Drug & supplement interaction

Lemon Balm + Buspirone

Buspirone brand name: BuSpar.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Lemon Balm and Buspirone in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Lemon Balm and Buspirone

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Buspirone and Lemon Balm in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Lemon Balm safety at a glance

Lemon Balm overall Use caution Generally well tolerated for short-term use in most healthy adults, but high doses and long-term safety are not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough reliable safety data, so it is best avoided during pregnancy unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Breastfeeding Use caution Limited safety information exists, so use caution and talk to your doctor before using while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Buspirone and Lemon Balm? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Buspirone

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Buspirone is filed under 5 classifications — including serotonergic drugs, serotonergic drugs, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates. Lemon Balm has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being cns depressants (moderate) and thyroid hormone (moderate) — and none of Buspirone’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Lemon Balm Does Interact With Other Medications

Lemon Balm has 264 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Buspirone isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 264 No known interaction 2,566 (incl. Buspirone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lemon Balm

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Lemon Balm. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Lemon Balm and Buspirone May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Drowsiness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, lemon balm has been reported to cause dizziness and sedation; however, it does not seem to occur more often with lemon balm than placebo. Additionally, other clinical research shows that using lemon balm in conjunction with alcohol does not affect reaction time or influence cognitive performance.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cognitive function.

    4 sources cited
    1. 9993. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed
    2. 104433. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
    3. 19427. Albrecht M, Berger W, Laux P, Schmidt U, et al. Psychopharmaka und Verkehrssicherheit. Der Einfluß von Euvegal® - Dragees forte auf die Fahrtüchtigkeit und Kombinationswirkungen mit Alkohol Z Allg Med 1995;71:1215-25.
    4. 19723. Herberg, KW. Nebenwirkungen pflanzlicher Beruhigungsmittel/ Leistung und Befinden nach Einnahme einer Baldrian-Hopfen-Kombination. Z.Allg Med 1996;72:234-240.

    Buspirone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Buspirone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Tiredness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, a case of transient complete atrioventricular block and QT prolongation is reported in a 25-year-old female following the post-workout use of a specific product (Muscle Eze Advanced) containing lemon balm and several other ingredients. Symptoms of fatigue and lightheadedness started 1 week into use of the product.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    1 source cited
    1. 112556. Kucuk U, Pham M, Raza Raja MH, Saad Shaukat MH, Clark R. Transient complete atrioventricular block associated with herbal supplement use. S D Med 2023;76(7):311-313.

    Buspirone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Buspirone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    Recorded for Lemon Balm in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Drowsiness above.

    Buspirone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Buspirone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, lemon balm might increase appetite in some patients. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain have been reported rarely and do not seem to occur more often than in patients taking placebo.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    3 sources cited
    1. 91732. Alijaniha F, et al. Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:378-384. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007. Epub 2015 Feb 11. PubMed
    2. 104433. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
    3. 9993. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed

    Buspirone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Buspirone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Lemon Balm but not commonly for Buspirone: an irregular heartbeat and stomach pain.

Effects for Buspirone come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Lemon Balm come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Buspirone Is Prescribed For, and What Lemon Balm Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Buspirone is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Lemon Balm is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Buspirone is prescribed for: Buspirone tablets and capsules are used to manage anxiety disorders or to relieve anxiety symptoms in the short term. Its effectiveness has been shown in clinical trials focused on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) — a condition marked by persistent, hard-to-control worry along with physical symptoms like muscle tension, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and sleep problems. Buspirone has also been shown to relieve anxiety in people who have mild depressive symptoms alongside their anxiety. Everyday stress and tension, on their own, generally do not require treatment with a medicine like buspirone.

Lemon Balm has been studied for:

  • Stress Natural Medicines rates the evidence for Lemon Balm: Possibly Effective Read what the research shows

    Lemon Balm for stress

    Oral lemon balm seems to be beneficial for improving experimentally-induced stress in some patients.

  • Anxiety studied, not established Lemon Balm has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Lemon Balm for anxiety

    It is unclear if oral lemon balm or lemon balm aromatherapy is beneficial for reducing anxiety in most patients.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Buspirone on your own; if you are taking Lemon Balm for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Lemon Balm or Buspirone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Lemon Balm or Buspirone, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Buspirone

This page covers Lemon Balm only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Buspirone page lists 155 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 5-htp (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 108 moderate · 43 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Buspirone page

“I counsel genuine caution when supplements meet buspirone (BuSpar), the anxiety medication, because four of its 155 documented interactions are rated major. The bulk of the list, 121 ingredients, changes how your liver clears buspirone through the CYP3A4 enzyme, pushing its level up toward dizziness and drowsiness or down until the anx…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Buspirone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Lemon Balm as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2,076 real supplement products containing Lemon Balm, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lemon Balm. Even though Lemon Balm itself has no known interaction with Buspirone, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Lemon Balm and Buspirone Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Lemon Balm
Top 10%

#100 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Buspirone
Top 5%

#54 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Lemon Balm reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Lemon Balm and Buspirone records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Lemon Balm

What is Lemon Balm?

Lemon Balm
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Sleep problems
  • Digestive upset
  • Cold sores
  • Restlessness or nervousness

Lemon balm is a gentle, lemon-scented mint-family herb traditionally used to ease stress, support sleep, and calm digestion, and topically for cold sores. Early studies are promising but generally small, so the evidence is limited. It is usually well tolerated for most adults, but pregnant or breastfeeding people should check with a doctor or pharmacist first.

Melissa officinalis · Lamiaceae · Leaves and essential oil · Tea, capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, tinctures, topical creams, and essential oil

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Lemon Balm is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Lemon Balm record says about it on its own.

Lemon Balm: dosing

There is no single standard dose of lemon balm that has been firmly established. The right amount can depend on the form (tea, capsule, extract, or cream) and the reason it is being used.Because products vary widely in strength, the best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

From our Lemon Balm monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Lemon Balm monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Buspirone

What Is Buspirone Used For?

Brand name: BuSpar

Buspirone tablets and capsules are used to manage anxiety disorders or to relieve anxiety symptoms in the short term. Its effectiveness has been shown in clinical trials focused on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) — a condition marked by persistent, hard-to-control worry along with physical symptoms like muscle tension, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, and sleep problems.

Buspirone has also been shown to relieve anxiety in people who have mild depressive symptoms alongside their anxiety. Everyday stress and tension, on their own, generally do not require treatment with a medicine like buspirone.

See full Buspirone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lemon Balm

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Lemon Balm — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
264Moderate
0Minor
2,565No known interaction
264 Moderate 2,565 No interaction
Moderate

264 interactions

Showing 60 of 264 moderate interactions — see all 264 on the Lemon Balm page.

No interaction 2,565 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Lemon Balm against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,565 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lemon Balm list.

See the full Lemon Balm interactions page
See every supplement checked against Buspirone, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Lemon Balm References

The 12 references that drive our Lemon Balm monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Wolbling RH, Leonhardt K. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. Phytomedicine 1994;1:25-31.
  2. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed
  3. Kennedy DO, Scholey AB, Tildesley NT, et al. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2002;72:953-64. PubMed
  4. Albrecht M, Berger W, Laux P, Schmidt U, et al. Psychopharmaka und Verkehrssicherheit. Der Einfluß von Euvegal® - Dragees forte auf die Fahrtüchtigkeit und Kombinationswirkungen mit Alkohol Z Allg Med 1995;71:1215-25.
  5. Herberg, KW. Nebenwirkungen pflanzlicher Beruhigungsmittel/ Leistung und Befinden nach Einnahme einer Baldrian-Hopfen-Kombination. Z.Allg Med 1996;72:234-240.
  6. Soulimani R, Fleurentin J, Mortier F, et al. Neurotropic action of the hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis in the mouse. Planta Med. 1991 Apr;57:105-9.
  7. Sourgens H, Winterhoff H, Gumbinger HG, et al. Antihormonal effects of plant extracts. TSH- and prolactin-suppressing properties of Lithospermum officinale and other plants. Planta Med. 1982 Jun;45:78-86. DOI
  8. Auf'mkolk M, Ingbar JC, Amir SM, et al. Inhibition by certain plant extracts of the binding and adenylate cyclase stimulatory effect of bovine thyrotropin in human thyroid membranes. Endocrinology. 1984 Aug;115:527-34. PubMed
  9. Santini F, Vitti P, Ceccarini G, et al. In vitro assay of thyroid disruptors affecting TSH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Oct;26:950-5. PubMed
  10. Alijaniha F, et al. Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:378-384. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007. Epub 2015 Feb 11. PubMed
  11. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
  12. Kucuk U, Pham M, Raza Raja MH, Saad Shaukat MH, Clark R. Transient complete atrioventricular block associated with herbal supplement use. S D Med 2023;76(7):311-313.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Lemon Balm and Buspirone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Lemon Balm with Buspirone?
We do not list a known interaction between Lemon Balm and Buspirone. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Lemon Balm and Buspirone have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Lemon Balm and Buspirone used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Lemon Balm in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Buspirone is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Lemon Balm and Buspirone combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Buspirone is filed under 5 classifications, and Lemon Balm has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Buspirone's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Lemon Balm interact with any other medications?
Yes. Lemon Balm has 264 documented drug interactions in our database — Buspirone is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Buspirone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Buspirone has documented interactions with 155 supplements in our database — Lemon Balm is not one of them. The Buspirone interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Lemon Balm monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Buspirone drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Buspirone supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Buspirone, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 12 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Buspirone and Lemon Balm?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.