Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) essential oil is dominated by citral a (geranial), citral b (neral), and citronellal, though the oil is produced in extremely low yield — making it among the most expensive essential oils in commerce. The oil exhibits potent virucidal activity against enveloped herpesviruses, with plaque formation reduced by 98.8% (HSV-1) and 97.2% (HSV-2) at noncytotoxic concentrations.^[1] The oil is also well-regarded for its anxiolytic and sedative properties.