Lemon balm  (Melissa officinalis) has been used in herbal medicine for centuries to help treat imbalances in the central nervous system.  Its bioactive compounds including rosmarinic acid are demonstrated to have a calming, mood stabilizing, concentration boosting, and memory enhancing effects. Rosmarinic acid’s inhibiting interaction with the GABA-ergic system is also shown to produce anti-anxiety side-effects [Scholey et al. 2016]. In traditional medicine, lemon balm is also used to help relieve gas, muscle spasms, and pain  [Miraj et al. 2016]. 

Reviews of the scientific literature on lemon balm show that there are various studies that demonstrate its health benefits, most notably its antioxidant activity. Lemon balm is found to be a rich source of flavonoids, rosmaric acid, gallic acid, and phenols. These phytochemicals have antioxidant activities that reduce oxidative stress and ultimately inflammation, the root cause of various degenerative diseases  [Miraj et al. 2016; Shakeri 2016].

Reference(s) 

Miraj, S., Rafieian-Kopaei, Kiani, S. (2016). Melissa officinalis L: A Review Study With an Antioxidant Prospective. J Evid Based Complementary AlternMedecinepii: 2156587216663433. [Epub ahead of print].

Scholey, A., Gibbs, A., Neale, C., Perry, N., Ossoukhova, A., Bilog, V., Kras, M., Scholz, C., Sass, Mathias, and Buchwald-Werner, S. (2016). Anti-Stress Effects of Lemon Balm-Containing Foods. Nutrition 6: 485-4821. doi:10.3390/nu6114805. 

Shakeri, A., Sahebkar, A., Javadi, B. (2016). Melissa officinalis L. - A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistryand pharmacology. J Ethnopharmacol 188:204-28.doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.010.