Herb Profile

Lemon Verbena

Aloysia citrodora

Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) carries a Grade C rating — limited evidence.

Last reviewed: June 6, 2026•3 sources citedReport a correctionProfile-wide ·C Limited

Use extra caution — CNS active potential; avoid stacking with sedatives, alcohol, sleep aids, antidepressants, or other psychoactive supplements without clinician review. Details

Evidence: Limited Evidence
Typical onset: Varies by prep
Safety rating: High caution
Best for: Sleep, Stress
Avoid / review if: Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Without Clinician Guidance, Kidney Disease Caution At High Doses, Low Documented Interaction Burden

Generated profile category visual

At a glance

From this profile's structured data

Evidence: Grade C
Safety: CNS-active potential; avoid stacking with sedatives, alcohol, sleep aids, antidepressants, or other psychoactive supplements without clinician review.
Profile context: sleep, stress

Next stepsWhere to go next — guides & comparisons

If you want help sleeping → Sleep guides
If you want help with anxiety or stress → Anxiety & stress guides
If you want to browse more herbs → All herbs

Safety

Safety & Cautions

CNS active potential; avoid stacking with sedatives, alcohol, sleep aids, antidepressants, or other psychoactive supplements without clinician review. Avoid pregnancy/breastfeeding use unless supervised.

High caution

Caution level: High. Multiple caution categories apply, or the record uses avoid/contraindication language.

Interaction-AwareMedication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding CautionPregnancy or breastfeeding caution language is present.

Detailed safety fields

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and contraindications

Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Without Clinician Guidance
Kidney Disease Caution At High Doses
Low Documented Interaction Burden
Caution With Sedatives If Used For Sleep.

Safety classifications

Interaction-Aware: Medication or interaction context is explicitly noted.
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Caution: Pregnancy or breastfeeding caution language is present.

Full safety note

CNS active potential; avoid stacking with sedatives, alcohol, sleep aids, antidepressants, or other psychoactive supplements without clinician review. Avoid pregnancy/breastfeeding use unless supervised.

Safety labels

Interaction-Aware
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Caution

Evidence-based safety

Caution when combined

Severity and certainty are shown separately. A high-priority caution can still be theoretical: these pairings are screened from shared contraindication mechanisms and are not automatically documented clinical interactions. Provenance identifies the source fields that produced each flag; it does not upgrade the certainty of the pairwise claim.

Moderate Caution

68 flagged pairings

Sedation / CNS depression

Representative pairings are shown below. Large mechanism groups are intentionally summarized to keep profiles focused and crawl-efficient.

Sedation / CNS depressionCertainty: Theoretical

Data provenance recorded for 68 of 68 pairings in this mechanism group.

+56 more pairings share this mechanism. Use the Safety Checker to review a specific combination.

Evidence

Evidence Summary

Evidence lens

Read as directional context, not settled clinical proof.

LimitedLimited Evidence

Human clinical evidence: Present in source signals

Mechanistic / preclinical: Mechanism mapped — Oxidative Stress Modulation · Stress Response Modulation

Research maturity: Emerging research — Long Term Human Evidence May Be Limited.

Safety boundary: Safety note available — CNS active potential; avoid stacking with sedatives, alcohol, sleep aids, antidepressants, or other psychoactive supplements without clinician review.

This profile cites 3 human studies.

Study design details

Evidence Grade

Grade C: Limited Evidence

Evaluation of methodological rigor, population reach, and evidence alignment.

Design Match: Randomized controlled trial
Risk of Bias: Low
Consistency: Not assessed

Strongest recorded design is a randomized controlled trial, drawn from 4 recorded studies, 1 in people.

How evidence grades work

Each grade reflects the strength and consistency of published human evidence — not marketing claims. Grades are based on study count, design quality, effect size, consistency, and recency.

Strong: Multiple RCTs, consistent direction, adequate effect size
Moderate: Some RCTs or consistent observational data in humans
Preliminary / Mixed: Animal or in-vitro only, or conflicting human data
Traditional / Theoretical: Traditional use only; no controlled human trials

Clinical Study Summaries (4)1 human evidence source · 1 human trial · Participant totals not consistently reported · Consistency not yet classifiable

Filter by study class

Showing 4 of 4 studies.

What the evidence actually shows

This table contains 4 structured sources, including 1 human evidence source; 1 is a human trial.

Study	Design	N	Dose	Duration	Population	Outcome	Result & magnitude	Source
A 2024 randomized trial in adults with sleep disturbances reported improved sleep-related outcomes after 90 days of lemon verbena extract. The study had industry-linked authorship/employment, so conflict-of-interest and replication flags are important. Background	Randomized controlled trial Randomly assigns participants to interventions or controls, reducing many sources of bias when the trial is conducted well.	—	—	—	—	—	A 2024 randomized trial in adults with sleep disturbances reported improved sleep-related outcomes after 90 days of lemon verbena extract. The study had industry-linked authorship/employment, so conflict-of-interest and replication flags are important.	PubMed →
Aloysia citrodora Paláu (Lemon verbena): A review of phytochemistry and pharmacology Bahramsoltani R et al. · J Ethnopharmacol · 2018 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →
Anaesthesia of decapod crustaceans de Souza Valente C et al. · Vet Anim Sci · 2022 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →
Effectiveness of Lemon Verbena (Cymbopogon citratus) in Oral Candidiasis: A Systematic Review Cuenca-León K et al. · Clin Cosmet Investig Dent · 2024 Background	Narrative review Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.	—	—	—	—	—	—	PubMed →

Dosing & Timing

No standardized dose: Preparation specific; use standardized product label for Leaf infusion and require source backed dosage review before therapeutic claims.

How Lemon Verbena works

Simplified mechanism pathway based on preclinical and pharmacological evidence. Does not confirm clinical efficacy.

Mechanism Pathway — How Lemon Verbena Works

CompoundTarget / ReceptorMechanismEffect / Outcome

Mechanisms & biological pathways (preclinical)

Oxidative Stress Modulation
Stress Response Modulation

Active Compounds

Key constituents studied in Lemon Verbena, with full pharmacology and safety profiles.

Verbascoside — active compound in Lemon Verbena

Compare related active botanicals

Explore botanicals with similar chemistry, effects, or safety considerations in the Botanical Activity Atlas.

Guides that use Lemon Verbena

Condition guides

Compare & Sourcing

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Review available sources for Lemon Verbena

Independent database mapping — evaluated separately from safety and efficacy scores.

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Safety first · Harm reduction

This information is educational and not medical advice. Start low, avoid risky combinations, and consult a licensed clinician before making health decisions—especially if you use medications, have diagnosed conditions, or are pregnant/breastfeeding.

Learn how we evaluate confidence, safety, and intensity on the methodology page.

Editorial Review

Checked against primary sources, cited evidence, and contraindication language before publication. Evidence claims, safety language, and affiliate modules are reviewed independently. Not personal medical advice.

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