Medical Benefits of LemonGrass

Medical Benefits of Lemongrass Article on eHow.com

My neighbor gave me a lemongrass plant in the spring. So I planted it with my other herbs not knowing anything about its lore, history, significance, or medicinal properties. It grew very well and I learned to prune it when my neighbor pruned hers. I also learned that she drinks a cup everyday and is never ill, tired, has pain or most astonishingly, looks 10 years younger than her biological age.

She told me to cut it up in to small pieces and freeze it. I did. I have about a quart of cut up leaves in the freezer.

Today I made a cup of lemongrass tea with honey. MMMMMM. Its sooo good. I had no idea. But check out this article which goes into all the reasons why we should be drinking more of it, everyday.

Lemon grass (cymbopogon citratus) is commonly used in herbal tea, or used raw, crushed or powdered. It is also used in cooking such dishes as soups or curry. Lemon grass is known for its ability to aid in digestive health, pain relief as well as for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Here is how it can help and how it can be used.

Aids in digestive health, pain relief and antibacterial/antifungal properties. Its grass!

These are not a replacement for prescription drugs of which there are sometimes no other alternative, but more often than not remedies such as the ones that use herbs like lemongrass can help and do not have the adverse affects of some conventional medications.

The Effects of Lemongrass could assist if the swine flu becomes problematic and you don't want the "shot".

Lemongrass has been found to help in recovery of the common cold and flu, reducing fevers, cramps, flatulence and arthritic pain as well as aid digestion especially in children. It has been used in Chinese medicine for a very long time. Citral is the main element in lemongrass, which gives it its fresh lemon scent and repels insects. Researchers in Israel at Ben Gurion University have found that daily intake of 1,000mg of citral represses cancer cells and helps battle depression.

Battles depression? And helps repress cancer cells. I can hardly believe one plant can have so many medicinal uses and I never heard of it.

If all of that isn't enough, you can also use it to repell mosquitoes and biting bugs.

Lemongrass is similar in properties to citronella grass and so has some of the same repellant effects on insects. It can be crushed and rubbed directly onto the skin to help stave off annoying bugs. It is also an ingredient in the making of citronella candles, soaps and sprays.

I'm going to have to give my neighbor a great big thank you!

A recent study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the department of Science and technology ( DOST ) claims that every 100g of edible tanglad when boiled can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the anti-oxidant that scientists believe can help prevent cancer. Another DOST study shows that lemon grass oil has the potential as a tropical eye medication against keratomycosis, an inflammation of cornea often associated with burning or blurring of vision.

www.buzzle.com...

It is good stuff

thanks for the info -thumbs up-
sounds like i'll be loving these lemongrass u toldme about.

-flagged article, i likey.

[edit on 1-9-2009 by platipus]

reply to post by warrenb


So if we experience a biological attack in my neighborhood I'll be able to treat everyone with lemongrass oil for the eyes!

I better do more research first.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Lemongrass is great stuff, I chop it up and put it in ethnic foods (such as Thai). It adds a fantastic flavor to many dishes.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Here is another thread discussing lemongrass. It may provide additional information for you.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also, lemongrass contains citral. Here is an excerpt from Wiki regarding citral:

In 2006 a research team from the Ben Gurion University in Israel found that Lemon grass (cymbopogon citratus) caused apoptosis (programmed cell death) in malignant cancer cells. According to the research team citral is the substance that causes the cancer cells to kill themselves. The influence of citral on normal cells and malignant cancer cells that were grown on a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was equivalent to the amount in a cup of regular tea using one gram of lemon grass in hot water. While the citral killed the cancer cells, it left the normal cells unharmed. This selective toxicity amazed the researchers.[5]

Source: en.wikipedia.org...

[edit on 1-9-2009 by Aggie Man]

Is it easy to find or should I go find it at an Asian market?? I love lemon! And it sounds like it's easy to work with! thanks for the great info!

reply to post by fullmoonfairy


I've never seen it sold in the stores I frequent. But she must have gotten from an Indian Market somewhere in town, or an Asian one.

I just can't believe how good it tastes. LOL Then finding out that there are widely known medicinal benefits to go along with it being easy to grow (zone 5) and smells heavenly seems too good to be true.

I'm going to the grocery store tonight, so I might look around, and also ask if they might know where I can find it in my area....thank you for your help,

fmf

Originally posted by fullmoonfairy
I'm going to the grocery store tonight, so I might look around, and also ask if they might know where I can find it in my area....thank you for your help,

fmf

I live in a major metropolitan area and I can say that you probably won't find it in "traditional" grocery stores...at least I haven't found it at any. However, I have found it at Asian/Indian markets. Otherwise, you can buy it at your local nursery and grow it yourself.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Thanks Hazelnut. It's always great to hear positive stuff like this. I don't have an herb garden, but lots of wild herbs around. I have tried many of them in teas.

Maybe one of these days I'll actually try growing myself some Lemon Grass.

S&F

Question: In Zone 5, do you leave it growing outside or inside?

I have some lemongrass seeds I ordered from an Heirloom company but haven't had luck getting it to grow yet.

I originally ordered it to sit on the deck in the summer ...the scent can be used as insect [think mosquito's] repellent. Also can be mixed with patchouli oil to apply as insect repellent.

CAUTION: If you take any prescribed medicine you should check with your doctor about the possibilities of herbs blocking the affects of the meds. I know this for a fact........baby #6 [birth control pills and st johns wart].

A good herb garden can make some of the forged foods taste yummy and more like the comfort foods we are used to.

Great post btw way.

reply to post by sanchoearlyjones


It grows like grass! From observing my neighbor I believe the grass part can be harvested every couple of weeks. Just cut the tops off, wash and cut the leaves into small pieces, stuff them in a freezer bag and thats it. Use about a gram per cup of tea. It makes a very nice, light colored tea that tastes wonderful alone or sweetened with honey.

Now that the biting bugs (dengue fever) are out in force, I'm going to make a repellant as an experiment to see if it is as easy to do and effective against the biters. Since I'm usually one of those people who are attacked severely by mosquitos, I can't normally be outside at night. I shall test and report.

reply to post by Hazelnut


Awesome....let us know how easy it was and how it turned out. Also how well it worked. Also maybe test a small part of your leg or something to make sure you aren't gonna itch from it. I have only made the smell good stuff, haven't made the repellent.

I have ginger growing prolifically but the digging it up to cook with it becomes a pain.

Gonna try and grow it to sprout in the house then move it out doors in spring.

I am drooling over a bay leaf tree for my kitchen.

reply to post by Henygirl


Hey there . How did you make your smell good stuff? I have a lotion base that I've added patchouli oil to. Patchouli is my signature scent.

I've heard that ginger is a wonderful natural healing element, especially for tummy aches. But so far, I havent' even thought about growing it. I'll have to look it up to see if my area (zone 5) is capable of growing it. Then figure out where to buy a starter.

Drooling over a bay tree! LOL I love the visual of that one. And know what you mean. I did the same thing over a jasmine bush.

I would be happy to send you a piece of the root from the ginger if you want...

I use any of my herbs [love rosemary] in a boiler full of olive oil, just heat it to a simmer and it smells wonderful. Experiment with different herbs and combinations. Then once you have made the house smell good I pout it into a jar and use it in the bath. Sort of infuses the smells into the oils....if you find pretty bottles you can leave the herbs in the jar for decoration too.

I live in Zone 6....on the ginger I leave it out till the frost warnings then bring it into the kitchen. It is a really elegant looking plant......like fancy corn stalks.

Ginger has medical value too......using ginger infused honey with some lemon. This treats flu and cold....makes you sweat.

It also helps with morning sickness and upset stomach.

Besides the fact that fresh ginger is super yummy.

Originally posted by Henygirl
I would be happy to send you a piece of the root from the ginger if you want...

I use any of my herbs [love rosemary] in a boiler full of olive oil, just heat it to a simmer and it smells wonderful. Experiment with different herbs and combinations. Then once you have made the house smell good I pout it into a jar and use it in the bath. Sort of infuses the smells into the oils....if you find pretty bottles you can leave the herbs in the jar for decoration too.

I live in Zone 6....on the ginger I leave it out till the frost warnings then bring it into the kitchen. It is a really elegant looking plant......like fancy corn stalks.

I've got little tiny mason jars with the attached lids that would be perfect for displaying infused oils. I'm going to do some today with rosemary, lemongrass and basil....I love the smell of these herbs...they always improve my mood!

Just so I understand, when you say boiler, do you mean double boiler? Or do you just simmer the herbs directly in the olive oil?

And! Thank you for offering to send me some ginger...you're so sweet to offer.

Well, my whole house is surrounded by lemon grass. It is beautiful and I use it al the time, we mix it with regular black tea for summer tonic, mix with mint leaves for a healthy tea my son makes which he calls swamp water, it is as delicious as it is useful for health benifits, I had no idea how good it is until this thread, wow, cant wait for the kids to see this thread!

My Grandma gave me a stand of it 2 years ago, I planted it on the east backside of my home and it has taken off and is everywhere now on my 5 acres.

It has with stood 2 ice storms and is very hardy.

This is great news.

Funny that you make this thread, we used it last night in our tacos and it was delicious!!!

reply to post by antar


Lemongrass in tacos? Ok, I'll try it next time, I could be pleasantly surprised. I did put a couple of pieces about 3 inches long in with some roasted potatoes yesterday. It gave them a little zing.

Also, I am in zone 5, should I take up the plant before the first frost and bring it indoors for the winter or leave it in the garden? I would hate to lose it.