If you’ve spent any time with Joyous Health, you probably know how much I love celebrating the wonderful remedies provided by Mother Earth! I’ve written about the benefits of lavender, ginger, cinnamon, tea tree, turmeric, comfrey root, reishi, and many others. Today, I want to focus on one of my favorite herbs: lemon balm! It’s incredibly versatile and can be used both topically and internally for amazing health and beauty benefits.
While lemon balm is best known for calming stress and anxiety, it has so much more to offer! Below, I’ll discuss everything you need to know about this incredible herb, including its seven powerful health and beauty benefits.
### What is Lemon Balm?
Lemon balm, also known as Melissa officinalis, belongs to the mint family and has a distinctive lemony aroma. Although it grows easily worldwide, it is native to West Asia, North Africa, and Europe. This herb is used both in cooking and medicinally. Traditionally, since the Middle Ages, it has been employed in herbal medicine as a nerve tonic to reduce anxiety and lift mood. Lemon balm contains a powerful antioxidant and antimicrobial agent called rosmarinic acid, which we’ll explore more below.
Lemon balm is easy to cultivate and flourishes abundantly in gardens, so I recommend growing it in a pot to prevent it from overtaking your garden like mint does.
### 7 Amazing Health Benefits of Lemon Balm
1. **Helps Relieve Stress**
One of the most notable benefits of lemon balm is its ability to ease stress, which can greatly improve digestive health and function. The brain and digestive system are closely linked, so stress and anxiety can lead to stomach discomfort. If worry causes you to lose your appetite or get stomachaches, this herb can be a great help. I love sipping my favorite TLC Tea to soothe my nerves.
2. **Can Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety**
Symptoms of anxiety, such as excitability and nervousness, can be alleviated by enjoying lemon balm regularly. This study showed it helped reduce anxiety symptoms, helping you feel more joyful and calm, which is why it’s a key ingredient in our calming TLC Tea.
3. **Can Improve Sleep Quality**
Good, restorative sleep is crucial for joyous health. I’ve shared some of my top tips for better sleep here and here. Lemon balm is included in my list of herbal remedies because studies found that when combined with valerian, it improved sleep quality by 70-80%! Unwinding with a calming cup of TLC Tea before bed, enriched with herbs like chamomile, lavender, and passionflower, can help you drift into restful sleep.
4. **May Support Cognitive Function**
Most benefits of lemon balm relate to nourishing the nervous system by reducing stress and anxiety and improving sleep. Some studies showed that participants who consumed lemon balm performed better on cognitive tests and were more alert. While more research is needed, incorporating lemon balm into your daily routine may support brain health.
5. **Can Relieve Indigestion and Nausea**
Like mint, lemon balm can help with digestion, particularly with indigestion. As mentioned, its stress-reducing properties benefit digestive health, and a study found that dessert with lemon balm helped relieve indigestion. It may also ease nausea when paired with other herbs like ginger or mint. Try cooking with this fragrant herb or sipping a tea after meals for digestive support.
6. **Can Reduce Skin Swelling and Irritation**
Beyond tea, lemon balm can benefit the skin as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. It reduces swelling and irritation, thanks to its rich flavonoids and rosmarinic acid, which act as antioxidants to diminish fine lines and wrinkles. This is why lemon balm is a key ingredient in our Magical Mist Toner, offering a refreshing spritz and fantastic benefits!
7. **Has Antibacterial Properties**
Lemon balm also boasts antibacterial properties. It can cleanse pores and may reduce blackheads when applied to the skin. Rosmarinic acid can balance oily skin, making lemon balm a valuable ingredient in skincare products for treating acne. Each spray of our Magical Mist delivers healing vitamins and antioxidants, creating the ideal canvas for a nourishing serum.
For more on functional herbal ingredients in skincare, see here and here.
I hope this post motivates you to incorporate lemon balm into your routine, whether to enjoy its calming effects in tea or to support radiant skin with our amazing Magical Mist. Hello Joyous offers clean, organic products with this healing herb to make the experience simple and delightful!
Xo Joy
