What lemon balm tea can and cannot do for stress, sleep, mood and your stomach, in plain words.
Lemon balm tea is a gentle herb tea with a soft lemon smell. You might reach for a cup after a long day, when your mind won’t slow down. Many people drink it to feel calm, to sleep better and to settle an upset stomach. Studies suggest lemon balm can ease worry and low mood. It may also help when stress keeps you up. But many studies used pills, strong extracts or herb mixes, not a simple cup of tea. And some people get a headache or feel dizzy.
What Is Lemon Balm Tea?
Lemon balm is a leafy green plant in the mint family. It looks a lot like mint. But rub a leaf between your fingers, and you smell lemon instead. That is how it got its name. You may know it as a calming tea. It has natural plant chemicals that researchers think give it that calm.
The plant first grew around the Mediterranean Sea, in parts of Europe and in Central Asia. Now it grows all over the world. It comes back year after year, so one pot keeps you going.
You are far from the first to try it. People have used it for a very long time. In old folk medicine, people used it for nerves, worry and poor sleep. They also used it for periods that did not come on time.
How You Can Get It
You can find lemon balm in a few forms:
- Dried leaves or tea bags, for hot or iced tea
- Pills and other supplements
- Essential oil, which you mix with a plain oil before it goes on your skin
You will find lemon balm in lots of herb products. It is often mixed with other plants. So if you buy a tea blend, read the label to see what else is inside.
A Cup of Tea Is Not a Pill
Keep one thing in mind as you read on. Much of the research did not use tea. It used strong extracts, pills or mixes of several herbs. So the results may not match what one cup of tea can do. Be wary of big promises online.
Think of it like a recipe. If a study tested a whole meal, you can’t be sure what one spice did on its own.
Can Lemon Balm Tea Help With Stress?
Maybe you had one of those days. The emails kept coming, the kids needed you, and your shoulders are up by your ears. Easing stress is what lemon balm is best known for. It was used for nerves long before anyone studied it.
What the Studies Found
A lab study found that lemon balm extract can raise GABA. GABA is a brain chemical that helps you feel calm.
In 2021, a team pulled together the trials on lemon balm for worry and low mood. In those trials, lemon balm lowered scores for anxiety and low mood more than a fake pill did. No serious side effects were reported. That is good news.
But the team urged care. There were only a few trials, and each one was run in its own way. So the results are a first step, not the last word. Better studies are still needed.
One small study did use a drink, a bit like the one in your cup. People drank iced tea with 300 mg of lemon balm in it. They felt less anxious and did better on a memory task than people who got a dummy drink.
What That Means for You
Is it a hard week? A cup of lemon balm tea may bring you a little relief. A doctor at Cleveland Clinic says it may help with mild worry or a stressful time. It may even help a mild low mood.
But a tea is not a treatment for serious anxiety, long stress or depression. Depression can be a serious illness. If worry or sadness is taking over your days, please talk to your doctor. Your doctor can help.
Can Lemon Balm Tea Help You Sleep?
It is 11 at night. You are tired, but your mind is still going over tomorrow. This is where lemon balm may help a little.
The same doctor says lemon balm could help you sleep now and then. That is when mild worry is what keeps you up. And you may not wake up groggy, the way you can after some sleeping pills.
Most Sleep Studies Used Mixes
Here is the catch you should know. Many sleep studies did not test lemon balm on its own. They mixed it with other herbs:
- Women with menopause symptoms took lemon balm with valerian, another calming herb. After 4 weeks, they slept better than women who took a fake pill.
- Healthy adults aged 20 to 70 with mild sleep trouble took lemon balm with valerian for 30 days. Their sleep did not get better than with a fake pill.
- 40 adults who had trouble sleeping took a mix that included lemon balm. After 2 weeks of sleep diaries, they slept longer, fell asleep faster and woke up less.
- 23 adults with insomnia took lemon balm with lavender for 4 weeks. Their sleep, worry and low mood scores dropped more than with a fake pill.
What the Research Says So Far
A 2024 review looked at all of this. It said the effect of lemon balm on sleep and mood is still not clear in middle-aged adults. The reason is simple. When a study mixes three herbs, it is like a cake made by three cooks. No one can say who made it taste good.
When a Cup Is Not Enough
A warm cup can be a nice part of your evening. But if you struggle to sleep most nights, talk to your doctor. Sleep problems can be complex, and a tea may not fix them.
Want to know how you really slept? Take our free Sleep Check. You answer 6 quick questions and see your sleep efficiency in about 30 seconds. No sign-up.
Lemon Balm for Focus, Your Stomach and Cold Sores
Lemon balm is not only about calm and sleep. You may also see it used to think more clearly, to settle the stomach and to heal cold sores.
Focus and Memory
In one small study, people took lemon balm extract. Then they did memory and math tasks on a computer. Their mood and their thinking got better.
You may like the sound of that. But it was a small study, and it used an extract, not tea. The same doctor says it may show promise for thinking. But more studies are needed to learn how it works.
A 2024 review agreed. It called lemon balm a promising calming herb. It said the herb may also help thinking and sleep. And it asked for stronger trials. One more thing is worth knowing: a company, Givaudan France Naturals, paid for that review.
Bloating and an Upset Stomach
Feeling puffy after dinner? Lemon balm may help a little. Some research suggests it can calm cramps in the gut and ease mild tummy trouble.
You will see lemon balm in lots of store remedies for the stomach. They may help with gas or indigestion now and then. They often mix it with ginger, mint and other herbs, so check the label. Want to compare the teas people reach for when they feel puffy? Read about herbal tea for bloating.
But if stomach pain or acid reflux keeps coming back, don’t count on lemon balm. See your doctor to find the cause.
Cold Sores
If you get cold sores, here is some good news. In one study, a cream with lemon balm cleared them faster than a dummy cream. If you use lemon balm oil, mix it with a plain oil first. Full-strength oil can sting your skin and make things worse.
Is Lemon Balm Tea Safe?
Thinking of a nightly cup? First, here is what we know about safety. And here is what we don’t.
Side Effects
Lemon balm can give you side effects, like:
- A headache
- Feeling dizzy
- An upset stomach
The trials on worry and low mood did not report serious side effects. A U.S. government guide on the liver also looked at lemon balm. It says lemon balm extracts are generally seen as safe, and they have not been linked to liver damage.
What We Still Don’t Know
No studies have looked at using lemon balm for a long time. That does not mean it is unsafe. It means no one has checked yet. So treat it like a new pair of shoes: try it for a short walk first. Drinking it for a mild problem? If it is not better in a week or two, stop. Then see your doctor.
Talk to Your Doctor First If
Herbs can be as strong as medicines, and they can cause side effects. Check with your doctor before you use lemon balm if:
- You have a health condition
- You take any medicine
- You want to take lemon balm pills or other supplements
If you take pills, follow the directions on the package, and don’t take more than it says.
Blends Have More Than One Herb
Your lemon balm tea may be a blend. In the studies above, lemon balm was mixed with valerian, lavender or fennel. Store remedies for the stomach often add ginger and mint. Each herb in your cup can have its own effects. So read the full list, and tell your doctor about every herb you use.
How to Make Lemon Balm Tea Part of Your Evening
Ready to try it? Here are five easy steps.
- Pick a plain lemon balm tea, or read the label of a blend so you know every herb inside.
- Brew a cup at a calm time, like the evening, and notice how you feel.
- Try one new thing at a time, so you can tell what helps.
- Watch for a headache, dizziness or an upset stomach.
- See your doctor if your stress, sleep or stomach trouble does not get better.
Love the idea of lemon balm at bedtime, but your mind still races at 11? Meet Sleep, our night formula made for women over 40. Lemon balm is in it, next to chamomile and passion flower, calming plants that help you unwind. It also has 10 mg of melatonin, which helps promote a balanced and restful sleep schedule. No sugar gummies. No knock-out pills. Just two capsules before bed, and 60 days to feel it, or it’s free.
Common Questions
What is lemon balm tea good for?
People drink lemon balm tea to feel calm and to sleep better when worry keeps them up. Some drink it to settle a bloated stomach. Studies suggest lemon balm can ease worry and low mood. But much of that research used extracts, pills or herb mixes. So the results may not match a cup of tea.
Does lemon balm tea help you lose belly fat?
The reviews we read looked at stress, mood, sleep and thinking, not belly fat. So there is no proof here that the tea burns fat. Sorry, we wish a cup of tea could do that too. If a flatter belly is your goal, your doctor can help you find a plan that fits you.
Can you drink lemon balm tea every day?
Nobody has studied whether long-term use is safe. So drink it for a mild problem, and if it is not better in a week or two, stop. Then see your doctor. And check with your doctor first if you have a health condition or take any medicine.
Does lemon balm tea make you sleepy?
Lemon balm is a calming herb. It may help with trouble sleeping now and then, when mild worry is the cause. And you may not feel groggy the next day, as you might after some sleeping pills. Some people do feel dizzy after taking it.
Who should not drink lemon balm tea?
Talk to your doctor before you use lemon balm if you have a health condition or take any medicine. Herbs can be as strong as medicines. Stop if you get a headache, feel dizzy or get an upset stomach. And heavy worry, deep sadness or long sleep problems need a doctor’s care.
Sources
- What Is Lemon Balm Good For?, Cleveland Clinic
- The effects of lemon balm on depression and anxiety in clinical trials: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Phytotherapy Research, 2021
- Clinical Efficacy and Tolerability of Lemon Balm in Psychological Well-Being: A Review, Nutrients, 2024
- Lemon Balm, LiverTox, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
