Lemon Balm: The Common Garden Plant That Helps Boost Your Memory

Melissa officinalis is a common garden plant that grows up to three feet in height and produces attractive small white and yellow flowers. It is also referred to as lemon balm due to its heart-shaped leaves that smell strongly of lemon. Freshly chopped, these leaves are often used as an ingredient to garnish fish or meat dishes or can be made into a refreshing tea drink.

Melissa is renowned among herbalists for its soothing, calming and anti-stress properties. This accounts for its long history of use as a mild sedative for tension and for promoting sleep. It's also an effective anti-infective agent.

Now, recent research findings have unveiled a new, and what could easily be considered an even greater, health-related benefit attached to this plant. Scientists have found that it has a powerful memory-boosting action and may prove effective against serious memory disorders like Alzheimer's.

Old medical texts listing the benefits of Melissa have always maintained that it is able to improve memory but until now there was no scientific research to back this claim up.

Active ingredients in lemon balm can help avoid lapses in memory

The leaves of Melissa contain several types of flavonoids -- plant chemicals with a wide range of therapeutic benefits (Acta Pol Pharm 2002, 59(2):139-143).

For example, flavonoids help control the production of free radicals, which in turn helps reduce age-related damage to the brain. They also work in association with several hormones and other chemicals in the brain to regulate specific memory processes.

In a study conducted by scientists from the Human Neuroscience Unit, University of Northumbria, 20 healthy volunteers received Melissa supplements (at increasing doses of 300mg, 600mg and 900mg) or placebo. Tests to evaluate the participants' memory scores were conducted at hourly intervals.

The scientists found significant improvements in both attention span and memory function in the group taking the Melissa supplements. This improvement was dependent on the specific dosage amount received; with lower doses promoting calmness and the highest dose reducing alertness (Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2002, 72(4):953-964).

Melissa (lemon balm) helps your brain stay sharper for longer

One way in which Melissa is able to boost memory is by influencing a chemical messenger in your brain called acetylcholine. It is responsible for transmitting information between your brain cells and is involved in the areas of learning and memory, such as recall and the laying down of new information.

Supplies of acetylcholine naturally start to decline with age - meaning that there is less available to stimulate your brain cells into functioning properly. Research has found that Melissa is able to regenerate brain cell receptors and make them more receptive to acetylcholine, which helps improve memory.

In one study Melissa was found to be far superior to other plant remedies that are known to have brain boosting actions, including three Salvia species, artemisia and other Lamiaceous plants (J Ethnopharmacol 2000 69(2):105-114).

'Melissa officinalis extract is of value in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease'

These findings have important implications for Alzheimer's patients, as some experts believe that the disease is caused by a massive deficiency of acetylcholine. For this reason, Iranian researchers working at the Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Melissa in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

The study involved 42 Alzheimer's patients aged between 65 and 80 who were divided into two groups. The first group was given Melissa extract supplements whereas the second group received placebo. After four months the Melissa group experienced significant improvements in their symptoms, including memory and cognitive abilities, compared to the placebo group.

According to Dr S. Akhondzadeh who led the study: 'Melissa officinalis extract is of value in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and has a positive effect on agitation in such patients' (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr 2003, 74(7):863-866).

What to take for best results

The recommended dosage is one 450mg Melissa leaf capsule a day. Melissa leaf supplements can also be taken alongside the herb ginkgo biloba for a more pronounced effect on memory. Numerous studies have demonstrated ginkgo's ability to improve age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease (J Altern Complement Med 1998, 4(4):419-428). The recommended dosage for ginkgo is 120mg of standardised extract a day.