Lemon Balm and Reduced Systolic Blood Pressure

Research synthesisModerate evidenceModerate effect3 studies · 3 beneficial · 0 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 3 studies, all reported beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large; the predominant effect size was moderate. Effects were observed after 28 days of supplementation in hypertensive populations. The evidence base is small but consistent.

Studied populations: adults with hypertension (stage 1 or essential)

Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 3 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. Available evidence is overwhelmingly positive, which may reflect publication bias (null-result studies less likely to be published). The two RCTs used different forms (liquid extract vs. capsule) at different doses, so comparability is limited.

Generated Jul 11, 2026

Doses used in studies

mL/day: 10 (median 10, IQR 10–10) — 1 study
mg/day: 400 (median 400, IQR 400–400) — 1 study

Time to effect

Median: 4 weeks · IQR 4 weeks–4 weeks · Range 4 weeks–4 weeks — Reported in 2 of 3 studies

Safety in these studies

Overall tolerabilityReportedSerious adverse event
No serious adverse events were reported.
from: Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on cardio-metabolic outcomes: A systematic rev
Overall tolerabilityReported
no significant side effects were observed during the study.
from: Effect of Melissa officinalis on systolic and diastolic blood pressures in essential hyper

3 of 3 papersPopulation:

Comparison of the effects of Echium amoenum and Melissa officinalis on hypertension in stage 1 hypertensive patients: A randomized, triple-blind, three-arm clinical trial.
- 2025-12
- RCT · n = 105
- Complementary therapies in medicine 95
- - Melika Jafari Dehnayebi
  - Pouya Zeidy
  - Soheila Shamsikhani
  - Mehdi Salehi
  - Mehdi Safarabadi
- PubMed: 41101745
- DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103266
2 Insights on
- Reduced Systolic Blood Pressure
- High evidence
- Large Human Trial
- Clinical
The Melissa officinalis group had the greatest decrease in SBP (8 mmHg)... Significant within-group reductions in both SBP and DBP were observed in the Melissa officinalis ... groups (p < 0.001).
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes
Dose
10 mL/day
Effect of Melissa officinalis on systolic and diastolic blood pressures in essential hypertension: A double-blind crossover clinical trial.
- 2021-11-11
- RCT · n = 49
- Phytotherapy research : PTR 35(12)
- - Zahra Shekarriz
  - Seyed Afshin Shorofi
  - Maryam Nabati
  - Bizhan Shabankhani
  - Seyde Sedighe Yousefi
- PubMed: 34766389
- DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7251
2 Insights on
- Reduced Systolic Blood Pressure
- High evidence
- Clinical
Systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly decreased after the consumption of M. officinalis, compared to placebo. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures in group A at the beginning of the study were 152.30 ± 5.312 mmHg and 95.52 ± 1.988 mmHg, respectively, and, after the first phase (drug use), reached 129.88 ± 9.009 mmHg and 80.13 ± 5.488 mmHg, respectively. ... after the second phase (drug use), reached 131.77 ± 8.091 mmHg and 81.46 ± 7.426 mmHg, (p = .005), respectively.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Significant
Yes
Dose
400 mg/d
Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on cardio-metabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 2020-07-02
- Meta-Analysis
- Phytotherapy research : PTR 34(12)
- - Javad Heshmati
  - Mojgan Morvaridzadeh
  - Mahdi Sepidarkish
  - Siavash Fazelian
  - Mehran Rahimlou
  - Amirhossein Omidi
  - Andriko Palmowski
  - Akbar Asadi
  - Farzad Shidfar
- PubMed: 32614129
- DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6744
9 Insights on
- Reduced Systolic Blood Pressure
- High evidence
a reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) (SMD: -0.56; 95% CI: -0.85, -0.27; I² = 00.0%; k = 3)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Moderate
Significant
Yes

Lemon Balm and Reduced Systolic Blood Pressure

Comparison of the effects of Echium amoenum and Melissa officinalis on hypertension in stage 1 hypertensive patients: A randomized, triple-blind, three-arm clinical trial.

Effect of Melissa officinalis on systolic and diastolic blood pressures in essential hypertension: A double-blind crossover clinical trial.

Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on cardio-metabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.