Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Cedrón, also called hierba luisa, is a lemon-scented garden shrub. Its botanical name is Aloysia citriodora. The dried or fresh leaves are brewed as a tea.
It is a kitchen herb across much of Latin America and Spain. People sip it after meals, or at night to wind down. The taste is bright and lemony, and the tea has no caffeine.
The honest verdict on evidence is short. Human studies are few, small and brief, so most uses rest on custom alone. Long use by many people is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe for everyone.
No one has shown how cedrón works in the body, if it does at all.
The leaf oil is rich in citral. In test tubes, citral slows some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens in your gut after a cup of tea is not known.
Verbascoside and flavonoids act as antioxidants in lab work. In animal studies, some leaf extracts lower markers of inflammation. These are early findings, not proof of an effect in people.
The calming effect may be simpler than chemistry. A warm, caffeine-free drink and a quiet pause relax many people on their own. That is real, but it is not unique to this plant.
For muscle soreness, small human trials used strong extracts, not tea. Results were mixed and the studies were short.
Loose dried leaf is the most common form. You steep it in hot water as a tea.
Fresh leaves are used the same way where the plant grows in gardens.
Tea bags are sold in supermarkets across Latin America, Spain and beyond.
Capsules and liquid extracts are sold as supplements. These are far stronger than tea, so the amount you take is harder to judge.
The essential oil is sold for scent and massage. It is very concentrated and is not for swallowing.
Lemon verbena also flavours soft drinks, sorbets, desserts and some liqueurs.
Cedrón is native to South America, including Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
Rural and Indigenous communities drank the leaf tea every day. It was taken after heavy meals, for an upset stomach and for nerves. Families also gave it to children at bedtime.
Spanish travellers carried the plant to Europe in the 1700s. Gardeners grew it for its scent, and perfumers used the oil. The name hierba luisa honours the Spanish princess María Luisa.
Today the dried leaf still sits on kitchen shelves across Latin America and southern Europe.
Call emergency services if you get swelling of the lips, face or throat, a spreading rash, or trouble breathing. That can be a severe allergic reaction.
Stop and see a doctor if you get stomach pain, vomiting or a skin rash after using it.
See a doctor rather than carrying on with the tea if stomach trouble, poor sleep or joint pain lasts more than a few weeks. Also get urgent care for stomach pain with fever, blood in your stool, or weight loss you cannot explain.
In the United States, lemon verbena is accepted as a food flavouring and sold as a supplement. In the EU and UK it is sold as a herbal tea and food, not as an approved medicine. No regulator has approved it to treat any illness.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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