Lemon balm tea, artery stiffness and skin changes in 28 adults
What it found
Drinking lemon balm tea for six weeks reduced artery stiffness and yellowish skin tones compared with barley tea in 28 healthy adults.
Lab tests showed the extract slowed protein damage linked to aging.
What they found
Studies in people
Artery stiffness in people
People who drank lemon balm tea had lower artery stiffness after six weeks compared with those drinking barley tea. The drop was largest in people whose arteries were stiffest at the start.
Skin color in people
Forearm skin became less red and less yellow in the lemon balm group compared with the barley tea group. Skin brightness did not change between the groups.
Cheek skin stretchiness
When looking only at women, cheek skin kept its stretchiness better in the lemon balm group than in the barley tea group. No difference was seen when men and women were grouped together.
Animal and lab studies
Blocking protein damage in labs
In lab tests on protein sheets, lemon balm extract and its main compound, rosmarinic acid, slowed down sugar-linked damage. This included less yellowing of collagen and less bending of elastin fibers.
Other findings
Active compounds identified
The researchers found four active compounds in lemon balm leaves. Rosmarinic acid was the most plentiful, at 22.7 mg per gram of dry leaves.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that hot water extract of lemon balm leaf may help protect blood vessels and skin from sugar-linked tissue damage in healthy adults.
- They suggest lemon balm tea could be a useful food material for reducing artery stiffness and loss of skin stretchiness.
How it was done
Sugars can stick to proteins in the body without enzymes, causing tissue damage linked to aging and disease. The authors wanted to find a food that blocks this process and then test it in people.
They first screened 681 plant extracts in lab tests and picked lemon balm leaf. Then they ran a trial where 28 healthy Japanese adults aged 31 to 64 drank either lemon balm tea or barley tea daily for six weeks. They measured artery stiffness, skin color, skin stretchiness and blood markers before and after.
What it can’t tell you
- Only 28 people took part, so the results might not hold up in larger groups.
- The trial was open-label, meaning everyone knew which tea they were drinking, which can influence outcomes.
- The study did not directly measure damaged proteins in the participants' arteries or skin, so scientists do not yet know if the lab findings fully explain the changes seen in people.
The paper
- Title
- Beneficial Effects of Lemon Balm Leaf Extract on In Vitro Glycation of Proteins, Arterial Stiffness, and Skin Elasticity in Healthy Adults
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Yui S, Fujiwara S, Harada K, et al (2017). Beneficial Effects of Lemon Balm Leaf Extract on In Vitro Glycation of Proteins, Arterial Stiffness, and Skin Elasticity in Healthy Adults. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology. doi:10.3177/jnsv.63.59Free full textPubMed 28367927DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error