This common garden herb may help you prevent cold sores,

Calm anxiety, and ease digestive complaints. By Maria Noel Mandile.

HEALTH CLAIMS

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is said to heal & prevent herpes outbreak, ease nerves and sleep disorders, & sooth irritable bowl syndrome (IBS) & digestion problems.

 Lemon balm, native to the eastern

 Mediterranean region and Western Asia, it grows wild in fields, along roadsides &

Grows abundantly in herb gardens in America. True to its name, it’s weedy – looking leaves taste & when rubbed, smells like lemons. Often called Melissa, lemon balm belongs to the mint Family of herbs.

Research suggests the phenolic compounds in lemon balm fight herpes topically by attaching to the virus receptor sites, inhibiting the virus’s ability to spread. Some experts believe that the essential oils that give lemon balm its strong scent relieve sleep disorders by calming the nervous system.

They theorize that the herb eases digestive complaints by relaxing the smooth muscles in the digestive system.

Lemon balm has demonstrated its anti – herpes activity in several studies. In a placebo – controlled, double blind study published in phytomedicine in 1999, 34 of 66 patients with a history of recurrent herpes on the lips and nose applied lemon balm cream to the affected areas four times a day for five days. Patients using lemon balm healed better and experienced nearly ½ the itching, burning, swelling, and tingling of the control group.

A placebo – controlled, double – blind Swiss study of healthy adults in 1999 tested tablets consisting of 80 mg of lemon balm & 120mg of the herb valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Patients who took the herb tablets 3 times daily had nearly 4 times better sleep quality than patients in the control group.

Lemon balm’s effectiveness in preventing & treating herpes is well documented. More scientific studies need to be done to determine the herb’s ability to ease anxiety, sleep disorders, IBS, & digestive complaints.