---
title: Can the herb lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) ease PMS and period pain?
description: It looks promising. Pooling several small trials found lemon balm reduced PMS symptom severity more than the comparison group, but the evidence base is still
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-effect-of-melissa-officinalis-on-premenstrual-syndrome-and-primary-2021/
---

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- Can the herb lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) ease PMS and period pain?

Systematic review, 2021

# Can the herb lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) ease PMS and period pain?

It looks promising. Pooling several small trials found lemon balm reduced PMS symptom severity more than the comparison group, but the evidence base is still too small to be sure.

 Moderate study design

Women of reproductive age with PMS or primary dysmenorrhea, pooled across 7 clinical trials.

## What they did

Researchers searched medical databases in English and Persian up to May 2020 for clinical trials testing Melissa officinalis for PMS and primary dysmenorrhea. They found 978 articles, screened them, and combined results from 7 studies in a meta-analysis, rating the evidence quality with the GRADE system.

## What they found

Across the 7 included studies, women who took Melissa officinalis had improved PMS and period pain symptoms compared to the control group. In the meta-analysis, it significantly lowered the average severity of PMS symptoms after treatment (Standardized Mean Difference: -0.93).

## What it means for you

Lemon balm may help with PMS symptoms, but only 7 studies were available, so the authors say larger, well-designed trials are needed before this can be recommended with confidence.

7

Studies included in meta-analysis

978

Articles initially found

-0.93

Standardized Mean Difference

## About the study

Original title The Effect of Melissa officinalis on Premenstrual Syndrome and Primary Dysmenorrhea in Women of Reproductive Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Authors Mojgan Mirghafourvand‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Mahsa Maghalian, Nafiseh Ghassab‐Abdollahi Journal Current Women s Health Reviews Year 2021 Study design Systematic review What was tested Melissa officinalis (lemon balm), a herbal remedy. Read the paper [doi.org/10.2174/1573404817666210831165630](https://doi.org/10.2174/1573404817666210831165630)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[SSRIs and antidepressants](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-ssri/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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