What Are the Benefits and Uses of Lemon Verbena?
Key takeaways:
Lemon verbena can be found in foods, beverages, and is sometimes used as a calming aroma.
There’s not a lot of research on lemon verbena. But it may have health benefits, like decreasing inflammation, improving sleep, and reducing anxiety.
There are no guidelines for how much lemon verbena to take, so use it in moderation. And avoid it if you’re pregnant or nursing, since it hasn’t been studied in these groups yet.
Table of contents
For centuries, different cultures have used various plants and herbs to support health. Lemon verbena is a plant native to South America traditionally used by the Inca culture. Not only does it add a delicious lemony flavor to foods and drinks, it also has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. It has been used to treat things like upset stomach, anxiety, and trouble sleeping.
Here, we explore the different ways to use lemon verbena, discuss potential side effects, and explain the reasons to avoid it.
What are the benefits of lemon verbena?
Lemon verbena — sometimes referred to as Aloysia triphylla, Aloysia citriodora, Lippia citriodora, and Verbena triphylla — contains polyphenols. These are natural chemicals that help reduce stress and inflammation.
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Scientists have studied verbascoside — one of the polyphenols present in lemon verbena — to better understand how it affects health. In animal studies, they found that verbascoside:
Protects pancreas cells against stress
Improves cholesterol levels
Decreases inflammation in the liver
Protects tissues in the eye from natural damage
Decreases anxiety and relaxes muscles
Decreases pain and relaxes intestinal muscles
Prevents tumor growth
It’s possible some of the above benefits may extend to humans as well.
Muscle health
Multiple studies have found that lemon verbena may help muscle recovery after exercise.
Healthy volunteers who took lemon verbena extract (400 mg/day) for 10 days had decreased muscle damage — as measured by markers of inflammation in the blood. The volunteers also reported less muscle pain compared with people who didn’t take the supplement.
Athletes who took the same dose for 15 days experienced increased muscle strength after exercise. A similar study looked at the effects of lemon verbena in men who ran for 90 minutes every day for 21 days. They found that the supplement reduced markers of inflammation and muscle damage in chronic exercise.
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These findings also held true for a group of male college athletes who took 1,800 mg of plant extract daily that included 10% (180 mg) of verbascoside. They had lower levels of stress markers in their blood — and their good cholesterol increased. (We discuss more potential heart-health benefits below.)
Decreased inflammation
In the above studies, lemon verbena helped muscle recovery by decreasing inflammation and oxidation. This may play a role in preventing disease as well. For example, a study of 43 healthy people who received lemon verbena infusions twice a day for 2 weeks had higher antioxidant activity in their blood.
Inflammation is a key driver in many different conditions, especially autoimmune conditions. One study looked at the effect of lemon verbena in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). When people with MS took a supplement that contained 60 mg of verbascoside for 28 days, they had decreased inflammatory markers in their blood.
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Decreased anxiety
Some research suggests that just the smell of lemon verbena may have a calming effect. Pregnant women undergoing C-section who received 30 minutes of aromatherapy with lemon verbena extract reported decreased anxiety compared with women who received placebo aromatherapy. There was also a difference in their vital signs. The women given lemon verbena aromatherapy had a lower heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
Improved sleep
Lemon verbena is a common ingredient in herbal teas and supplements designed to help with sleep. The comforting smell and taste may help relax you. But the plant itself may also have a more direct effect on sleep.
People with insomnia who drank a syrup containing lemon verbena for 4 weeks reported better sleep quality. And their insomnia improved compared with people who didn’t use the syrup.
In another study, people with poor sleep quality reported improvement after taking 400 mg of lemon verbena for 3 months. They fell asleep faster, slept longer, and woke up less.
Heart health
As mentioned above, lemon verbena helped to lower cholesterol in a small study. But it may also have other benefits for your heart. One study looked at people at risk of cardiovascular disease who took 100 mg of verbascoside daily for 2 weeks. This led to lower levels of platelets sticking together in their blood, sometimes referred to as “platelet aggregation.” This type of platelet clotting is what leads to problems like heart attack or stroke.
Joint health
One study found that people with joint pain who took lemon verbena extract every day (along with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids) reported less joint pain and stiffness after 9 weeks. But, it’s hard to know if this was due to the lemon verbena, the combination of it with the omega-3 fatty acid, or the omega-3 fatty acid alone.
What’s the best way to use lemon verbena?
Lemon verbena is available in different forms. These include:
Fresh or dried leaves, which can be added to foods for flavor
Essential oil, which you can use in a diffuser
Moisturizer or creams to apply directly on your skin
Tea leaves or tea bags
Liquid extract (also known as a tincture), which you can take alone or add to a beverage
Can you use lemon verbena every day?
It can be hard to know how much lemon verbena is getting into your body from the different forms. And there’s no recommended dose for any form of lemon verbena.
If you’re applying it as a cream or moisturizer, it’s unlikely that a large amount will be absorbed into the blood. And if you consume it with meals or drinks, do so in moderation. A few times a week should be OK.
It’s best to avoid using lemon verbena as a liquid extract. This is a concentrated form, and it may even contain other ingredients.
Does lemon verbena have any side effects?
So far, studies of people taking lemon verbena supplements haven’t led to any serious side effects. And little data exists about whether it interferes with other medications. But that doesn’t mean side effects or interactions don’t exist. So if you choose to incorporate lemon verbena into your health routine, avoid high doses in supplement or tincture form.
Is there anyone who should not use lemon verbena?
If you’re pregnant or nursing, you shouldn’t use lemon verbena. There’s no data about whether lemon verbena is harmful to these groups.
The bottom line
Lemon verbena can be found in anything from teas and supplements to creams and aromatherapy diffusers. And its healing properties have some scientific support. Some research suggests it can ease muscle pain, decrease inflammation, and help you get a better night’s sleep. If you try it, be sure to use it in moderation, since there’s no guidance around what amount is safe and effective. And avoid it if you’re pregnant or nursing until more data is available.
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References
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Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). (2020). Assessment report on Aloysia citrodora Paláu (syn.Aloysia triphylla (L’Hér.) Kuntze; Verbena triphylla L’Hér.; Lippia citriodora Kunth), folium. European Medicines Agency: Science Medicines Health.
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