Posted by psychobot5000 on November 29, 2011, at 15:16:55
In reply to Re: lemon balm » sigismund, posted by former poster on March 18, 2011, at 0:13:29
> Yes, just boil water, remove from heat and throw a handful in. I put in some green tea along with it for flavor and health benefits. Lemon balm grows like a weed indoors or out. I'll have to plant a big plot of it this spring.
Very late to this party, but I thought I'd just chime in with this: I've also tried lemonbalm, and it works. I use Nature's Way Melissa leaves, in capsule form ('Melissa' is another name for Lemon Balm). Their recommended dose is three capsules, but I find that five or six of their .5g capsules has a good effect on mood, anxiety, and sleep, though I haven't tested it for more than a day or two. This dose (2.5-3g leaf) is within the range that has been studied. Most studies use extract, but those that have used leaf give doses between 1.5 and 4.5 grams. Apparently a compound in Lemon Balm in a gaba-transaminase inhibitor, so it temporarily inhibits the metabolism of gaba.
I would add that Lemonbalm seems to interact with GABAergic medications. I take a GABA-b agonist, and lemonbalm dramatically increased the hangover I received from that medication, even though I took them 8 hours or so apart. That prevents me from experimenting extensively with this herb. All I can say is that it works in the short term.
poster:psychobot5000
thread:980494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20110810/msgs/1003879.html