{"ok":true,"entry":{"slug":"lemon-balm","kind":"supplement","name":"lemon balm","aliases":["Melissa officinalis"],"brands_sg":["California Gold Nutrition","Swanson Vitamins","Herb Pharm","Nature's Way","Frontier Co-op"],"class":"botanical","tags":["sleep","cognitive"],"use_for":"sold for calm and sleep · human evidence is limited","use_after":null,"use_duration":null,"take_with":null,"pros":["2021 meta-analysis: lower anxiety scores vs placebo","that review reported no serious side effects","a 2026 trial: better hard executive-function trials"],"cons":["that meta-analysis had high heterogeneity","the 2025 sleep review is narrative, not pooled","2025 review: sleep trials include combination products"],"dose_note":"published trials use single branded extracts rather than a standard dose: 300 mg of one extract in an acute 2026 cognitive-overload study, and 400 mg a day of a phospholipid extract for 3 weeks in a small cortisol sub-analysis; the 2021 meta-analysis abstract states no dose. no rda, ul or fda daily value exists for lemon balm, and hsa's tables 4–5 cover vitamins and minerals only, so no sg daily maximum applies","dosage":{"ul":null,"unit":"mg","fda_dv":null,"rda_ai":null,"ul_status":"none_established","population":"general adult","hsa_max_daily":null},"ul_status":"none_established","sg_class":null,"cautions":["evidence is short-term — the 2025 review calls for rigorous trials","sleep evidence includes combination products, not lemon balm alone","singapore: not listed in hsa annex a or b, which is not a safety clearance"],"clashes":[],"sources":[{"id":"ghazizadeh2021","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/34449930","label":"The effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on depression and anxiety in clinical trials: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Ghazizadeh J et al.; Phytotherapy Research 2021; PMID 34449930)","quote":"lemon balm significantly improved mean anxiety and depression scores compared with the placebo (SMD: -0.98 …) … without serious side effects … Due to the high level of heterogeneity between studies, results should be interpreted with caution.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"ijms2025","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41226605","label":"Unraveling the Effects of Melissa officinalis L. on Cognition and Sleep Quality: A Narrative Review (Oliveira MVB et al.; Int J Mol Sci 2025; PMID 41226605)","quote":"a combination of lemon balm and valerian significantly improved sleep quality in postmenopausal women … lemon balm has the potential to improve cognition and sleep quality; however, robust evidence is needed, as more rigorous trials are required.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"zensera2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41782777","label":"Acute effects of a Melissa officinalis L. extract on mood and cognitive performance during cognitive overload (Mathews I et al.; Ther Adv Psychopharmacol 2026; PMID 41782777)","quote":"106 young healthy adults … 300 mg … For the primary outcome, no changes in overall calmness emerged. Zensera™ elicited improved performance on the hardest executive function trials at 5 h","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"mazzola2026","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42232738","label":"Salivary cortisol dynamics with a phospholipid-based Melissa officinalis supplement, secondary analysis in a subpopulation (Mazzola G et al.; Food Nutr Res 2026; PMID 42232738)","quote":"This secondary analysis evaluated a predefined subgroup (n = 12) receiving 400 mg/day of Melissa phospholipids for 3 weeks … provides preliminary evidence","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_pr_notlisted","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-chp-prohibited-restricted-ing-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines (Oct 2025), Annex A (118 rows, Abrus to Zinc) and Annex B (4 rows) — both searched, no row for this ingredient","quote":"The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"hsa_hs_limits","url":"https://file.go.gov.sg/hsa-hs-guidelines.pdf","label":"HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines (January 2026), clause 4.8 and Tables 4–5 (vitamins and minerals only)","quote":"HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.","accessed":"2026-08-27"},{"id":"iherb_sg","url":"https://sg.iherb.com/c/lemon-balm-melissa","label":"iHerb Singapore — Supplements > Herbs > Lemon Balm (Melissa) category page, default order (1 - 28 of 28 results); first 5 distinct brands: California Gold Nutrition, Swanson Vitamins, Herb Pharm, Nature's Way, Frontier Co-op","quote":"California Gold Nutrition, EuroHerbs™, Lemon Balm Extract … Swanson Vitamins, Full Spectrum®, Lemon Balm, 500 mg … Herb Pharm, Lemon Balm, Alcohol-Free … Nature's Way, Melissa Lemon Balm Leaf … Frontier Co-op, Organic Cut & Sifted Lemon Balm Leaf","accessed":"2026-08-27"}],"brand_certs":null,"updated_at":"2026-08-29T16:16:23.779398+08:00"},"disclaimer":"kozen-x is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. it lists what published sources have written down. absence of a record is not the same as safe."}