I drank lemon balm tea every night for a month, and the sleep benefits were immediate

Your doctor can make sure it is safe for you and will not interact with any medication you are already taking. For example, Amidor says, if you’re taking medications for HIV, prescription tranquilizers, or if you have any thyroid problems or are taking thyroid medication, you’ll want to avoid lemon balm tea. You will also like it Skip if you are pregnant or breastfeedingBecause there hasn’t been any research looking at lemon balm during pregnancy, says Dr. Cohen.

Additionally, while drinking tea may seem pretty harmless, making it an undefined habit can be risky. “Lemon balm tea has not been researched for six months, so at this point I would not recommend drinking it long-term,” says Amedor. And remember, she adds, lemon balm tea is supposed to help you relax and sleep, but it may also cause drowsiness. In my own box I found a warning about drowsiness and a note to be careful while driving or participating in activities that require mental alertness.

Finally, Dr. Sharp says that although lemon balm is a great herbal option for relaxation with few side effects, it can cause dizziness in high doses. So it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor to make sure you choose the right combination and dosage for you. (More on that below.)

How to add lemon balm tea to your diet

If you don’t have access to lemon balm, Ina Garten says, it’s okay to buy it from the store. “Herbal recommendations are to steep one-half to one teaspoon of dried herbs in a cup of hot water,” says Dr. Cohen. Or instead of measuring dried leaves, you can use tea bags already prepared for you in individual servings, which is my favorite method. Soak in hot or boiling water, and you’re good to go.

Just keep in mind that lemon balm tea is typically sold as a “supplement” (not a food), which means it’s not well regulated, Amedor says. “Look for a company that does third-party testing to ensure quality and that the amount of tea in the product is actually there, not more or less,” she advises.

The problem is that with the lack of research on lemon balm tea alone, we don’t truly Experts say: Find out the ideal amount to drink. “Most studies use doses of 300 to 600 milligrams, but when using tea, it can be difficult to know the exact dose,” says Dr. Sharp. My fund suggested enjoying three cups a day, but Dr. Sharp recommends starting with the smallest amount possible — one cup a day — and monitoring whether you notice relaxation and stress-reducing benefits before increasing your drinking intake.

As for when to add lemon balm to your daily routine, Dr. Cohen says it’s best to use it when dealing with acute, situational anxiety attacks, but it’s best not in the middle of a busy workday or when you need to. on me. “If you choose to drink it daily, do so at night or when you don’t need to be mentally alert,” Amedor says.

My judgment

Since the digestive benefits were limited, I was mostly interested in seeing if lemon balm tea could help with stress and sleep, which is difficult in the month leading up to a historic election.