Review on Lemon Balm Herb and its Evaluation

Abstract

The development of drugs from medicinal herbs may be good to find novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of anxiety. Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) belongs to the Lamiaceae family and grows widely in the Mediterranean region, western Asia, southwestern Siberia, and northern Africa. Melissa officinalis L. has been used in traditional medicine to treat headaches, indigestion, colic, nervousness, cardiac failure and depression. In addition, it has been reported in several researches that lemon balm had many beneficial effects such as anti-inflammatory and ant nociceptive, Antioxidant. leaves contain several classes of constituents including polyphenolic compounds (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid), essential oils (geranial, neral, citronellal, geraniol, beta-pinene, alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, germacrene D, and ocimene), monotherpenoid aldehydes, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids (luteolin) and tannins. The aims of this study were to evaluate the phytochemical screening of ethanolic extract of Melissa officinalis L. One study examined a chemically-validated essential oil derived from Melissa and found that Melissa inhibited binding of GABAA to receptor channel in the rat forebrain, but had no effect on or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (Abuhamdah et al., 2008). They also found that Melissa elicited a significant dose-dependent reduction in both inhibitory and excitatory transmission.. The aromatic balm leaves are often used in beverages and as a seasoning in salads, dressings and sauces, as well as in cooked foods, e.g., in soups and stews. Some vernacular names are balm, common balm, blue balm, dropsy plant, honey plant, Herzkraut, citronelle, cytria, cedronella.