Description

Description

Cymbopogon citratus, more often known as lemongrass, has a very distinctive lemony flavour and is popular in Chinese and South East Asian cooking. Lemongrass has a rich history of medical usage in Ayurveda and other ancient healing systems, and it is native to the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Australia. It has been used to cure numerous conditions, such as fever, coughing, and digestive difficulties, due to its purported anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial characteristics.

Now, scientific studies have backed up many of the traditional use of lemongrass. The plant’s lemony aroma and flavour come from the essential oil citral, which also gives the plant its many beneficial properties. According to one study, lemongrass oil can kill several germs, including the skin-infecting Staphylococcus aureus. Animal models of arthritic pain and inflammation demonstrated that lemongrass extract reduced pain and inflammation.

The possibility of using lemongrass in the treatment of cancer has also been investigated. Citral and geraniol are just two of the plant chemicals that have been demonstrated to have anticancer effects in laboratory and animal models.