Andean mint-verbena / Pronto alivio
Lippia alba
Edible plantPhoto credit: Bageense
Safety information
Safety information
Toxicity: Citral and related monoterpenes can be irritant/sensitizing at high concentration; EO chemotypes vary. No well-established severe human toxicity at infusion doses in the reviewed literature, but high-dose EO data are limited.
Contraindications: Pregnancy and lactation (insufficient data; antispasmodic/sedative monoterpenes — caution); additive caution with sedatives.
Interactions: Possible additive CNS sedation with other sedatives/anxiolytics; limited formal interaction data.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Pregnancy and lactation: insufficient data — caution.
Evidence level
Supported by laboratory or animal studies; not yet confirmed in humans.
Preparations
essential oil · leaves
Part used: leaves
infusion/tea, decoction, macerate, hydroalcoholic extract · leaves
Part used: leaves
Traditional use: antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative/calming and anxiolytic; digestive/stomach complaints and colds
Proposed mechanism: three chemotypes (citral, carvone, linalool); (R)-(-)-carvone anxiolytic; EO and citral block nerve excitability; proposed GABAergic
Associated conditions
Edibility
Edible parts: Used mainly as a tea/aromatic herb rather than a food crop; leaves taken as infusion.
Toxic lookalike warning
Easily confused with other lemon-scented herbs (true Melissa officinalis, Lippia citriodora/lemon verbena) and with other Lippia species — confirm species before use, as chemotype/EO composition differs.
Nutritional notes
Not a significant nutritional source; flavoring/tea.
Healing traditions
Sources (2)
- Neuropharmacological Properties of Lippia alba, Pharmaceuticals (MDPI), 2025
- Anxiolytic effects of Lippia alba EO and (R)-(-)-carvone, Braz J Med Biol Res / SciELO, 2012