# Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora)

*Herb Louisa, lemon-scented verbena, French *verveine citronelle* or *odorante*; *Lippia citriodora* Kunth; *Verbena triphylla* L’Hér.; *Aloysia triphylla* (L’Hér.) Kuntze; *Aloysia citrodora* Pal u; in pharmacy *Verbenae citriodorae folium**

**Known today as.** *Aloysia citrodora*, a deciduous shrub of the family Verbenaceae from Chile and Peru, grown in European gardens. Grieve records its introduction into England in 1784 and describes very fragrant, lance-shaped leaves in threes, three or four inches long, pale green, with veins at right angles to the midrib, and many small pale purple flowers in slim panicles in August; the leaves “will retain their odour for years and are used in perfumery.” The European Medicines Agency’s assessment report names citral, as neral and geranial, among the main constituents of the oil, and verbascoside (acteoside) among those of the leaf.

Kind: Plant

> **Caution.** Not for those allergic to plants of the Verbenaceae family, nor for children, nor in pregnancy or breast-feeding, for lack of data.

## What was it used for?

A soothing tea for the stomach and the nerves. Grieve calls it febrifuge and sedative, its uses “similar to those of mint, orange flowers, or melissa,” as a stomachic and antispasmodic in dyspepsia, indigestion, and flatulence. The assessment report adds its long use as an infusion for stomach ache and indigestion, its place in the Spanish Pharmacopoeia by 1925, and its use in Europe, South America, and North Africa for diarrhoea, flatulence, insomnia, and rheumatism.

## What does modern science say?

The European Medicines Agency’s herbal committee accepts the leaf as a traditional herbal medicine, “exclusively based upon long-standing use,” for the relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep, and for mild digestive complaints including bloating and flatulence (monograph of 2021). Its assessment report found that the existing data did not meet the criteria for well-established use, and that the one published clinical trial could not be considered for these preparations because of its limitations, among them the lack of any objective measure of sleep quality.

## Pharmacognosy and toxicology

- **citral**: as neral and geranial, among the main constituents of the oil
- **verbascoside**: also called acteoside, in the leaf

**Mechanism.** Not established in the sources read for this entry.

**Standing.** European Union herbal monograph (2021): traditional use, “exclusively based upon long-standing use,” for mild mental stress, to aid sleep, and for mild digestive complaints.

## What lore surrounds it?

The leaves, Grieve notes, “have been suggested to replace tea,” and the shrub could reach fifteen feet in the Isle of Wight and other sheltered places. She warns against confusing its essence with that of lemongrass.

## Sources

- Grieve, M. *A Modern Herbal*, “Verbena, Lemon.” As published on botanical.com.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *European Union herbal monograph on Verbenae citriodorae folium (Lemon verbena leaf)*. EMA/HMPC/376770/2019, 13 January 2021.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *Assessment report on Verbenae citriodorae folium*. EMA/HMPC/376761/2019, 13 January 2021.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *European Union herbal monograph on Verbenae citriodorae folium (Lemon verbena leaf)*. EMA/HMPC/376770/2019, 13 January 2021.
- European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. *Assessment report on Verbenae citriodorae folium*. EMA/HMPC/376761/2019, 13 January 2021.

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*Lemon verbena.* In *Materia Medica*, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1, revised 2026-10-17. The Thinking Press. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/lemon-verbena

Historical description, not medical advice.