No. Despite the name and the smell, lemon balm is a member of the mint family and contains no lemon, lime or any other citrus fruit. The aroma comes from citral and citronellal in the leaf oil, compounds that also occur in lemongrass. If you avoid citrus because of a fruit allergy or because citrus reliably triggers you, lemon balm is not the same food and does not carry the citrus fruit profile.

It is low in histamine itself and graded only a mild liberator, which puts it in a much better position than actual lemon or lime, both of which are graded strong liberators here. Many people with histamine intolerance use it as an evening tea without trouble. As always with a herbal infusion, watch the blend rather than the herb: fermented or fruit-piece teas sold alongside it can sit far higher.

It grades moderate. That is enough to matter if you follow a strict salicylate elimination such as the RPAH approach, where strongly aromatic herbs are routinely restricted, and enough to explain a reaction to several strong cups a day. At garnish quantities it is a minor exposure.

Lemon balm on its own is low FODMAP, and a plain single-herb infusion is a sensible choice on the elimination phase. The trap is the blend: chamomile in particular is high in FODMAPs, and many sleep teas pair the two. Read the botanical list, not the front of the box.