2 days Ago By Kylie Gilbert
After reading about the potential benefits of lemon balm tea (which...
yes, I learned about via TikTok), I immediately added it to my Amazon cart to see if the herbal tea could be the newest addition to my sleepmaxxing routine . I’ll always choose coffee over tea to get my day started—but when fall hits, a hot cup of caffeine-free tea becomes a staple in my evening wind down. In the past, I've usually gravitated toward stress-relieving, sleep-promoting “comforting blends” at the grocery store.
So, basically anything featuring the Sleepytime Tea Bear. However, people have been so effusive about lemon balm tea that I had to find out for myself if the hype is real. Read on to hear more about my experience drinking lemon balm tea nightly for a month, as well as a breakdown of the potential health benefits according to doctors and a registered dietitian.
Lemon balm tea benefits Lemon balm—or Melissa officinalis —is part of the mint family and known as a calming herb, so you’ll often find “relieves stress” prominently featured on your box of lemon balm tea. Lemon balm has also been used as far back as the Middle Ages to help with uncomfortable gas and bloating. Recently, the herb has gained newfound attention thanks to claims on TikTok that it can “flatten your tummy” and even help with weight loss.
(Insert raised eyebrow here.) So is it legit? Here’s what the research and experts have to say. The good news: There is evidence to suggest that lemon balm can help relieve anxiety, says Dana Cohen, M.
D. , an integrative medicine practitioner in New York City and co-author of Quench: Beat Fatigue, Drop Weight, and Heal Your Body Through the New Science of Optimum Hydration . A 2021 meta-analysis found that lemon balm improved symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to a placebo, particularly for acute (a.
k.a. short-term or situational) symptoms.
A 2023 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial found people who took tablets with lemon balm extract twice a day for three weeks experienced significant improvements in anxiety, stress, and overall mental wellbeing. The not-so-good news: We still need more quality research. After all, it’s hard to compare a nightly cup of tea to taking an oral supplement twice a day.
That said, we have an idea of how lemon balm might help with stress relief. “It’s thought to promote relaxation through GABA receptors and modulating neurotransmitters in the nervous system,” says Elizabeth Sharp, M.D.
, IFMCP , a board-certified internal medicine physician, functional medicine practitioner, and the founder and CEO of Health Meets Wellness. Plus, there’s a pretty long anecdotal track record to suggest it could help when you need a little support with your mental health. “Historically, herbalists have been using this for over 2,000 years for symptoms of stress and anxiety,” Dr.
Cohen says. Lemon balm has also been shown to help with better sleep, primarily by reducing said anxiety and stress and promoting relaxation. Interestingly, research suggests lemon balm, when combined with other calming herbs, could be particularly helpful for women dealing with sleep issues brought on by menopause .
For example, one study in menopausal women found that a supplement containing valerian essence and lemon balm led to fewer sleep issues, such as night hot flashes, insomnia, and intermittent sleep, compared to the placebo group. A 2021 double-blind clinical trial focusing on postmenopausal women dealing with sleep disturbances found that after eight weeks, quality of life scores were significantly improved in the group who took a daily capsule of Melissa Officinalis L. (which contained lemon balm and fennel fruit extract) as compared to the prescription drug and placebo groups.
We still don’t know the effects of drinking lemon balm tea alone, but experts say there isn’t much downside either. When it comes to improving your sleep, lemon balm tea is generally “very safe and worth a try for most,” says registered dietitian Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN , bestselling author of Health Shots: 50 Simple Tonics to Help Improve Immunity, Ease Anxiety, Boost Energy, and More . It also plays well with others.
“Lemon balm can be combined with other herbs in tinctures or teas such as lavender and peppermint, which can also help with relaxation,” Dr. Sharp says. Fans of the Sleepy Girl Mocktail will be happy to learn that Dr.
Cohen confirms can even be layered with other sleep-promoting ingredients like melatonin, magnesium, or valerian. (In fact, you might notice lemon balm is an ingredient, along with L-theanine and melatonin, in popular sleep gummies .) While lemon balm has historically been used to help indigestion, Amidor says there’s not enough research backing up this claim for her to give it RD approval for drinking after a meal.
(With the exception of a study done in mice , there’s very little evidence showing lemon balm can help the human digestive system.) Still, there's plenty of anecdotal evidence, so if you find it eases bloating or digestion issues, Amidor says it’s safe to use every now and then. If you’re dealing with recurrent indigestion though she suggests paying a visit to your health care provider to get to the root cause—because a cup of organic lemon balm leaf tea isn’t the answer.
Dr. Cohen also points out that, interestingly, while some find lemon balm tea helpful when dealing with tummy troubles, others might find it does just the opposite. “It can also cause bloating and an upset stomach,” the expert says.
Oh, and as for the TikTok claims that making a lemon balm elixir can be a flat-tummy cure? “There’s also no scientific evidence to back up the bloating and weight loss claims,” Amidor says. “I would call this trend fiction.” (You probably already knew the answer to that one though.
) All experts we spoke to emphasize that it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider before taking any herbal supplements—and yes, that includes tea. Your doctor can ensure it’s safe for you and won’t interact with any medication you’re already taking. For example, Amidor says, if you’re taking medications for HIV, prescription sedatives, or if you have any thyroid issues or are on thyroid medication, you’ll want to avoid lemon balm tea.
You’ll also want to skip if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding , as there’s also been no research looking at lemon balm in pregnancy, Dr. Cohen says. Plus, while drinking tea might seem pretty harmless, making it an indefinite habit can be risky.
“Lemon balm tea doesn't have research over six months, so at this point I wouldn't recommend drinking it long term,” Amidor says. And remember, she adds, lemon balm tea is supposed to help you relax and sleep, but it can also cause drowsiness. On my own box I found this drowsiness warning and a note to exercise caution if driving or involved in activities requiring mental alertness.
Lastly, Dr. Sharp says that while lemon balm is overall a great herbal option for relaxation with few side effects, it can cause dizziness at high doses. So it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor to make sure you pick the right formulation and dose for you.
(More on that below.) If you don’t have access to a lemon balm plant, in the words of Ina Garten, store-bought is fine. “Herbalist recommendations are to infuse 1⁄2-1 teaspoon of dried herb in hot water,” Dr.
Cohen says. Or, instead of measuring out dried leaves, you can go with tea bags already prepped for you in single servings, which was my preferred method. Just add hot or boiling water and you’re set.
Just keep in mind that lemon balm tea is typically sold as a "supplement" (not a food), which means that it’s poorly regulated, Amidor says. “Look for a company that has third-party testing to ensure quality and that the amount of tea in the product is actually there, not more or less,” she advises. The problem is, with a lack of research on lemon balm tea alone, we don’t really know how much is optimal to drink, experts say.
“Most studies use 300-600 mg doses, but when using tea it can be challenging to know the exact dose,” Dr. Sharp says. My box suggested enjoying three cups a day but Dr.
Sharp advises starting with the smallest amount possible—so, one cup a day—and observing whether you notice the relaxation and stress-relieving benefits before upping your intake. As for when to add lemon balm to your routine, Dr. Cohen says it’s best to use when you’re dealing with those acute, situational bouts of anxiety—just ideally not in the middle of a busy workday or when you need to be “on.
” “If you choose to drink it daily, do so at night or when you don't need to be mentally alert,” Amidor says. Knowing the digestion benefits were limited, I was mostly interested in finding out whether lemon balm tea could help my stress and sleep—admittedly a tough ask in the month leading up to a historic election . I took the experts’ advice and began drinking one cup of lemon balm tea nightly.
I was disappointed as a lemon lover that it wasn’t all that, well, lemony , but it had a mild citrusy taste I could get behind. I was skeptical that I’d notice any benefits, but found it was actually the perfect solution for dealing with that “tired but wired” feeling when you're somehow exhausted but unable to relax at the same time. It also seemed to reduce the number of nights when I was unable to fall asleep because I was anxious about something happening the next day (which of course, only makes you feel more anxious about how tired you’ll be!).
Now for the confession: Drinking lemon balm tea didn’t necessarily ease my stress or help my sleep more than any other herbal tea variety, like chamomile tea, that I’ve tried in the past. For me, I realized it’s as much about the tea-making ritual as the actual tea-drinking—I’m definitely guilty of getting distracted and forgetting my mug once I’ve turned on Bravo. But whether it was the lemon balm or establishing a pre-bedtime routine that didn’t involve doom scrolling or reaching for a glass of wine , I can’t deny that I did sleep well the month I was drinking lemon balm tea—and my Oura ring backed it up.
At the end of the day, you probably won’t notice any life-changing benefits from drinking lemon balm tea—it won’t cure chronic issues like depression or insomnia or get you a flatter stomach. But if you’re a curious tea drinker wondering if it could help with occasional sleep or stress? It’s definitely worth picking up a box on your next grocery store run..
