This herb actually works, we tried to put some leafs into a curry-stew and then we drank some tea, both "test-subjects" felt, very very relaxed, like WOW is this really only "Lemon balm" AKA "Melissa officinalis", or is it something else in there??? (I think we might have taken a fairly large dose, maybe a bit too much)...




Anyway, just like the plants in article 1. Lavendel and 2. Skullcap, (of this series), "Lemon balm" is from the mint family, but its origins are from the middle-eastern part of the Mediterranean area from south eastern Europe to Iran. It has been used in traditional herbal medicine in these areas and is now naturalized and grown in many other places.

Ingesting this herb did help a bit with anxiety, but I would almost recommend it as a sleep-aid more then an anxiolytic. I read that some people combine it with Yerba-maté to get a more "neutral effect" with less sleepiness. I had heard about "Lemon balm" being used and sold as a sleep-aid, but I did not really believe it had any profound effect, but now after doing some "beta-testing" I can tell you that it does help with both anxiety and insomnia, I took fairly large doses like a handful of dried up leaves, I also tried it as a tea in tea-bags. Drinking it as a tea from tea-bags was very nice but the effect was less prominent.



"Lemon Balm" contains a number of substances: eugenol, tannins, and terpenes. According to wikipedia the main active compound seems to be "Rosmarinic acid".

Rosmarinic acid is a potential anxiolytic as it acts as a GABA transaminase inhibitor, more specifically on 4-aminobutyrate transaminase: Source

Traditionally it has been used in conjunction with other herbs, and there could be a lot of synergy with other herbs, like skullcap and lavendel and such. It also potentiates some medications (for sleep and anxiety so keep that in mind).


I give "Lemon balm" three stars out of five, for being surprisingly potent.




Be careful not to use this herb when pregnant or breastfeeding and don't give large doses to infants, even though it should be quite safe, there has not been much research done on possible side-effects, so stay on the "safe side", I also read on webmd.com that it might be bad for people with Diabetes and Thyroid disease.

Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-437/lemon-balm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosmarinic_acid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_balm

Read my other articles from: Anxiety remedies that work:
Anxiety remedies that work part 1: Lavendel
Anxiety remedies that work part 2: Skullcap

Peace, Happiness, Love and Abundance to all steemians!

I want to advertise: @sorin.cristescu he is extremely knowledgable when it comes to all things blockchain, and he is running a witness node: @lux-witness, they have also introduced a bar-owner (@gudde-wellen) to STEEM so there is now a bar in Luxemburg where you can pay with STEEM!, how cool is that???!!! Im wondering if there are any other bars that take STEEM?


Thank you @artopium for introducing me to @artturtle!

I also want to thank @bigtom13, @eaglespirit, @janton, @moderndayhippie, @mountainjewel, @pwny, @headchange, @surfermarly and @yallapapi for being so positive, responsive and just generally inspiring. Cheers! /FF

P.S. Check out the tag #ihaveanxietytoo for more tips and tricks and helpful info, @mountainjewel did this awesome post on Valerian root another anxiolytic herb check it out, it's awesome!!! Feel free to use the tag to share your wisdom or ask for help with anxiety D.S.