Efficacy of Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) extract on glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double‐blind, clinical trial

Abstract

Melissa officinalis is a plenteous source of antioxidant flavonols and flavonoids that contain health‐promoting and antidiabetic properties, so this study was undertaken to provide the first assessment of the antidiabetic properties of hydroalcoholic extract of M. officinalis in type 2 diabetic patients. We did a randomized, placebo‐controlled trial which included 62 patients, receiving either M. officinalis capsules (700 mg/d; n = 31) or the placebo (n = 31) twice daily for 12 weeks. There were significant differences in serum FBS (P = 0.007), HbA1c (P = 0.002), β‐cell activity (P = 0.05), TG (P = 0.04), HDL‐c (P = 0.05), hs‐CRP (P = 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.04) between the two groups at the end of the study; but total cholesterol, LDL‐c, insulin, and HOMA‐IR showed no significant changes between the groups. In M. officinalis group, there was a significant change in HDL‐c (P = 0.009) and QUICKI (P = 0.005) compared with baseline values. No adverse effects were observed. It seems that M. officinalis is safe and effective in improvement of lipid profile, glycemic control, and reduction of inflammation.

Changes in the Content of Phenolic Compounds and Biological Activity in Traditional Mexican Herbal Infusions with Different Drying Methods

“…The results obtained in the α-glucosidase test show that microwave-dried spices have increased hypoglycemic capacity in Melissa followed by microwave-dried mint. Melissa showed a significant reduction in blood glucose (65%; P < 0.05) in rats treated with the extract for 6 weeks [33] and in a study that included 62 patients who received capsules M. Officinalis (700 mg/d; n = 31) twice a day for 12 weeks, a significant reduction in HbA1c (hemoglobin A1c) (P = 0.002) was seen [8]. On the other hand, the inhibition of α-amylase has demonstrated its effectiveness of use of phenolic compounds for the inhibition of this enzyme in some studies carried out in diabetic rats with aqueous peppermint extract significant hypoglycemic properties were found [34].…”

“…Moreover, they accelerate in hyperglycemic conditions, causing complications in diabetic people, thus, humans have proposed as agents therapeutic to various herbs and spices. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of herbs and spices, associated with type 2 diabetes, may be a primary factor in vascular diseases that diabetics often develop [8]. Due to the different effects of advanced protein glycation in diabetes and the pathologies caused by age, it has been proposed that the inhibition of glycation can prevent the progression of different pathologies of diabetic complications and delay aging [9][10][11].…”

Effects of Melissa officinalis (Lemon Balm) on cardio‐metabolic outcomes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…As shown in Figure 1 (PRISMA flow diagram), the electronic database searches initially retrieved 837 records. Eventually, seven RCTs (Asadi et al, 2018(Asadi et al, , 2019Jandaghi, Noroozi, Ardalani, & Alipour, 2016;Javid et al, 2018aJavid et al, , 2018bNayebi et al, 2019;Yui et al, 2017) were deemed eligible.…”

“…In Asian traditional medicine, MO is used for several conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal diseases or neurological disorders (Emamghoreishi & Talebianpour, 2015; Mahboubi et al, 2016; Moradkhani et al, 2010). While there are several primary studies investigating the effect of MO in chronic cardiometabolic diseases (Asadi et al, 2019; Javid et al, 2018a; Moradkhani et al, 2010), research synthesis is lacking. No systematic review has been performed to date that summarizes the literature to provide evidence about the effect of MO on any cardiometabolic risk factors.…”

Use of medicinal plants in the diabetes treatment

“…They observed a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and systolic blood pressure compared to the control group. In addition, there is a reduction the inflammatory marker CRP 39 .…”