Melissa essential oil, or lemon balm essential oil, comes from the lemony and herbaceous plant Melissa officinalis. To obtain the oil out of the plant, the leaves and flowers are steam distilled. Melissa essential oil has a fresh, lemony, citrus-like fragrance. Melissa essential oil has been used all the way since the 14th century, mainly because of its herbal and therapeutic properties.

It was used by the French nuns in tonic water during the Carmelite Order. Furthermore, the melissa herb has been given numerous names since a very long time ago. One example includes “The Elixir of Life”, which was coined by the philosopher, physician and botanist Paracelsus in the 16th century.

It might be one of the pricier essential oils out there but trust me, it is worth the investment! Given its numerous beneficial properties, such as being an antioxidant, antispasmodic, antidepressant and antibacterial agent, it has wide-ranging benefits and can be used in a variety of ways! Read on or watch the short video clip to find out more.

Health Benefits of Melissa Essential Oil:

1. It Improves Emotional Health

The main properties of melissa essential oil is that it is an antidepressant and a sedative. According to World Health Organization, depression is one of the most common illness worldwide, and it affects more than 300 million globally. As such, it is important that one has access to natural remedies that can help alleviate negative feelings of self-doubt, sadness, tension and stress to promote relaxation, peace, tranquility and feelings of contentment instead.

Melissa essential oil has been known to be an effective mood lifter, capable of combating depressive thoughts and emotions. It promotes emotional stability and you will feel more confident and at ease with yourself. Melissa essential oil generally helps in enabling you to adopt a more positive and optimistic outlook on life as it improves and uplifts your spirits greatly. Combined with its sedative effects to bring about peace and relaxation of the mind, body and soul, it greatly aids in making you get a good night’s sleep at night!

In fact, a 2013 study conducted at the University of Melbourne found that melissa essential oil can help to alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression greatly. What’s more is that because it is an all-natural remedy, you do not have to worry about any potential side-effects that can result, as opposed to taking prescribed pills from the pharmaceutical markets.

2. It Combats Alzheimer’s Disease

Melissa essential oil, however, can do so much more than just ward off negative feelings and bring in relaxation and peace. It is also known to be quite effective in combating Alzheimer’s Disease, in the most natural way possible! As it directly targets the brain and its neurotransmitters, it improves cognitive functions and strengthens memory, hence reversing the negative effects of Alzheimer’s Disease.

For example, a 2002 study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry carried out an experiment to test the efficacy of melissa essential oil in treating Alzheimer’s. The findings illustrate that the group who took melissa essential oil saw an overall clinical reduction in agitation in the context of severe dementia as opposed to the group who took placebo (sunflower oil).

As such, melissa essential oil can actually improve the quality of life, without any side-effects. More research needs to be made before melissa essential oil can be incorporated into mainstream treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease but this initial experiment undoubtedly showed promising results.

3. Prevents Infections

Melissa essential oil contains antibacterial properties. As such, it can be used to combat bacterial infections within the body, especially in the intestines, kidneys, colon and intestines as well as the infections that can potentially cause a fever to happen, making you healthy and infection-free!

A 2008 study, published in PubMed, found that when compared to lavender oil, melissa essential oil demonstrated enhanced capacity to combat antibacterial activity.

4. Promotes Skin Health

Because of its antibacterial properties, coupled with its antifungal properties, melissa essential oil can also treat external skin conditions such as eczema, acne or wounds on the skin as it kills off bacteria festering on your skin due to such skin conditions. This helps to mitigate the worsening of such skin conditions, hence helping to promote clear and better skin.

5. Has Anti-Diabetic Actions

Studies have shown that melissa oil can be an effective antidiabetic agent. For example, a 2010 study that was published in the British Journal of Nutrition seeked to evaluate the effectiveness of lemon balm essential oil in reducing blood glucose levels. In an experiment involving mice, the group that was given lemon balm essential oil showed significantly lower blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance and higher serum insulin levels, which hence serves to decrease diabetic levels.

However, it is important to know your diabetic diagnosis very well first before using such alternative, natural treatment to manage your diabetes. Always consult your doctor first before using melissa essential oil as a form of treatment.

6. Helps To Treat Cold Sores and Herpes

Cold sores can be very unsightly and discomforting, but more importantly, it is highly contagious which makes it extremely imperative to treat it as fast as possible! Melissa essential oil is also an antiviral, meaning it is an effective agent to curb viral infections such as herpes from spreading. It has been found to be very effective in combating the herpes virus.

For example, a study from Phytomedicine in 2008 found that melissa essential oil has antiviral effects on the herpes virus due to its lipophilic nature of being able to penetrate into the skin. This hence makes melissa essential oil to be an effective topical treatment for cold sores and herpes viruses.

7. Relieves Menstrual Problems

Being an emmenagogue, melissa essential oil is able to offer relief from many of the problems associated with menstruation, such as obstructed menstruation flow, painful menstrual cramps, fatigue and nausea during the time of the month.

8. Helps to Bring Down Blood Pressure Levels

Melissa oil also contains hypotensive properties, which means it can help to decrease blood pressure levels, and in doing so, helps to reduce the risks of heart attack or even brain hemorrhage due to high blood pressure levels.

A 2016 study, found in Pubmed, illustrates how the right dosage of melissa essential oil is able to lower the heart rate and blood pressure of mice and thus, can potentially increase the heart resistance to injury.

9. May Have Cancer Prevention Potential

Lemon balm essential oil has been the object of research for cancer prevention. In 2014, lemon balm essential oil was extensively studied in a major research. Published in Cancer Investigation, the study found that lemon balm essential oil can be potentially used for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which are brain tumors that are cancer-causing. Lemon balm essential oil and its major component, citral, is a potential interest for the treatment of such tumors and brain cancer.

Although further studies have to be carried out to determine how exactly can melissa essential oil be used in cancer preventive treatments, this study showed promising results and it is only a matter of time before melissa essential oil can be used to revolutionize cancer treatments everywhere!

How to Use Melissa Essential Oil:

• To get rid of stress, tension, depression and induce relaxation, you can diffuse melissa essential oil through a vaporizer or distiller. Alternatively, you can apply melissa essential oil (that is blended with a carrier oil) to the wrists, neck area and ears.
• To combat Alzheimer’s Disease, diffuse melissa essential oil through a vaporizer or distiller. Alternatively, you can also inhale it directly in small doses from the bottle.
• To treat skin conditions, you can apply 5 drops of melissa essential oil (mixed with an ounce of carrier oil) and use it topically onto the problematic areas.
• To manage diabetic levels, you can ingest a few drops internally.
• For cold sores and herpes, apply 2-3 drops of melissa essential oil (that is already diluted with a carrier oil) topically onto the infected area.
• To help decrease blood pressure levels, you can rub diluted melissa essential oil to the chest and back area.

Safety Precautions:

• Avoid using melissa essential oil while pregnant.

• It is important to ensure that you are not fooled into buying a cheaper version of melissa essential oil because the oil is probably one of the most expensive essential oils out there in the market. The highest quality, 100% pure and authentic therapeutic grade melissa essential oil can cost from $75 to $225 for a 5ml bottle. Always buy melissa essential oil (and other essential oils) from a trustworthy, highly reputable and reliable source, especially if you intend on ingesting it internally.

• For internal use, always consume in small doses first (one to two drops) and always seek the advice of your doctor, oil specialist or physician first before using it internally.

• When applying it topically, be sure to dilute melissa essential oil with a carrier oil and do a skin patch test first.

References:

Ballard CG, et al., "Aromatherapy as a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia: the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Melissa", The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2002); 63(7)

Chung MJ, et al., "Anti-diabetic effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) essential oil on glucose- and lipid-regulating enzymes in type 2 diabetic mice", The British Journal of Nutrition (2010); 104(2)

Hancianu M, "Chemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial activity of essential oil of Melissa officinalis L. from Romania", Pubmed (2008); 112(3)

Joukar S, et al., "The effects of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) pretreatment on the resistance of the heart to myocardial injury", Pharmaceutical Biology (2016); 54(6)

Rafaela De Queiroz, "Apoptosis-Inducing Effects of Melissa officinalis L. Essential Oil in Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells", Cancer Investigation (2014); 32(6)

Sarris J, et al., "Plant-based medicines for anxiety disorders, part 2: a review of clinical studies with supporting preclinical evidence", CNS Drugs (2013); 27(4)

Schnitzler P, et al., "Melissa officinalis oil affects infectivity of enveloped herpes virus", Phytomedicine (2008); 15(9)