Melissa officinalis (Lamélis) : medicinal properties in alcoholic extraction

Melissa officinalis (Lamélis, Mélisse) — family Lamiacée.

Scientific synonyms : Faucibarba officinalis-(L)-D., Melissa bicornis-K., Mutelia officinalis-(L)-Gren. Ex M, Thymus melissa-(L)-E.H.L. Krause..

Recognised external sources linked to this monograph: French Pharmacopoeia.

This database documents alcoholic (ethanol) extractions of active substances. Our monograph currently lists 16 indications in alcoholic extraction for this species. The Lapo v2 catalogue records 51 scientific references for this species (full detail in the application).

Important — scientific references on this public page: only a short excerpt of each cited source is shown (selected abstract sentences), kept in the original language of the publication (most often English), without translation. These excerpts are not the full article text and are not a complete bibliography. The full reference records and complete monographic detail are available in the Lapo v2 application (free 30-day trial).

1. 1

   Cancer: adjuvant treatment of colorectal, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer, and glioblastoma

   Plant part used: Sheet.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Jahanban-Esfahlan A (2015)

     Excerpt MTT assays were used to evaluate cytotoxicity of different doses of MOE (0, 5, 20, 100, 250, 500, 1000 µg/ml) towards A549 (lung non-small cell cancer cells), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), SKOV3 (ovarian cancer cells), & PC-3 (prostate adenocarcinoma) cells. Moreover, the antiproliferative effect of MO seems to be tumour type specific, as hormone dependant cancers were more sensitive to antitumoral effects of MOE.

   • According to Kuo TT (2020)

     Excerpt Cumulating evidence indicates noticeable chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals on CRC, suggesting that drinking herbal tea potentially reduces the risk of distal colon cancer via its antiproliferative and anti-angiogenic activities. Among them, the hot water extract of Melissa officinalis (MO) exhibited the highest anticancer activity on CRC cells.

   • According to LIN JT (2012)

     Excerpt Antioxidant, anti-proliferative & cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activities of ethanolic extracts from freeze (EF) & hot air (EH) dried lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) leaves were evaluated. EF also presented higher antioxidant (β-carotene bleaching inhibition, scavenging 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, reducing power & Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), anti-proliferative (proliferative inhibition for Hep G2, KB & TSGH 9201 human cancer cells) & COX-2 (induced by 12-O-teradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in KB cells) suppressing activities than EH.

   • According to WEIDNER C (2015)

     Excerpt In this study, we describe the antiproliferative & proapoptotic effects of ethanolic lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) leaves extract in human colon carcinoma cells. Conclusions: Lemon balm (M officinalis) extract inhibits the proliferation of colon carcinoma cells & induces apoptosis through formation of ROS.

   • According to Mouhid L (2018)

     Excerpt METHODS: In this study, we have analyzed the potential anti-carcinogenic effect of different Asteraceae (Achillea millefolium & Calendula officinalis) & Lamiaceae (Melissa officinalis & Origanum majorana) plant extracts obtained by different green technologies (Supercritical CO2 Extraction -SFE- & Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction -UAE-) to identify efficient plant extracts against human pancreatic cancer cells that could constitute the basis of novel treatment approaches. CONCLUSION: These results show how Yarrow & Marigold SFE-derived extracts can inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth, & could be proposed for a comprehensive study to determine the molecular mechanisms involved in their bioactivity with the final aim to propose them as potential adjuvants in pancreatic cancer therapy.

2. 2

   Adjuvant treatment for pancreatic carcinoma (synergistic combination with 5-fluorouracil)

   Plant part used: Sheet.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to Mouhid L (2018)

     Excerpt METHODS: In this study, we have analyzed the potential anti-carcinogenic effect of different Asteraceae (Achillea millefolium & Calendula officinalis) & Lamiaceae (Melissa officinalis & Origanum majorana) plant extracts obtained by different green technologies (Supercritical CO2 Extraction -SFE- & Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction -UAE-) to identify efficient plant extracts against human pancreatic cancer cells that could constitute the basis of novel treatment approaches. CONCLUSION: These results show how Yarrow & Marigold SFE-derived extracts can inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth, & could be proposed for a comprehensive study to determine the molecular mechanisms involved in their bioactivity with the final aim to propose them as potential adjuvants in pancreatic cancer therapy.

   • According to WEIDNER C (2015)

     Excerpt In this study, we describe the antiproliferative & proapoptotic effects of ethanolic lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) leaves extract in human colon carcinoma cells. Conclusions: Lemon balm (M officinalis) extract inhibits the proliferation of colon carcinoma cells & induces apoptosis through formation of ROS.

   • According to Jahanban-Esfahlan A (2015)

     Excerpt Moreover, the antiproliferative effect of MO seems to be tumour type specific, as hormone dependant cancers were more sensitive to antitumoral effects of MOE. Here, we investigated the selective anticancer effects of an MO extract (MOE) in different human cancer cells.

   • According to LIN JT (2012)

     Excerpt Antioxidant, anti-proliferative & cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitory activities of ethanolic extracts from freeze (EF) & hot air (EH) dried lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) leaves were evaluated. EF also presented higher antioxidant (β-carotene bleaching inhibition, scavenging 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, reducing power & Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity), anti-proliferative (proliferative inhibition for Hep G2, KB & TSGH 9201 human cancer cells) & COX-2 (induced by 12-O-teradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate in KB cells) suppressing activities than EH.

   • According to Kuo TT (2020)

     Excerpt Among them, the hot water extract of Melissa officinalis (MO) exhibited the highest anticancer activity on CRC cells. Cumulating evidence indicates noticeable chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals on CRC, suggesting that drinking herbal tea potentially reduces the risk of distal colon cancer via its antiproliferative and anti-angiogenic activities.

3. 3

   Herpes simplex

   Plant part used: Sheet.

   Scientific references (short excerpts)

   Short excerpts only (not the full article). Full reference records are in the Lapo v2 application.

   • According to WÖLBING RH (1994)

     Excerpt An overt multicentric study involving 115 patients and another subsequent placebo-controlled double-blind study involving 116 patients contributed significantly to the corroborative evidence of the antiviral activity in vitro of a specially prepared dried extract from Melissa leaves against herpes simplex infections. The studies provided the proof that the ingredient gave protection against herpes simplex infections.

   • According to ARAUJO SG (2014)

     Excerpt In the present work, we identified the volatile compounds of ethanol extracts of Melissa officinalis, Mentha sp. Also was evaluated antimicrobial activity of ethanol extracts against 6 bacteria of clinical interest, & was tested the interaction of these extracts with a commercial antibiotic Streptomycin.

   • According to ALLAHVERDIYEV A (2004)

     Excerpt officinalis on Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) replication in HEp-2 cells. officinalis volatile oil was found to be non-toxic to HEp-2 cells up to a concentration of 100 micro/ml.

   • According to MAZZANTI (2008)

     Excerpt In this work the antiviral activity of a hydroalcoholic extract of lemon balm leaves against the Herpès simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) were assessed by the cytopathic effect inhibition assay on Vero cells (ATCC CCL-81), in comparison with Acyclovir. (Lamiaceae) (lemon balm) is used in folk medicine for nervous complaints, lower abdominal disorders &, more recently, for treating Herpès simplex lesions.

   • According to Behzadi A (2023)

     Excerpt Today, research has shown that this plant can also fight viruses including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), & Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through various mechanisms such as inhibiting HSV-1 from binding to host cell, inhibiting HSV-1 replication during the post-adsorption or inhibiting main protease & spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, furthermore, be effective in treating related diseases. Melissa officinalis has been widely used for reducing stress & anxiety, increasing appetite & sleep, reducing pain, healing wounds, & treating poisonous insect bites & bee stings for a long time.

Further indications (including other extraction modes where applicable), dosages, precautions for use, and the <strong>full scientific references</strong> (complete records, not only the short excerpts above) are available in the complete monographic record in the Lapo v2 application.