Lemon Balm
HerbalAlso called · 5 names▾▴
Melissa officinalis, Melissa, Melissa leaf, Melissae folium, lemon balm leaf
Herbal supplement (stress, sleep, and digestion)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Tea
- Capsule/tablet
- Liquid extract
- Powder
Research strength: 2 / 5
The EMA's 2013 monograph says lemon balm leaf use during pregnancy is not recommended because the evidence is insufficient. MotherToBaby says herbs used in food preparation in moderation are not expected to be of concern, but its sheet does not name lemon balm. Trabace et al. (2015) interviewed 600 women and listed lemon balm among commonly used herbs, but reported outcome findings for chamomile, fennel, and ginger, not lemon balm. Im et al. (2023) surveyed 333 women in Brazil within six weeks after birth and recorded medicinal lemon balm use by two participants, without reporting outcomes for those two people. The EMA monograph and these studies do not give first-trimester lemon balm findings. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology service
- Trabace et al. (2015): Natural relief of pregnancy-related symptoms and neonatal outcomesUS government
- Im et al. (2023): Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancyUS government
Research strength: 2 / 5
The EMA's 2013 monograph says lemon balm leaf use during pregnancy is not recommended because the evidence is insufficient. MotherToBaby says herbs used in food preparation in moderation are not expected to be of concern, but its sheet does not name lemon balm. Trabace et al. (2015) interviewed 600 women and listed lemon balm among commonly used herbs, but reported outcome findings for chamomile, fennel, and ginger, not lemon balm. Im et al. (2023) surveyed 333 women in Brazil within six weeks after birth and recorded medicinal lemon balm use by two participants, without reporting outcomes for those two people. The EMA monograph and these studies do not give second-trimester lemon balm findings. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology service
- Trabace et al. (2015): Natural relief of pregnancy-related symptoms and neonatal outcomesUS government
- Im et al. (2023): Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancyUS government
Research strength: 2 / 5
The EMA's 2013 monograph says lemon balm leaf use during pregnancy is not recommended because the evidence is insufficient. MotherToBaby says herbs used in food preparation in moderation are not expected to be of concern, but its sheet does not name lemon balm. Trabace et al. (2015) interviewed 600 women and listed lemon balm among commonly used herbs, but reported outcome findings for chamomile, fennel, and ginger, not lemon balm. Im et al. (2023) surveyed 333 women in Brazil within six weeks after birth and recorded medicinal lemon balm use by two participants, without reporting outcomes for those two people. The EMA monograph and these studies do not give third-trimester lemon balm findings. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology service
- Trabace et al. (2015): Natural relief of pregnancy-related symptoms and neonatal outcomesUS government
- Im et al. (2023): Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancyUS government
Lemon Balm — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 2 / 5
LactMed reports no measurements of lemon balm components in milk and no studies of lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or infants. It describes a poor-quality 2018 tea trial that included lemon balm with several herbs, but not barley malt. A separate 2021 trial tested a barley malt, beta-glucan, and powdered lemon balm product in mothers whose babies were born early, so neither trial isolates lemon balm's effect. The 2026 review found low-certainty evidence for the combined product at day 7; LactMed says the evidence over the 14-day period is very low certainty. LactMed's estimate of small milk amounts at usual doses is unmeasured; the EMA advises against medicinal use because evidence is insufficient, and LactMed says milk-supply products should not replace assessment of factors affecting production. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- LactMed: Lemon BalmUS government
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., foliumEU agencyEuropean guidance
- Ozalkaya et al. (2018): Effect of a galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk productionUS government
- Wesolowska et al. (2021): Barley malt-based composition as a galactagogueUS government
- Cragg et al. (2026): Herbal galactagogues to improve breastmilk production and lactation in mothers of preterm babiesUS government
Pregnancy
Two observational studies mention medicinal lemon balm use. Trabace et al. (2015) interviewed 600 women within three days after childbirth; lemon balm was among the herbs listed as commonly used, but the abstract reports outcome findings for chamomile, fennel, and ginger, not lemon balm. Im et al. (2023) surveyed 333 women who had given birth within six weeks at one hospital in Brazil; 63 reported medicinal herbal use and two of those 63 reported lemon balm. The study authors said that low counts of delivery complications and birth defects prevented them from establishing an association between herbal medicine use and pregnancy outcomes. The article does not report lemon-balm-specific pregnancy or newborn outcomes. These studies provide exposure observations, not a lemon-balm-specific estimate for miscarriage, birth defects, fetal growth, or newborn effects.
Breastfeeding
Ozalkaya et al. (2018) studied 85 mothers of babies born early for 7 days: 32 received an herbal tea, 32 received fruit tea, and 21 received supportive measures. LactMed says the herbal tea contained 1% stinging nettle and unspecified amounts of lemon balm, caraway, anise, fennel, goat's rue, and lemon grass. The abstract reported milk output increases in 80% of the tea group, 34.3% of the fruit-tea group, and 30% of the control group (reported P = 0.000). LactMed rated the study poor quality because it was not blinded, the randomization method was not stated, no intention-to-treat analysis was done, and results were internally inconsistent. The study measured infant weight gain; LactMed reports no statistically significant group difference, with formula feeds given when milk was insufficient. Wesolowska et al. (2021) randomized 117 mothers whose babies were born early to a proprietary barley malt and beta-glucan product with powdered lemon balm or placebo; 80 completed the study, 40 per group. The study reported last-visit expressed milk volume of 95 mL in the product group versus 62.5 mL in the placebo group, and total expressed milk of 6,036 mL versus 4,209 mL over the study. Nutropharma LLC sponsored the 2021 trial, one author was affiliated with its R&D department, and ingredient amounts were not disclosed. Cragg et al. (2026) reviewed 10 randomized trials and rated the combined barley malt and lemon balm result low certainty at day 7 (mean difference 149 mL, 95% CI 38 to 260 mL); evidence for milk volume over the 14-day intervention was very low certainty in LactMed's summary of the review. Neither trial isolates lemon balm's effect. LactMed reports no milk-level measurements or studies of lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or infants.
LactMed identifies lemon balm as Melissa officinalis and describes leaf constituents including citronellal, neral, geranial, rosmarinic acid, and monoterpene glycosides. The EMA monograph covers medicinal leaf preparations, including herbal tea and powdered leaf. Product amounts and composition can vary, and the ingredient amounts in the studied combination product were not disclosed.
What was tested
The pregnancy studies reviewed were observational reports of herbal use, not trials of lemon balm. The 2018 lactation study tested a commercial multi-herb tea containing lemon balm plus six other herbs, including 1% stinging nettle, in mothers of babies born early; it did not contain barley malt. The separate 2021 trial tested a proprietary drink made with powdered lemon balm leaf, barley malt, beta-glucan, sucrose, and flavoring; it did not test lemon balm by itself. No direct lemon balm milk-level study or infant-only exposure study was identified in the reviewed LactMed record.
Medicinal lemon balm leaf during breastfeeding
- Source A says
- LactMed reports that no lemon balm components have been measured in milk and no studies of lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or infants are available. It estimates that smaller amounts expected in milk at usual maternal doses are likely not to be harmful, while noting that the amounts have not been demonstrated. (LactMed: Lemon Balm)
- Source B says
- The EMA says use during lactation is not recommended because sufficient data are lacking. (European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., folium)
- Why they differ
- The EMA applies a precautionary approach to medicinal leaf preparations when data are insufficient. LactMed adds an unmeasured estimate about transfer at usual maternal doses, while also reporting no direct milk-level or lemon-balm-only infant study data.
- What the evidence shows overall
- No milk-level measurements or lemon-balm-only infant outcome studies are reported in the sources reviewed. Under R2, the EMA's advice based on missing data supports an insufficient rating, not a rating based on an established harm signal. LactMed's estimate is not a measured transfer level or infant outcome.
- MotherToBaby says herbs used in food preparation in moderation are not expected to be of concern; its general fact sheet does not identify lemon balm or extend that statement to medicinal preparations. (MotherToBaby: Herbal Products)
- LactMed says milk-supply products should be used along with assessment and counseling about factors that affect milk production. (LactMed: Lemon Balm)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
The EMA's 2021 action and 2024 follow-up concerned one fixed product made from nine herb extracts prepared with ethanol, including Melissa leaf, not lemon balm alone. The 2021 product information added a warning that liver injury, including liver failure, had been reported with the product, plus a contraindication for people with current or previous liver disease or who take medicines with a liver-damage side effect. LactMed lists occasional nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and wheezing in adults.
- For the fixed nine-extract product, the EMA package leaflet states: "Cases of drug induced liver injury including liver failure have been reported with the use of [medicinal product]." It also states: "Do not use [medicinal product] if you have or have had a liver disease or if you are taking medicines with a side effect of liver damage included in the package leaflet." These warnings apply to that combination product, not lemon balm alone. (EMA/CMDh: PSUSA conclusions for nine ethanol extracts including Melissa officinalis leaf)
- The EMA's 2024 follow-up lists the regulatory outcome for the same nine-extract product combination as "Maintenance". (EMA: PSUSA/00010800/202311 follow-up for nine ethanol extracts)
- LactMed reports occasional nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and wheezing in adults using lemon balm as a drug. (LactMed: Lemon Balm)
- European Medicines Agency: Community herbal monograph on Melissa officinalis L., foliumEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2013-05-14Independent checkEuropean guidance
- MotherToBaby: Herbal ProductsTeratology serviceSecondaryIndependent check
- LactMed: Lemon BalmUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-03-15Independent check
- Ozalkaya et al. (2018): Effect of a galactagogue herbal tea on breast milk productionUS governmentPrimary
- Trabace et al. (2015): Natural relief of pregnancy-related symptoms and neonatal outcomesUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2015-11-04
- Im et al. (2023): Assessing the safety and use of medicinal herbs during pregnancyUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2023-09-19Independent check
- Wesolowska et al. (2021): Barley malt-based composition as a galactagogueUS governmentPrimary
- Cragg et al. (2026): Herbal galactagogues to improve breastmilk production and lactation in mothers of preterm babiesUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2025-12-05Independent check
- EMA/CMDh: PSUSA conclusions for nine ethanol extracts including Melissa officinalis leafEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2021-11-04European guidance
- EMA: PSUSA/00010800/202311 follow-up for nine ethanol extractsEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2024-07-16European guidance
Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Independent check 2026-10-16
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.