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Herb library · Herb · Tilia cordata, T. platyphyllos, T. x vulgaris

Linden (lime flower)

The dried, fragrant flowers of the linden or lime tree, a pleasant tea long drunk for colds and to settle the nerves. EU regulators accept both uses on the basis of long use; the EMA found almost no clinical research.

Traditional use

Since the Middle Ages lime flowers have been used in Europe to bring on sweating in feverish colds, and as a calming tea for anxiety, headache, indigestion and palpitations; they were also added to baths. People in many countries, including in Latin America, give linden tea as a household remedy, sometimes to infants as a sedative. In the EU it is registered as a traditional herbal medicine for the symptoms of a common cold and for mild symptoms of mental stress.

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Colds: accepted in the EU on the basis of traditional use only. The one small study, in 30 people with colds who inhaled steam from lime flowers or colored water, reported some relief but had no statistical analysis, so the EMA could draw no conclusion.

  • Insufficient

    Mild stress and nervousness: accepted in the EU on the basis of traditional use only; the EMA found a lack of clinical research.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • ConditionDo not give linden tea made from loose, unpackaged flowers to babies: a 2009 study found botulism spores in 3 of 100 samples of loose linden flowers (none in tea bags), and the authors consider the tea a possible risk factor for infant botulism. EU products are not for colds in children under 4 or for stress under 12.
  • AllergyAllergy to linden pollen is common, and an occupational allergy to the flowers has been reported. Do not use it if you are allergic to the plant.
  • NoteNo side effects are known. See a doctor if a cold gets worse, lasts more than a week, or brings shortness of breath, high fever or colored phlegm.
  • ConditionSome older sources advise people with heart disease to avoid it; the EMA notes the scientific basis for this is not known.
  • PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and use then is not recommended.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“When fresh, the odor is agreeable; when dry, faint. The taste is mucilaginous and sweetish.”
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, King's American Dispensatory (1905), vol. 2, p. 1941. See the page of King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 1941 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 1941
“Upon the leaves of the European species, Boussingault detected a sweet exudate, having the composition of Mt. Sinai manna.”
Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd, King's American Dispensatory (1905), vol. 2, p. 1941. See the page of King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 1941 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from King's American Dispensatory, vol. 2, p. 1941

Sources

  1. Tiliae flos - herbal medicinal product (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  2. Community herbal monograph on Tilia cordata Miller, Tilia platyphyllos Scop., Tilia x vulgaris Heyne or their mixtures, flos (EMA/HMPC/337066/2011) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  3. Assessment report on Tilia cordata Miller, Tilia platyphyllos Scop., Tilia x vulgaris Heyne or their mixtures, flos (EMA/HMPC/337067/2011) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  4. Linden flower (Tilia spp.) as potential vehicle of Clostridium botulinum spores in the transmission of infant botulism (Rev Argent Microbiol, 2009) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  5. Risks and benefits of commonly used herbal medicines in Mexico (Toxicol Appl Pharmacol, 2008) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.