What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Lemon balm benefits: where the science stands
For stress and anxiety: not settled yet.
Stress and anxiety are what most people take lemon balm for, and the best studies disagree: one found it helps, one found no effect. As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 12 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 43 papers on PubMed that mention lemon balm. Every claim is checked below.
43 papers on PubMed · evidence from 12 trials
Claim by claim
- Stress and anxietyThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
- Blood pressureAlmost no real studies. What exists leans positive.
- Blood sugarThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
- CholesterolWell studied, and it works. The biggest review covered 6 trials.
See 4 more scored claims+
- InflammationThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
- Memory and focusThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
- MoodThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- SleepThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
Pairs people ask about
The seven sources we read
- 2016Randomized trial · 58 people · benefit for cholesterolsource
- 2018Randomized trial · 80 people · benefit for cholesterol; benefit for inflammationsource
- 2018Randomized trial · 80 people · benefit for mood; benefit for sleep; benefit for stress and anxietysource
- 2020Meta-analysis · pools 3 trials · moderate benefit for blood pressure; no clear effect on blood sugar; small benefit for cholesterol; no clear effect on inflammationsource
- 2023Randomized trial · 323 people · no clear effect on memory and focussource
- 2024Crossover trial · moderate benefit for sleep; no clear effect on stress and anxietysource
- 2025Meta-analysis · benefit for moodsource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 43 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does lemon balm work?+
For stress and anxiety, it is not settled. The best studies disagree.
Is lemon balm safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
Why only 7 sources, when PubMed lists 43?+
The 43 is every paper that mentions lemon balm in any way: animal studies, blood measurements, papers where it is a side note. The strongest sources are combined reviews, and each one already gathers every trial its authors could find. Our 7 cover 12 trials between them, and every one is linked above. Both counts are measured, not estimated.