Mood & Anxiety Support

Public • 06 Apr 2026

5-HTP & lemon balm are combined to support mood & reduce anxiety. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, while lemon balm has calming effects that can help reduce stress & anxiety.

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Buy stack

mood anxiety stress

5-HTP

Daily with food

MODERATE

100mg

Lemon Balm

Daily with food

MODERATE

600mg

No interactions detected

Each dose includes evidence rationale · doses personalized to your weight

AI risk assessment

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Stack pre-check

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1 warning

Supplements

Training load

Unknown

Warning

5-HTP: do not combine with antidepressants

5-HTP raises serotonin. Combining with SSRIs, SNRIs, or MAOIs can trigger serotonin syndrome. If you take any antidepressants, check with your prescriber before adding 5-HTP.

Pre-check is rule-based, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personalised guidance.

Interaction Analysis

Pharmacokinetic + pair-level checks

Timing optimizations

5-HTP

Evening or 30 min before bed

Serotonin precursor. Evening dosing supports serotonin-melatonin conversion for sleep. Morning use can cause GI discomfort. (Onset: ~1.5h, half-life: ~3h)

Interaction analysis is based on peer-reviewed pharmacology. PMID links go to PubMed. Not medical advice.

Supplements

2 items

5-HTPModerate

Daily with food •

Acts as a precursor to serotonin, supporting mood regulation.

Buy ingredient →

100mg

Trade-offs & context

Interaction

CONTRAINDICATED with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tramadol, and triptans — serotonin syndrome risk (potentially fatal)

Tolerance

GI side effects (nausea, diarrhea) are common — start at 50mg and always take with food

Neural

Long-term use may theoretically deplete dopamine via serotonin pathway dominance — consider cycling

Sleep / mood / anxiety

Moderate

Population: Adults with sleep complaints or low mood

Study type: RCTs (small) + reviews

Dose context: 100 mg typical (range: 50–300 mg) • Duration: 4–12 weeks

Reduces sleep latency & improves mood in several trials; serotonin pathway plausible; trial quality variable.

Citation: Birdsall 1998 (review); Shaw et al. 2002•https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9727088/

Do NOT combine with SSRIs, SNRIs, or MAOIs — risk of serotonin syndrome.

Lemon BalmModerate

Daily with food •

Provides calming effects to reduce stress & anxiety.

Buy ingredient →

600mg

Anxiety reduction

Moderate

Population: Hemodialysis patients

Study type: RCT

Dose context: 600 mg typical • Duration: 1 month

Melissa officinalis L. essential oil inhalation reduced anxiety & symptom burden in hemodialysis patients.

Citation: Pasyar et al. (2025). The effectiveness of Melissa officinalis L. essential oil inhalation on anxiety and symptom burden of hemodialysis patients: a randomized trial study. Journal.•DOI: 10.1186/s12906-025-04840-y

Anxiety & depression reduction

Moderate

Population: Type 2 diabetes patients with depression

Study type: RCT

Dose context: 700 mg typical (range: 700–700 mg) • Duration: 12 weeks

Significant decrease in depression & anxiety severity in the intervention group compared to baseline.

Citation: Iwahashi et al. (2025). Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) Leaf Extract Promotes Endo180 Production in Dermal Fibroblasts and has Antiwrinkle Effect on Human Skin. Journal.•DOI: 10.1186/s12882-020-01806-9

Anxiety reduction

High

Population: Patients with symptoms of depression or anxiety

Study type: Meta-analysis

Dose context: 600 mg typical

Lemon balm significantly improved mean anxiety & depression scores compared with placebo.

Citation: Ghazizadeh et al. (2021). The effects of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on depression and anxiety in clinical trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal.•DOI: 10.1002/ptr.7252

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