Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora or Lippia citriodora), also known as lemon beebrush, is a species of flowering plant native to South America. Its main active phytochemical is the phenylpropanoid verbascoside, an antioxidant with neuroprotective potential1.
The effect of a lemon verbena supplement yielding 10% verbascoside was evaluated in a randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study with RRMS, SPMS, and PPMS patients. After 28 days of supplementation, SPMS patients showed significantly lower concentrations of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein, with increased anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations of IL-4 and IL-10 compared to the placebo group. In RRMS patients, diminished levels of pro-inflammatory IL-12 were observed. Post-treatment IFN-gamma levels decreased for all MS groups2.
Lemon verbena tea has traditionally been used in southern Morocco for its benefits throughout pregnancy and during and after childbirth, including to promote “good fetal development,” ease (“accelerate”) labor, and eliminate gas in breastfeeding infants3. In a study in breastfeeding women, up to five cups/day of lemon verbena tea (yielding up to approximately 500 mg/day verbascodide4) was associated with a favorable safety profile in both mothers and infants, with no adverse effects observed/reported5. Verbascodide 1 g/kg/day administered to pregnant mice was found to be safe, presenting no negative outcomes in their offspring6, supporting findings using 0.5 g/kg/day verbena extract7.
References
1.Burgos C, Munoz-Mingarro D, Navarro I, Martin-Cordero C, Acero N. Neuroprotective Potential of Verbascoside Isolated from Acanthus mollis L. Leaves through Its Enzymatic Inhibition and Free Radical Scavenging Ability. Antioxidants (Basel). Nov 30 2020;9(12)doi:10.3390/antiox9121207
2.Mauriz E, Vallejo D, Tunon MJ, et al. Effects of dietary supplementation with lemon verbena extracts on serum inflammatory markers of multiple sclerosis patients. Nutr Hosp. Nov 4 2014;31(2):764-71. doi:10.3305/nh.2015.31.2.8319
3.Kamel N, El Boullani R, Cherrah Y. Use of Medicinal Plants during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum in Southern Morocco. Healthcare (Basel). Nov 21 2022;10(11)doi:10.3390/healthcare10112327
4.Carnat A, Carnat, A.P., Fraisse, D., Lamaison, J.L. The aromatic and polyphenolic composition of lemon verbena tea. Fitoterapia. 1999;70(1):44-49.
5.Wagner CL, Boan AD, Marzolf A, et al. The Safety of Mother’s Milk(R) Tea: Results of a Randomized Double-Blind, Controlled Study in Fully Breastfeeding Mothers and Their Infants. J Hum Lact. May 2019;35(2):248-260. doi:10.1177/0890334418787474
6.Etemad L, Zafari R, Moallem SA, Vahdati-Mashhadian N, Skouei Shirvan Z, Hosseinzadeh H. Teratogenic Effect of Verbascoside, Main Constituent of Lippia citriodora Leaves, in Mice. Iran J Pharm Res. Spring 2016;15(2):521-5.
7.Oskouei Shirvan Z, Etemad L, Zafari R, Moallem SA, Vahdati-Mashhadian N, Hosseinzadeh H. Teratogenic effect of Lippia citriodora leaves aqueous extract in mice. Avicenna J Phytomed. Mar-Apr 2016;6(2):175-80.