Abstract
Melissa officinalis L. called in popular language lemon balm is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. The plant contains a variety of bioactive compounds among which volatile oils, flavonoids and phenolic acids. These are responsible for a lot of beneficial effects in disease relief. Lemon balm has antioxidant, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, anxiolytic, spasmolytic and other effects. Important for its antioxidant activity are flavonoids and phenolic acids which are well known for their ability to scavenge the free radicals. Due to this effect, lemon balm protects against the development of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dermatological disorders. In this study we extracted and determined the content of the volatile oil and flavonoids from Melissa officinalis L. and we investigated the antioxidant activity of an extract obtained from dried aerial parts of lemon balm. The results showed that the volatile oil content was low (0.17 mL/100 g vegetal material). The total flavonoid content was 0.965 g rutoside/100 g of vegetal product and the antioxidant activity was 90.40 %. From this study, we concluded that Melissa officinalis L. is a potential source of antioxidant compounds with a lot of other benefits for human health.
Highlights
Melissa officinalis L. is a perennial edible medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family
Dried aerial parts of Melissa officinalis L. were subjected to steam distillation, for 5 hours in a neo-Clevenger apparatus modified by Moritz. 1 mL of benzene was added to the volatile oil obtained
Melissa officinalis L. is a medicinal plant with a lot of applications and a potential source of compounds with antioxidant activity
Summary
Melissa officinalis L. is a perennial edible medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It originated from southern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean region, Caucasus, northern Iran, Northern Africa and Western Asia [1,2,3]. Melissa officinalis L. has some common names: lemon balm, bee balm or honey balm [1]. The plant can reach a height of 30-125 cm and it is covered with short hairs. The stem of the plant is erect, with branches, it is quadrangular and frequently glabrous. The leaves are ovate in shape and they are petiolate. The plant has small, dark brown or black seeds [4]
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