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Lemon verbena

Early evidence for: Anxiety and stress; Post-exercise muscle soreness; Digestive comfort. Calming anxiety, easing digestive discomfort.

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What is lemon verbena? Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a perennial herb that belongs to the mint family. Though native to South America, the plant is now widely cultivated in Europe and North America. Its leaves are most often used for medicinal and culinary purposes. Lemon verbena has a strong lemon scent and is often used as a flavoring agent in teas, jams, jellies and other food products. How does it work? Lemon Verbena contains compounds like verbascoside, citral, and geraniol, which have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. These properties make it useful in treating various health conditions such as digestive problems, anxiety, and skin problems. When was it first used for medicinal purposes? Lemon Verbena has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, with the earliest records of its use dating back to the 16th century in South America. What are the active ingredients? The active ingredients that contribute to the medicinal properties of Lemon Verbena include verbascoside, citral, and geraniol. What forms does it come in? Dried leaves Essential oil Tea Tinctures Summary: Lemon Verbena is a plant that has been used for its medicinal properties and as a culinary herb for centuries. It contains active ingredients such as verbascoside, citral, and geraniol, which have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Lemon Verbena is available in various forms including dried leaves, essential oil, tea, and tinctures and is commonly used to treat conditions such as digestive problems, anxiety, and skin problems. It is generally considered safe, but some people may experience side effects such as nausea, headaches, or allergic reactions. The recommended daily dose of lemon Verbena is not well established and it is best to speak with a healthcare provider to determine the appropriate dose.

Helps

What does Lemon verbena help with? Lemon verbena is a lemon-scented shrub from South America. Its leaves have been brewed as a tea for hundreds of years, in South America and around the Mediterranean. It is also sold as a leaf extract in capsules. Sore muscles after hard exercise Early evidence — small human studies in active adults; trial sizes and doses not recorded in our file. This use has the most human study behind it. In studies of active adults, blood markers of muscle damage went down. Some people also reported less soreness between hard sessions. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T2 High oxidative stress in the body Early evidence — human trials that measured oxidative stress markers in blood. Verbascoside is one of the plant compounds most studied for antioxidant effects in people. In clinical trials, markers of oxidative stress dropped. Our file does not record how large those trials were, or the doses used. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T2 Stiff, tender or aching joints Early evidence — some clinical work in people with joint discomfort, part of it using fish oil as well. Some human studies gave lemon verbena extract to people with joint discomfort. Over several weeks, stiffness and tenderness went down. Part of that work mixed the extract with fish oil, so the leaf alone is hard to judge. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T2 Catching colds during heavy training Early evidence — research in athletes only; no study on file in the general public. Hard training can lower immune defences for a while. Some research in athletes found fewer upper airway symptoms while they took lemon verbena. Researchers link this to lower oxidative stress and swelling, but that link is not proven. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T2 Appetite and weight management Early evidence — preliminary human research only, alongside diet and exercise. Early human research looked at appetite and at how the body burns fat. It suggests the extract may curb appetite when paired with healthy habits. The work is preliminary, and sizes and doses are not on file. Evidence grade C · Traditional tier T2 Feeling anxious, tense or wound up Long traditional use · not yet tested in trials — centuries of traditional use plus lab work; no human trial on file. People have long sipped the tea to settle their nerves. In lab studies, its flavonoid apigenin acts on calming receptors in the brain, much as chamomile does. We hold no human trial, so any calming effect stays unmeasured. Evidence grade insufficient · Traditional tier T2 Bloating, cramping and an unsettled stomach Long traditional use · not yet tested in trials — traditional use and lab reasoning; no human trial on file. This is one of the oldest uses of the tea. Tradition holds that it relaxes the gut muscle and eases cramping. Lab work points to its oils, such as limonene, but no human study is on file. Evidence grade insufficient · Traditional tier T2 Trouble winding down at bedtime Long traditional use · not yet tested in trials — traditional evening tea; no human sleep study on file. An evening cup is a long-standing custom in both traditions. It was used to wind down, not as a knock-out drink. No human sleep study is on file here, so we cannot say what it does. Evidence grade insufficient · Traditional tier T2 What Lemon verbena has not been shown to do No human trial on file shows it eases anxiety, so it is not a stand-in for anxiety care. It has not been shown to cause weight loss on its own, without changes to diet and exercise. The cold research on file was in hard-training athletes, so it has not been shown to prevent colds in other people. No study on file compares it with medicines for joint disease, so it has not been shown to replace them. How to read this: Each use gets its own grade, based on the study behind that use. A and B mean good trials in people. C means small or early human work. D means weak or mixed human results. Insufficient means no human study at all, just lab wo

Lemon verbena

Lemon verbena

Quick Facts

  • What it is: A fragrant herb native to South America, long used in Mediterranean and Latin American traditions for digestion, relaxation, and recovery.
  • Main uses: Calming anxiety, easing digestive discomfort, reducing exercise-related muscle damage, and supporting weight management.
  • Best for: Anxiety and stress, Post-exercise muscle soreness, Digestive comfort
  • Active ingredients: verbascoside (acteoside), luteolin, apigenin, geraniol, limonene, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids
  • Forms: capsule, tablet, dried tea/herbal infusion, tincture, liquid extract, essential oil (topical)
  • Time to effect: Digestive benefits often felt within 1–2 hours of tea; sustained benefits (sleep, recovery, joint comfort) typically emerge after 2–6 weeks of consistent use.
  • Side effects: Generally well-tolerated; rare cases of mild digestive upset or skin sensitivity with heavy use.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Not studied in pregnancy; avoid unless your clinician advises otherwise.

Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.

What is lemon verbena?

Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora)is a perennial herb that belongs to the mint family. Though native to South America, the plant is now widely cultivated in Europe and North America. Its leaves are most often used for medicinal and culinary purposes. Lemon verbena has a strong lemon scent and is often used as a flavoring agent in teas, jams, jellies and other food products.

How does it work?

Lemon Verbena contains compounds like verbascoside, citral, and geraniol, which have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. These properties make it useful in treating various health conditions such as digestive problems, anxiety, and skin problems.

When was it first used for medicinal purposes?

Lemon Verbena has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, with the earliest records of its use dating back to the 16th century in South America.

What are the active ingredients?

The active ingredients that contribute to the medicinal properties of Lemon Verbena include verbascoside, citral, and geraniol.

What forms does it come in?

  • Dried leaves
  • Essential oil
  • Tea
  • Tinctures

Summary:

Lemon Verbena is a plant that has been used for its medicinal properties and as a culinary herb for centuries. It contains active ingredients such as verbascoside, citral, and geraniol, which have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Lemon Verbena is available in various forms including dried leaves, essential oil, tea, and tinctures and is commonly used to treat conditions such as digestive problems, anxiety, and skin problems. It is generally considered safe, but some people may experience side effects such as nausea, headaches, or allergic reactions. The recommended daily dose of lemon Verbena is not well established and it is best to speak with a healthcare provider to determine the appropriate dose.

If this is an emergency

Some reactions to Lemon verbena need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.

Who should avoid Lemon verbena?

  • Do not take lemon verbena with a benzodiazepine (a calming drug such as diazepam or lorazepam) unless your doctor approves.
  • Stop the herb and call your doctor if you feel very drowsy or your breathing feels slow while you also take a benzodiazepine.
  • Do not use it if you are allergic to plants in the verbena family (Verbenaceae), such as vervain or lantana.
  • Avoid strong sun, sunlamps and tanning beds when you use a lot of the oil on your skin.
  • Do not take more than the label dose, since high amounts can cause nausea or a tender stomach.
  • Avoid very large doses taken for months on end, because the oil parts may irritate the kidneys.
  • Do not stay on a concentrated extract past 12 weeks without a break or a check-in with your doctor.
  • Do not take more than 600 mg a day of a standardized extract, or more than 400 mg twice daily, which is the studied range.
  • Do not take concentrated extracts if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as they have not been studied in these groups.
  • Do not give concentrated extracts to children without advice from a doctor.

When should you see a doctor?

Stop the herb and call your doctor if you feel very drowsy, foggy or slow to wake. This matters most if you also take a benzodiazepine. Ask for help the same day if your breathing feels slow or shallow.

Stop and see a doctor if you get a rash, itching or swelling after use. Get help right away if your lips, tongue or throat swell, or you find it hard to breathe. Also check in if stomach pain, flank pain or a change in urine lasts more than a few days.

Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.

Remedies related to Lemon verbena

ApigeninBladderwrackCambaraCompression TherapyGolden Milk Turmeric LatteGuayusa (Ilex guayusa)Jujube / Korean Red Date (Daechu)Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath)KencurMandarin (Citrus reticulata)Shan Zhu Yu (Cornelian Cherry)Sumac (Persian Medicine)

The evidence behind this remedy, in one page

What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.

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