lemon balm dry extract

Lemon balm dry extract is a botanical extract derived from the leaves of *Melissa officinalis* (lemon balm), a perennial herb in the mint family. It is widely used as a dietary supplement and traditional herbal medicine for its calming, anxiolytic, and spasmolytic properties. The extract is typically standardized to its primary active constituent, rosmarinic acid (often 5% to 12% by HPLC), which is responsible for much of its therapeutic activity. Mechanistically, lemon balm dry extract acts primarily by inhibiting 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase (ABAT, or GABA transaminase), the enzyme responsible for degrading the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), thereby increasing GABA levels in the brain. It also modulates GABA-A receptors, inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO), and interacts with cholinergic (muscarinic and nicotinic) receptors. These combined actions contribute to its clinical use in relieving mild symptoms of mental stress, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as alleviating gastrointestinal discomfort.

Other names

Melissa dry extractMelissa officinalis dry extractMelissa officinalis extractlemon balm extract