title: Anti-stress effects of lemon balm-containing foods.
abstract: Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) has been used historically and contemporarily as a modulator of mood and cognitive function, with anxiolytic effects following administration of capsules, coated tablets and topical application. Following a pilot study with lemon balm extract administered as a water based drink, which confirmed absorption of rosmarinic acid effects on mood and cognitive function, we conducted two similar double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover studies. These evaluated the mood and cognitive effects of a standardised M. officinalis preparation administered in palatable forms in a beverage and in yoghurt. In each study a cohort of healthy young adults' self-rated aspects of mood were measured before and after a multi-tasking framework (MTF) administered one hour and three hours following one of four treatments. Both active lemon balm treatments were generally associated with improvements in mood and/or cognitive performance, though there were some behavioral "costs" at other doses and these effects depended to some degree on the delivery matrix.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. andrew@scholeylab.com.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scholey
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. amygibbs57@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. chrisneale02@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. naomiperry21@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. apresgrave@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ossoukhova
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. vanessa.bilog@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bilog
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne VIC 3122, Australia. marni.kras@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Marni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kras
authors.affiliation: Merck Selbstmedikation GmbH, Roesslerstrasse 96, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany. Claudia.Scholz@merck.de.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.affiliation: Rudolf Wild GmbH & Co. KG, Rudolf-Wild-Str. 107-115, D-69214 Eppelheim, Heidelberg, Germany. Matthias.Sass@wild.de.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sass
authors.affiliation: Vital Solutions GmbH, Hausinger Strasse 6, D-40764 Langenfeld, Germany. Sybille.buchwald-werner@vitalsolutions.biz.
authors.forename: Sybille
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buchwald-Werner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D002934:Cinnamates / Q000494:pharmacology; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D053630:Depsides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D031334:Melissa / Q000737:chemistry*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects*; D055815:Young Adult; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid
chemical_list: D002934:Cinnamates; D053630:Depsides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid