Abstract
Lemon balm(Melissa officinalis L.) is a well-known medicinal plant from the family Lamiaceae, distributed throughout Eastern Mediterranean region and Western Asia and also widely cultivated. Lemon balm is used traditionally in the treatment of many illnesses, including melancholy, depression, anxiety, and cognitive disorders.
All these psychological disorders are serious illnesses that cause extreme economic loss and social problems. However, the conventional medications typically cause side effects that can result in patients interrupting therapy.
Lemon balm is an old and reliable medicinal herb for relieving of these disorders and with minimal side effects. New research on the effect of this drug and its bioactive substances on the nervous system confirms in particular their anxiolytic and sedative effect as well as a positive influence on cognitive functions and can lead to new drugs development.