What if we told you there is a herb that belongs to the mint family, grows effortlessly and has quite a few beneficial uses for your health. Well, there is and that herb is Lemon Balm.
*Originally published January 2026 and updated March 2026*
Originating in Southern Europe, Asia, the Mediterranean and Iran, it’s been used for over 2000 years and has been used as a herbal supplement, in food, a medicinal plant, perfumes and skincare and is reported to contain sedative, antistress, antianxiety, and mood-enhancing abilities.
It was also found to ease digestion, nausea, sleep disorders, depression, and headaches, among many other problems and you can eat it in your favourite salad or drink it as a tea or tincture.
Why We Like Lemon Balm
We’ve been doing a lot of research over the last 5 years or so and learning about more natural ways to look after ourselves and Lemon Balm was something we came across.
This was only a recent find btw and the thing we like about it is how easy it grows. If you’ve ever tried to grow mint at home, you will know what I mean as lemon balm is a member of the mint family.
It seems to double in about 2 weeks (under the right conditions) and this makes it easy to harvest weekly to use fresh or hang it up to dry.
It smells amazing (unlike me according to Sony) and is very easy to prepare whether it’s fresh or dried. I just love to pick it and scrunch a couple of leaves together, OMG!
At the moment we are making lemon balm tea out of fresh lemon balm leaves and dried leaves, drying them seems to give a stronger flavour than using fresh leaves but still has the same effect.
So now that I have made some lemon balm tincture which we have been using for a couple of weeks now, it appears to work way better than just drinking lemon balm tea for sleep.
Lemon Balm for Sleep
We are not as young as we used to be and over the years, I think we all develop habits that affect our sleep, especially that early morning deep sleep. You know, waking up for the dunny break in the middle of the night and then start thinking of all that “stuff” that you wonder “why is this running through my head”.
Then you’re counting sheep and trying to organise your day tomorrow and sleep is the last thing that’s going to happen, this is why we are trying lemon balm tea.
My early thoughts on this is that there’s definitely something in it that appears to help getting into that deeper sleep that restores and repairs your body. Also getting back to sleep seems to be a lot quicker and no need to count sheep, at least not yet.
In the morning, we are normally up at 5.00am but we have had a couple of mornings where we’ve slept through, not by much but enough to make you think, phew, what happened there.
I must say, waking up feeling like I’ve actually had a good night’s sleep, and a few aches seemed to have disappeared, now that’s something I’ll take any day and is some of the positive effects of lemon balm.
So the first night or two I felt a sense of calm hopping into bed, you know that relaxed feeling.
After a week I noticed that I would be falling asleep within 15 minutes or so and the “awake thoughts” seemed to have disappeared. The 2am tootie stop is still a thing but nodding off to sleep again seems effortless.
Also when waking up in the morning I actually feel like I have had a great nights sleep and appear to have more energy upon getting out of bed, noice!
Why Does Lemon Balm Help with Sleep
Apparently the reason it helps with sleep is because it has been shown to improve mood and cognitive performance, helps reduce stress and has Anxiolytic effects.
This refers to the ability of a medication to reduce stress, anxiety and fear. This is achieved by enhancing the activity of GABA – gamma-aminobutyric acid, the brain’s main inhibiting neurotransmitter.
I’m guessing it stops sending those crazy thought signals through the night that tend to keep me awake and allows me to have a much more relaxed sleep, that’s my take on it.
Here’s what makes lemon balm different from common sleep aids:
- It calms without sedating – You feel relaxed but not drugged or impaired
- No morning hangover – Wake up refreshed instead of foggy and disoriented
- Addresses root cause – Reduces the anxiety that’s actually keeping you awake
- Works within 30-60 minutes – Fast enough to use as part of your bedtime routine
- Safe for long-term use – No tolerance build-up or dependency issues
A 2011 study published in Mediterranean Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism found that participants taking 600mg of lemon balm extract experienced significant improvements in sleep quality and reductions in insomnia symptoms. Another study combining lemon balm with valerian showed 81% of participants reported better sleep compared to placebo.
This isn’t folk medicine guesswork. The science is solid, and the results speak for themselves, lemon balm doesn’t force sleep. It removes the obstacles preventing natural sleep from happening. I have to say I definitely agree with that.
Combining Lemon Balm with Other Natural Sleep Supports
Now if you find that it’s just not quite doing it for you, Lemon Balm pairs well with other herbal products and dietary supplements.
Magnesium glycinate is probably the first one that comes to mind as it is quite a common supplement that people take to help with sleep support.
It does this by relaxing muscles and supports GABA function from a different angle.
A couple of other herbs that enhance the calming effects of lemon balm are Valerian Root and Passionflower. Both of these increase the sedative effect significantly so it’s suggested to try in smaller doses to work out your tolerance.
How Do You Take Lemon Balm
This is as easy as having a cup of Lemon Balm tea 1/2 – 1 hour before bedtime this gives the lemon balm time to start working right when you go to bed (not too late though or you might be up peeing a bit).
We always have a couple of stashes of lemon balm tied up to dry ready for making into a tea. I have used fresh lemon balm, but this uses aroundt twice as much as the dried lemon balm herb.
How to Make Lemon Balm Tea
Lemon balm herbs drying
I’m glad you asked, easy peasy is the answer. We take our dried lemon balm and strip the leaves off the stems (smells freaking awesome) and chop into smaller pieces.
I normally grab the dried leaves off 1 or 2 stems and chop them with a knife and place into a tea infuser and pour almost boiling water over it.
Apparently, some herbal teas lose a bit of their effectiveness if steeped in water that is too hot, I just boil the jug and leave it for 5 minutes or so to come down in temperature a bit then pour over.
Let the lemon balm leaves steep for 5-7 minutes to extract all the goodness out before drinking. By this time the temperature is just right (for me it is).
Well, that’s it from me now and I’ll keep testing our newfound herbal tea and keep you posted.
How Else Can You Take Lemon Balm for Sleep
Brewing a second batch of lemon balm tincture.
Lemon balm extracts are another way to enjoy the effects of lemon balm for sleeping. This can be in the form of essential oil or liquid extract of the dry herb. I have made a lemon balm tincture now (and have more brewing) and take that at night before bed.
The use of lemon balm tincture seems to be a much better way to extract the medicinal properties from the herb and doing so means we use just under a teaspoon of the dried liquid extract for a much better result.
What Else is Lemon Balm Good For?
This versatile herb helps with much more than just calming your mind and helping you sleep. Studies have shown it can help with memory and cognitive function in patients with alzheimer’s disease. The anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties in lemon balm have also been shown to speed up healing of cold sores and genital herpes.
Like all treatments, herbal or pharmaceutical, the outcome and side effects will depend on your health condition and as always you should consult your healthcare professional for additional advice.
This is our experience with lemon balm tea and the dried liquid extract and as such you should do your own research.
Spotlight
Just a quick one, our lemon balm herbs are tucked in behind the basil herbs and I wanted to trim back the one on the left (we use it in our basil pesto recipe) but noticed how much the bees are enjoying the flowers.
So I will hold off for a bit as these little guys are doing it tuff right now but I would like to know where their hive is and taste some of their basil honey, yummo.
Bees in the basil flowers
Basil plants hiding the lemon balm behind.
Recent Comments