Easy peasy lemon squeezy
By Geraint Smith
13 March 2003

It is a common sight in British gardens and for centuries has been
linked to herbal medicine. Now the first proper scientific
investigation into the benefits of lemon balm has found it enhances
the memory and could even help patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The shrubby perennial herb, a native of this country and much of the
rest of Europe, has been traditionally used to calm and refresh.

Now a series of experiments at Northumbria University suggests its
reputation is deserved and provides the first evidence of exactly how
it works.

Researcher Dr David Kennedy found that healthy young adults given
capsules containing doses of the plant's dried leaves were
significantly better at standardised computer memory tests than those
who took a placebo. They also scored higher in another standard test
that measured calmness. They found that the higher the dose, the
bigger the effect on both memory and mood.

Meanwhile, Elaine Perry of the Medical Research Council's unit at
Newcastle General Hospital found lemon balm had a positive effect on
pieces of brain tissue and chemical receptors in the brain affected by
Alzheimer's.

"As a sedative, the extract worked," Dr Kennedy said. "The more you
took, the more it worked. But it was only the dried leaf, which is
probably closest to the traditional way of taking lemon balm, that
enhanced memory.

"We believe that it could be used as an helpful adjunct to
conventional treatment for Alzheimer's disease."


Look here too

• Herb's history



Dr Kennedy added: "The nice thing about these studies is that we found
that you don't need exoticing redients to improve your memory. If you
find lemon balm in the garden there's no need to dig it up, just dry
the leaves and try some."

The team, whose results are published today at the British
Psychological Society's annual conference in Bournemouth, also
discovered that a drink largely consisting of glucose and caffeine -
with trace elements of gingko, guarana and ginseng - acted to enhance
memory. Author Dominic O'Brien, who has won the World Memory
Championships eight times, said he usually used such drinks before a
competition. He said: "I tend to use thinks like ginko biloba and
ginseng during competitions to boost my performance. There has been
lots of independent research which has backed up the claims that they
are helpful aids to memory.

"I can't say for certain that they have helped me, but since I started
using ginseng I have won the World Memory Championships three times,
so they don't seem to have done any damage.

"I also have a bottle of lemon oil which I sniff from time to time to
help me concentrate, and I take vitamins A, C and E."