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Herpes Herbs - Top 6 Lemon Balm Research Studies
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Lemon balm has been one of the most popular herbs for herpes for many years. It has attracted enough attention from research scientists to have been the subject of several studies.
All of the following studies were listed in PubMed, the free medical database that the U.S. National Institutes of Health maintains for public use. Each of the following summaries comes from the published abstracts of those studies.
The lack of detail among these summaries represents an uneven level of reporting among these journals. This is typical of the range of quality of scientific journals. Nevertheless, all studies report positive results for the action of lemon balm against herpes viruses.
Study 1: Melissa officinalis oil affects infectivity of enveloped herpesviruses.
Source: Phytomedicine. 2008 Sep;15(9):734 40.
RESULTS: Essential oil of lemon balm inhibited herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV 2) in monkey kidney cells by 98.8% and 97.2%, respectively, at nontoxic concentrations. Lemon balm oil exerted a direct antiviral effect prior to infection.
Study 2: Inhibitory activity of Melissa officinalis L. extract on Herpes simplex virus type 2 replication.
Source: Nat Prod Res. 2008;22(16):1433 40.
RESULTS: Lemon balm leaf extract reduced the cytopathic effect of HSV-2 on monkey kidney cells by up to 60%. A viral binding assay also showed that the extract does not prevent the entry of HSV 2 in the cells, suggesting that it works after viral penetration into the cell.
Study 3: Antiviral effect of aqueous extracts from species of the Lamiaceae family against Herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro.
Source: Planta Med. 2006 Dec;72(15):1378 82.
RESULTS: Extracts from lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and five other species in this family showed inhibitory activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1), type 2 (HSV 2) and an acyclovir resistant strain of HSV 1(ACV (res)) in monkey kidney cells. At maximum non toxic concentrations of the extracts, plaque formation was significantly reduced by more than 90% for HSV 1 and HSV 2 and more than 85% for ACV (res). The extracts exerted their antiviral effect on free HSV, which indicates the activity of lemon balm for topical use against recurrent herpes infections.
Study 4: Antiviral activity of the volatile oils of Melissa officinalis L. against Herpes simplex virus type 2.
Source: Phytomedicine. 2004 Nov;11(7 8):657 61.
RESULTS: Lemon balm inhibited replication of Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV 2) in HEp 2 cells (a human cancer cell line).
Study 5: Balm mint extract (Lo 701) for topical treatment of recurring herpes labialis.
Source: Phytomedicine. 1999 Oct;6(4):225 30.
RESULTS: Sixty six patients with a history of recurrent herpes labialis (at least four episodes per year) were treated topically, 34 with lemon balm verum and 32 with placebo. Cream was applied to the affected areas four times daily over five days. The balm mint cream led to a shortened healing period, the prevention of a spreading of the infection, and the rapid reduction of typical symptoms of herpes such as itching, tingling, burning, stabbing, swelling, tautness and erythema.
Study 6: Antiherpes effect of Melissa officinalis L. extracts.
Source: Acta Microbiol Bulg. 1993;29:65 72.
RESULTS: Studies were carried out on the virucidal and antiviral effects of four different lemon balm extracts (M1, M3, M3 and M4) against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV 1). Virucidal effect occurred within 3 hours for the most potent of the four extracts.
Comments
Most of these studies entailed the narrow effects of lemon balm extracts on herpes viruses in cultured cells in laboratory conditions. This is the nature of this kind of science. Viruses have to have a living host, and the experimental cell cultures in these studies are easy to grow in the lab. All results showed strong inhibition of herpes viruses.
The single human study also showed positive results for lemon balm as a topical cream against genital herpes.
Overall, I would say that the research on lemon balm supports it as a useful natural remedy for topical use against herpes outbreaks. The mechanism of action involves direct antiviral activity once the outbreak begins.
About the Author
Dr. Dennis Clark is a retired university professor and research scientist who has studied natural treatments for herpes since 1995. He has also discovered and patented an herbal formula for treating herpes of all kinds and has written the definitive book on treating herpes naturally. You can get a free copy of his book for immediate download at HerpesReliefCenter.com
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