Is Lemon Balm Tea Good for Cortisol?

Partly, if you want a quiet break rather than a cortisol treatment: the pause may help you unwind, but lemon balm tea has no established effect on cortisol. A cup of lemon balm tea is a beverage, not a test or treatment for a cortisol problem.

Can lemon balm tea help with high cortisol?

Lemon balm tea can be part of a routine you enjoy, but research has not established that it lowers high cortisol. Its effect on relaxation is also unestablished, so it should not be relied on to manage stress or a suspected hormone disorder.

Cortisol is a hormone your body needs, and its level normally changes throughout the day. A temporary rise during stress is not the same as a medical condition involving persistently high cortisol.

Feeling stressed does not tell you what your cortisol level is. If you are concerned about high cortisol, a clinician can help decide whether testing is appropriate.

How might lemon balm tea affect the stress response?

The body's response to a stressor involves the brain and adrenal glands and can include the release of cortisol. When a stressor passes, that response can settle. Taking a quiet break may help some people unwind, but that does not establish an effect from lemon balm itself.

Lemon balm is an herb used in teas and other preparations. Whether its compounds affect the stress response or cortisol when consumed as tea has not been established by research.

Someone might feel relaxed while drinking a cup, but that feeling would not show whether lemon balm caused the relaxation or whether their cortisol changed. A feeling of calm and a measured hormone response are different outcomes.

What does the evidence say about lemon balm tea and cortisol?

We found no studies on this question. There is therefore no basis here for concluding that lemon balm tea lowers cortisol, estimating how much it might change cortisol, or saying how quickly an effect might occur.

It is also important to distinguish evidence about lemon balm as an ingredient from evidence about lemon balm tea. Even if research on an extract or capsule becomes available, its findings would not automatically apply to tea: the preparation and amount of herb can differ.

Claims about stress or sleep should not be treated as proof of an effect on cortisol. Likewise, we found no studies, which does not prove that lemon balm tea can never affect cortisol; it means the effect has not been established by research.

For a broader look at the same topic, see the guide to the best drinks for high cortisol. No drink should replace medical assessment when a cortisol disorder is suspected.

How can you use lemon balm tea safely?

No cortisol-specific amount of lemon balm tea can be recommended from the evidence supplied. If you want to try it as a beverage, use a plain commercial tea according to its package directions, or make a chilled lemon balm infusion with fresh leaves.

Choose leaves you can positively identify as lemon balm. A homemade infusion is not a standardized treatment, and its strength can vary with the leaves and steeping time.

Chilled lemon balm infusion

Ingredients

• 1 litre water (about 4¼ US cups)
• 8–12 fresh lemon balm leaves or 2 sprigs (about 5 grams)

Steps

1. Wash the lemon balm leaves under running water.
2. Place the leaves and water in a clean, covered container.
3. Refrigerate for 2–4 hours to infuse.
4. Strain the leaves if desired, and serve chilled.
5. Keep refrigerated and drink within 24 hours for best flavour. Discard after 2–3 days, or sooner if the infusion becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling.

Do not leave the infusion at room temperature for more than a few hours. These preparation and storage directions are for the beverage, not a proven cortisol treatment.

Who should be careful, and when should you see a doctor?

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, considering lemon balm tea for a child, have a medical condition, or take medication, ask a clinician or pharmacist before using it regularly. Research has not established its safety or potential interactions for these circumstances.

Do not use lemon balm tea in place of prescribed care, and do not stop a steroid or other medication because you are worried about cortisol. A clinician can review your medicines and symptoms and decide whether tests are appropriate.

See a clinician if you have persistent or worsening concerns such as unexplained weight gain, easy bruising, purple stretch marks or muscle weakness. These symptoms have many possible causes and do not diagnose high cortisol. Seek urgent medical help for severe weakness, confusion or fainting.