Best Lemon Balm for Stress & Mood
Top 5 products ranked
Last reviewed May 2026
Clinical dose: 300–600 mg
Why Lemon Balm for Stress & Mood
Lemon Balm plays a supporting role in stress & mood. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a traditional herb with mild anxiolytic and sedative properties. A few small RCTs suggest it may improve sleep quality, primarily via anxiolysis and GABA-transaminase inhibition.
What dose to look for
Clinical studies typically use 300–600 mg of lemon balm. Standardized extract; most sleep studies used 300-600 mg. Products below this range may not deliver meaningful results.
What the research says
Lemon Balm has limited clinical evidence for stress & mood benefits. A few small clinical trials suggest mild anxiolytic and sleep benefits; effect sizes are small Learn more
Clinical research on Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
LOW-MODERATE — High heterogeneity, variable dosing · 300–3,000 mg/day
- •2021 meta-analysis found significant anxiety reduction (SMD: -0.98, p=0.003) and depression reduction (SMD: -0.47, p=0.0005), but with high heterogeneity.
- •Acute RCT (600 mg single dose) ameliorated negative mood and increased calmness.
- •2023 phytosome RCT (400 mg/day, 3 weeks): phospholipid extract improved anxiety, stress, and wellbeing (all p<0.001).
- •Key limitation: dosing varies 10x across studies (300–3,000 mg). Optimal forms: Cyracos or phospholipid-based (Relissa).
OLLY
Sleep Blackberry Zen
16 mg
Life Extension
Enhanced Stress Relief, 30 Vegetarian Capsules
300 mg
Source Naturals
Sleep Science®, NightRest™ With Melatonin
60 mg
LifeSeasons
Anxie-T Gummies, Stress Support, 90 Gummies
15 mg
Buried Treasure
Liquid Advantage®, Added Attention, 16.54 fl oz (496 ml)
200 mg