What is Lemongrass?

 
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Lemongrass might first appear to be nothing more than its given name: a grass-like herb with a lemony aroma. Yet the culinary herb’s flavor profile is more complex. Fresh Lemongrass gives off a delicate floral and minty aroma. Professional and home chefs alike love Lemongrass for its bright tanginess that bears no trace of bitterness, unlike lemon and other citrus fruits.

Lemongrass is widely used throughout Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and India. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are two species in the Lemongrass genus Cymbogon that are popularly used: (1) the East-Indian Lemongrass (C. flexuosus) native to India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand and typically used in the perfume industry and (2) the West-Indian Lemongrass (C. citratus) native to Malaysia and more typically used for cooking. Hence, in India, Lemongrass is cultivated for its medicinal and fragrant properties rather than culinary consumption. In Southeast Asian cuisine, Lemongrass is often utilized to lighten dishes with strong seafood scents or oily meats. 

Humans are not the only ones who love lemongrass. The essential oils in Lemongrass mimic the pheromone produced by honeybees used to communicate with one another. In fact, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, beekeepers will use a small amount of Lemongrass oil to attract new bee colonies to a particular location. Lucky for us, while Lemongrass oil attracts pollinating honeybees, it also repels mosquitos. The extracted citronella oil from citronella grass (C. nardus) is often used as a natural mosquito repellent and aromatherapy essential oil!

 
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Lemongrass Benefits

Lemongrass contains a number of nutritional benefits. While you might not consume more than a couple tablespoons of Lemongrass per meal due to its strong aroma, a small amount packs in a lot of iron—0.4 milligrams of iron per tablespoon, according to the USDA. Iron is an essential component of the hemoglobin in our red blood cells, which help carry oxygen and deliver oxygen around our body. Lemongrass also contains small amounts of other vitamins and minerals, including folate, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and Vitamin C.

According to the American Botanical Council, Lemongrass has been used by many cultures as a folk medicine, including in the Philippines, Brazil, India, Cuba, and Indonesia. A few traditional uses of Lemongrass herbal medicine, infusions, and tea include:

  • Stress and anxiety relief

  • Pain relief and sedative

  • Bladder disorder treatment/diuretic

  • Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes treatment

  • Fever and cold relief

  • Antimicrobial treatment

While scientists have not conducted many clinical research studies on the herb’s benefits on humans, there continues to be active investigation of Lemongrass’s numerous possible health benefits, including:

  • Anticancer properties: According to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, lab and animal studies have demonstrated the compounds in Lemongrass can inhibit tumor growth or cause cancer death [1,2].

  • Anti-oxidant properties: Lemongrass contains a number of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and Vitamin C, which help protect cells from oxidative stress and damage [3].

  • Antimicrobial properties: Studies have also found that Lemongrass exhibits antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. For example, one study found that Lemongrass was an effective treatment for reducing oral thrush in HIV-positive patients [4].

 
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Sources

  1.  https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/lemongrass

  2.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25255928/

  3.  https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-properties-lemongrass-3348.html

  4.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19109001/

 
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