Lemon Balm Helps Alzheimer's Patients
.....excerpt from the 'Richters 2003 Newsletter' archives
Researchers discover that lemon balm extract significantly improves cognition in patients.
Lemon balm's growing reputation as a medicinal herb has just taken a dramatic new turn. Long a favourite for brewing relaxing herbal teas, a new study published in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry shows that lemon balm improves mental function and reduces agitation in patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimers disease.
In a randomized, placebo-controlled, trial researchers found that patients receiving an extract of lemon balm for 16 weeks scored significantly better in cognitive tests than patients who did not get the extract. Tests measured memory, orientation, judgement, problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care, among other cognitive functions. Agitation, a common problem for Alzheimers patients, did not occur as often in patients taking the extract, and there were no increase in side effects reported, compared to patients getting the placebo.
It is known that lemon balm affects the activity of neural receptors in central nervous system. A recent study showed that lemon balm improves cognitive performance and mood in healthy young volunteers. Lemon balm seems to do this by modulating the level of a key neural transmitter called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is what Alzheimers patients do not have enough of.
The lead investigator of the Alzheimers study, Dr S. Akhondzadeh of Tehran University Medical School, says that lemon balm "may well prove to be a novel natural treatment" for patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimers disease.
Lemon balm is a traditional remedy for nervous problems and "female complaints." It is useful for melancholy, insomnia, nervous tension, migraine, cramps, colic, dyspepsia, flatulence and some forms of asthma. Women use it during pregnancy and to promote the onset of menstruation.
Lemon balm also has potent antiviral properties useful for treating herpes and other diseases caused by viruses.
At Richters, we have extolled the virtues of lemon balm for years. The tea made from the dried leaves is our favourite "anytime" tea. It both stimulates and calms: it stimulates the heart while it calms the nerves. It is a perfect antidote to the crazy, stressful lives we lead these days making us tired and irritable.
Easy-to-grow lemon balm should be in every garden. Just squeezing the fresh leaves bursting of lemon is bound to lift the spirits! A perennial, hardy to zone 5, it prefers sunny or partially sunny exposure and will grow in most garden soils, reaching upwards of two feet.
It is safe to plant in outdoor gardens until the early fall. If you like to raise your own herbs from seeds, lemon balm is among the easist to grow from seeds, germinating in 10 days.
Reference: Akhondzadeh et al, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2003;74:863-866 |
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