Melissa tea: what it is for and how to make it

Melissa tea contains sedative action and can be used to relieve insomnia and anxiety, for example.

Furthermore, due to the presence of flavonoids and essential oils with digestive, analgesic, antispasmodic and antispasmodic action, lemon balm tea can also help improve digestion, combat menstrual cramps and aid in the treatment of herpes.

Melissa tea can be prepared with the fresh or dried leaves of two different types of this plant: the one known as true lemon balm, whose scientific name is Melissa officinalisor another known as lemon balm or false melissa, whose scientific name is Lippia alba. Learn more about lemon balm.

What is it for

Melissa tea can be recommended for:

1. Improve sleep quality

Melissa tea helps improve sleep quality because it contains good amounts of geraniol and citral, essential oils that have a calming effect on the central nervous system, promoting relaxation.

2. Relieve menstrual cramps

Because it has analgesic and antispasmodic effects, lemon balm tea reduces pain and contractions of the uterine muscles, relieving menstrual cramps. Check out other home remedies that relieve menstrual cramps.

3. Fight anxiety

Melissa tea contains rosmarinic acid, a phenolic compound with a calming action that increases the availability of GABA in the brain, an amino acid that helps reduce anxiety and stress.

4. Improve digestion

Because it contains citral, geraniol, linalool and rosmarinic acid, which are bioactive compounds with carminative, stimulating, tonic and digestive action, lemon balm tea helps improve digestion and relieve excess gas. See more teas that improve digestion.

5. Help treat herpes

When applied directly to wounds on the skin or in the mouth, lemon balm tea can help treat herpes. This is because this tea contains caffeic and rosmarinic acid, which are phenolic compounds with antiviral action.

However, studies in humans are still needed to prove the benefits of melissa in the treatment of herpes.

6. Relieve pain

Because it contains linalool and citral, which are bioactive compounds with analgesic properties, lemon balm tea helps relieve pain, such as headache, muscle pain and stomach pain.

How to make lemon balm tea

Melissa tea can be made with fresh or dried leaves of true lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), or false lemon balm (Lippia alba).

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of dried leaves or 6 torn fresh lemon balm leaves;
• 1 cup of tea (150 ml) of water.

Preparation mode:

Boil water in a pan. When turning off the heat, add the lemon balm leaves, cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then strain and drink. You can drink up to 3 cups of this tea per day.

Possible side effects

In general, lemon balm tea is safe when used for up to 2 weeks in a row and in the recommended amount.

However, drinking this tea for more than 2 weeks and/or in high quantities can cause a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and stomach pain.

Who cannot use

Melissa tea is not recommended for children under 12 years of age or for people with hypothyroidism, glaucoma and benign prostate hyperplasia.

This tea should only be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women under the guidance of a doctor.

Because it has a calming effect, lemon balm tea is not recommended during activities that require alertness such as driving or operating machinery.

Furthermore, people with low blood pressure or who are using sedative medications should talk to a doctor before drinking lemon balm tea.