Quick answer

NIH's lactation database says no data exist on lemon balm passing into breast milk, or on its safety alone in nursing mothers or infants. It reasons from two infant studies of herbal mixtures that the smaller amounts expected in milk are likely not harmful at usual doses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using it.¹

Key facts

NIH's lactation database (LactMed) says no data exist on how much of lemon balm's compounds pass into breast milk.¹
The same entry says no data exist on the safety of lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or in infants.¹
Its reasoning that the amounts in milk are likely not harmful at usual doses rests on infant studies of herbal mixtures, and it calls those amounts expected but not demonstrated.^1,2
FDA lists lemon balm as generally recognized as safe as a food flavoring, and LactMed names nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness and wheezing as occasional effects in adults.¹

What NIH's lactation database says about lemon balm

LactMed is the National Institutes of Health's database on medicines, herbs and breastfeeding. Its lemon balm entry makes four points. No data exist on any of lemon balm's compounds passing into breast milk. No data exist on the safety of lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or in infants. Lemon balm has been given to infants as part of herbal mixtures, for colic and other conditions. The authors reason from that use that the smaller amounts expected in milk are likely not harmful at usual maternal doses.¹

That last point is a judgment, not a measurement. The entry describes the amounts in milk as expected but not demonstrated, so it cannot say how much of the plant a baby actually receives through nursing.¹

The entry also notes that FDA lists lemon balm as generally recognized as safe as a food flavoring. That listing is about flavoring. For supplements, LactMed adds that FDA does not require extensive pre-market approval, that makers are responsible for safety but need not prove it before sale, that labeled and actual ingredients often differ, and that results from one product may not apply to another.¹

What infants have been given

The infant studies behind that judgment used mixtures. In a randomized, double-blind trial, 93 breastfed infants with colic received either a standardized extract of chamomile, fennel and lemon balm or a placebo, twice a day for one week, and no side effects were reported.²

Because that product held three herbs and was given to the babies directly, the trial cannot show what lemon balm alone does. It did not measure what reaches a baby through milk, and it lasted a week, so it says nothing about longer use by a nursing parent.^1,2

What is not known

How much of lemon balm's compounds reach milk after a cup of tea, a capsule or an extract. LactMed found no data on excretion.¹
Whether lemon balm alone has any effect on a nursing baby. LactMed found no data on lemon balm alone in infants.¹
Whether a product holds what its label says. LactMed notes that labeled and actual ingredients and amounts often differ in supplements.¹
Whether newborns, premature babies or babies with health problems respond differently. None of the sources we read address it.

Lemon balm tea, leaf and blended teas

The lemon balm entry describes the plant's compounds and does not separate tea, leaf and extract. Its statement that no data exist applies to the plant's components in general, so a cup of tea has no data behind it either.¹

Blends add other plants. LactMed's elderberry entry says no data exist on elderberry in breast milk or on its safety in nursing mothers or infants, and that no recommendation can be made on medicinal doses of elderberry products during breastfeeding. It also says the bark, leaves and root contain a compound that can release cyanide, while cooked berries do not carry that risk.³

The peppermint entry differs. It says menthol and 1,8-cineole pass into breast milk in small quantities and that the passage of other components has not been studied. It lists heartburn, nausea and vomiting from large doses, and reports allergic reactions to menthol, including headaches.⁴

LactMed reviews each plant in its own entry. The entries we read do not review blends, so a blended tea has no review of its own.^1,3,4

Who should ask a doctor or pharmacist first

Anyone who is breastfeeding and wants to use lemon balm in any form. The lactation entry gives no data on infants, so a doctor, pharmacist or the baby's pediatrician is the person to ask.¹
Anyone who takes sedatives, sleep medicines or thyroid medicine. In one study the highest dose of an extract lowered alertness for several hours, and old laboratory work raised a thyroid question. Neither has been tested in nursing parents.^5,6
Anyone who notices dizziness, nausea or stomach upset after taking it. LactMed lists these as occasional effects in adults.¹

This page reports what the sources say. It does not tell any person what to do, and a doctor can weigh the product, the amount and the baby's age.

Questions people ask

Is lemon balm tea safe while breastfeeding?

LactMed does not single out tea. It says no data exist on lemon balm's compounds in breast milk or on lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or infants, so ask your doctor or pharmacist about tea as you would about capsules.¹

Is lemon balm leaf safe while breastfeeding?

The lactation entry describes lemon balm's compounds, not leaf versus extract, and finds no data on any of them in breast milk. Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using the leaf in any form.¹

Is elderberry lemon balm tea safe while breastfeeding?

LactMed has separate entries for each plant and finds no data on either in breast milk or in nursing mothers. For elderberry it makes no recommendation on medicinal doses. Blends are not reviewed, so ask your pharmacist.^1,3

Is peppermint safe while breastfeeding?

LactMed says menthol and 1,8-cineole pass into breast milk in small quantities and that large doses can cause heartburn, nausea and vomiting. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the form you use.⁴

Can I take lemon balm while breastfeeding?

Only your doctor or pharmacist can answer that for you. NIH's database finds no data on lemon balm alone in nursing mothers or infants, though it judges the small amounts expected in milk likely not harmful at usual doses.¹

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.