Introduction:Melissa officinalis is a plant growing and cultivated in some parts of Iran. The leaves of lemon balm, M. officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) are used in Iranian folk medicine for their digestive, carminative, antispasmodic, sedative, analgesic, tonic and diuretic as well as for functional gastrointestinal disorders.The aim of this study was to overview its therapeutic effects than its nutritive and industrial effects.
Methods: This review article was carried out by searching studies in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and IranMedex databases .The initial search strategy identified about 128 references. In this study, 113 studies was accepted for further screening and met all our inclusion criteria [in English, full text, therapeutic effects of Melissa officinalis L and dated mainly from the year 1964 to 2015.The search terms were “Melissa officinalis L.”, lemon balm, “therapeutic properties”,“pharmacological effects”.
Result: It is commonly used for its anti-herpes and anti-viral and anti-HIV, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer and anti- tumor, anti-stress and anti-anxiolytic and antidepressant, anti-Alzheimer, anti-cardiovascular diseases,memory improving and concentration, anti-inflammatory effects.It was said to be good for insomnia and dyssomina.
Conclusion: Melissa officinalis l. is widely used for therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes that trigger its significant value. Various combinations and numerous medicinal properties of its extract, oil, and leaves demand further and more studies about the other useful and unknown properties of this multipurpose plant.