress, it may not be as practical as pill form supplements. Teas will make sleep easier and reduce the tendency toward depression symptoms. However, tea will produce more mild effects.

For a specific wound involving broken skin, Lemon Balm oil will speed healing the fastest, when applied directly to the affected area. For cold sores most people prefer to take Melissa Officinalis in pill form, as additional oil may clog pores around existing sores.

A daily powder dose, perhaps included with other stress-relieving supplements or as part of a combo mood enhancement product like New Mood, will be optimum for general mood lift and anxiety relief.

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