Lemon balm: A promising herbal therapy for patients with borderline hyperlipidemia-A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
Melissa officinalis is a perennial herb from the Lamiaceae family which has shown to have modulating effects on serum lipid profile. The aim of the current study is to explore the effects of M. officinalis supplementation on serum biochemical parameters of patients with borderline hyperlipidemia.


METHODS
58 hyperlipidemic patients were allocated randomly to 2 groups: first group received capsules containing 1000mg M. officinalis leaf powder (MO group), and the second group received placebo capsules (P group) 3 times per day for 2 months. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), HDL, LDL, Triglyceride, Creatinine and liver function enzymes including AST and ALT were evaluated before and after study.


RESULTS
The mean of LDL in MO group significantly decreased compared with P group after the supplementation (P=0.02). Although the level of Cholesterol, FBG, HDL, Triglyceride, Creatinine and ALT did not show significant difference between two groups after 2 months (P≥0.05), the level of AST exhibited a significant difference between two groups (P=0.009).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings demonstrated that M. officinalis supplementation as a rich source of antioxidants and bioactive compounds can be effective in remission of LDL and AST levels in patients with borderline hyperlipidemia.
Children Growth Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Parisa
P
Jandaghi
Children Growth Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mostafa
M
Noroozi
Department of Horticultural Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: hrardalani@srbiau.ac.ir.
Hamidreza
H
Ardalani
Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mahmoud
M
Alipour
D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D031334:Melissa / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts
Blood glucose; Hyperlipidemia; Lemon balm; Lipid profile; Liver enzyme; Melissa officinalis