Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
Latin Name: Cymbopogon citratus
Common Name: Fevergrass, silky heads, barbed wire grass
Family: Graminaceae
Contraindications: Do not consume if pregnant. Essential oil can cause irritation in some people if used topically.
Native To: Southeast Asia
Botanical Description: Annual (in frost prone regions) grass with fragrant leaves and stalks. The grass grows in dense clumps and has several stiff stems and slender blade-like leaves which droop towards the tips. The leaves are blue-green in color, turning red in the Fall and emit a strong lemon fragrance when damaged. Lemongrass produces large compound flowers on spikes when grown in the tropics, but rarely flowers when grown in more Northern latitudes.
Habitat: Found in warm, sunny, humid conditions of tropical and subtropical grasslands
Parts Used: Leaves, Stalks, Heart of young shoots
Key Constituents: Volatile oils like citral and limonene.
Herbal Actions: Analgesic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactagogue
Taste: Sour
Energetics: Warming, Drying
Some Ways to Work With This Medicina:
Cold/Flu Support— Reduces fever by promoting sweat and removes phglem from respiratory system. Consume as hot tea for this benefit.
Digestion — Warming properties of lemongrass helps warm the digestive fire and stimulates digestion that would otherwise be slow and sluggish. Lemongrass also works as a digestive nervine and antispasmodic and relieves cramps and relaxes gut’s nerves to allow easeful digestion and breakdown of food.
Pain Relief — essential oil’s have pain relief effect and can be applied topically as oil or wash to relieve muscle and joint pain.
Galactagogue— stimulates milk production.
Herbal Preparations
Oxymel: Add 1 part dried lemongrass to 2 parts honey to 4.5 parts apple cider vinegar. Let it extract for 2-6 weeks, shaking daily. Strain and enjoy alone or add to water, sparkling water or juice.
References:
Herbal Revolution: Lemongrass Herb Profile
Rose, K. The Art and Practice of Spiritual Herbalism. 2022, Fair Winds.
written by khadija khansia
This information is provided for educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Use with caution and consult with a doctor or herbalist before consuming if you are pregnant or on other medications. Please do your own research before consuming to know if this medicine is right for your body.
