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Botanical illustration of Lemon Verbena
MedicinalSourced entry

Lemon Verbena

Aloysia citrodora

A lemon-scented shrub whose leaves make a herbal tea. It's recognised in Europe as a traditional remedy for mild stress, to help sleep, and for mild digestive complaints such as bloating and gas.

Safety at a glance

Tap a box to read the safety notes below. “Nothing recorded” means our sources don't cover it, not that it's safe.

What is Lemon Verbena?

Plant family
Verbenaceae, the verbena family
Parts used
The dried leaves, as a herbal tea
Genus
Aloysia
Species
citrodora

Also called

Lemon Verbena Leaf

Regional names

Verveine Odorante

Older scientific names

Aloysia triphylla, Lippia citriodora

Traditionally used for

  • Stress
  • Sleep
  • Bloating
  • Gas
  • Herbal tea

Traditionally described as

  • May ease bloating and gas (traditional)
  • May help you relax (traditional)

Health topics

Where Lemon Verbena appears in symptom search, and why. Being listed doesn't mean it's a proven treatment.

  • Bloating

    Recognised in Europe as a traditional remedy for mild bloating and gas. Based on long use, not trials.

  • Sleep Problems (Insomnia)

    Two trials found a lemon verbena extract improved sleep quality.

  • Stress

    In one trial, a lemon verbena extract lowered stress and cortisol.

Traditions that use it

  • European Folk Medicine

    Recognised in Europe as a traditional remedy for mild stress, sleep and mild digestive complaints.

How it's prepared

Common ways Lemon Verbena is prepared or sold. This isn't advice on how to take it; see Safety below.

Safety

Allergies

  • Don't use it if you're allergic to lemon verbena or other plants in the verbena family (Verbenaceae).[1]Health agency

Side effects

  • Lemon verbena may make you drowsy. If it does, don't drive or use machinery. No other side effects are known.[1]Health agency

Pregnancy

  • Not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because its safety hasn't been established.[1]Health agency

How much to use

  • Not recommended for children. As a tea:

    • For stress: 5 g of leaf boiled in 100 ml of water, 3 times a day
    • For sleep: 1–2 g in 200 ml of boiling water, half an hour before bed
    • For digestion: 2–3 g in 200 ml of boiling water, 1–3 times a day

    See a doctor if symptoms last more than 2 weeks or get worse.[1]Health agency

What does the research say?

Traditional use

These are traditional uses, not proven treatments.

  • The European Medicines Agency recognises lemon verbena leaf tea as a traditional herbal medicine for teenagers and adults:

    • To relieve mild symptoms of mental stress
    • To help sleep
    • For mild digestive complaints, including bloating and gas

    This is based on long use alone, not on clinical trials.[1]Health agency

Research in people

  • In a 2024 Spanish trial, 71 healthy adults with sleep problems took a lemon verbena extract or a dummy pill for 3 months. The extract improved sleep quality, helped people fall asleep faster and sleep more efficiently, and raised night-time melatonin.[2]Study

  • In an 8-week trial, people taking a lemon verbena extract reported less stress, with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and felt better rested, spending more time in deep and dream (REM) sleep, compared with a dummy pill.[3]Study

  • In a 2025 UK trial, 120 children aged 8 to 17 with mild ADHD-like behaviour took lemon verbena extract or a dummy for 8 weeks. Children taking it felt less energetic but thinking wasn't impaired, had fewer depression symptoms at the end, and parents reported a trend toward less hyperactivity.[4]Study

In short

May make you drowsy; not recommended for children or during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Sources

  1. [1] European Union herbal monograph on Aloysia citrodora Paláu, folium (lemon verbena leaf) — European Medicines Agency (EMA), Committee on Herbal Medicinal ProductsGovernment health agency
  2. [2] Dietary Supplementation with an Extract of Aloysia citrodora (Lemon verbena) Improves Sleep Quality in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Study · DOI: 10.3390/nu16101523Peer-reviewed study
  3. [3] Anxiolytic Effect and Improved Sleep Quality in Individuals Taking Lippia citriodora Extract · DOI: 10.3390/nu14010218Peer-reviewed study
  4. [4] Daily supplementation with lemon verbena extract decreases subjective energy and parental reports of hyperactivity in children displaying sub-clinical attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-type behaviours: A randomised controlled trial · DOI: 10.1177/02698811251324574Peer-reviewed study

This information is educational and traditional in nature, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Unfamiliar word? See what these words mean.