Lemongrass: Is it Good or Bad to Your Health?

Lemongrass is a tall stalky plant, also known as ‘citronella’. It comes with a beautiful scent of lemon and a lemon-like flavor when consumed. Lemongrass also possesses a good number of medicinal properties, for instance, manufacturing the key components in your body like Vitamin A, the vital element for improving your vision and eye health, and also some citrus vitamins like vitamin C naturally and it has been widely used as one of the most essential components of aromatherapy since the early ages. Lemongrass leaves are quite edible and so they are used to add lemon-like flavors to a variety of dishes and beverages like tea.

An Overview of Lemongrass:

Lemongrass is a type of long, grassy herb that has a natural citral aroma and a lemony taste. Lemongrass is significantly known to possess several health benefits and is often used as a citral flavoring agent in Thai and various Middle Eastern and Asian dishes. The anti-fungal properties in lemongrass also help to repel bugs and mosquitoes. It prevents the chances of developing infections from fungus and several species of bacteria and checks fungal growths in your body. Lemongrass possesses a lot of medicinal properties that are beneficial to reduce fever and common cold and relieves pain and swelling. This herb is also beneficial to people suffering from diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol while the rich antioxidant properties in lemongrass extracts help to stimulate the uterus and help to maintain a regular and normal menstrual flow. Moreover, lemongrass has a pleasant, natural scent that is used in aromatherapy to uplift your mood and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

Nutritional Components in Lemongrass Leaves

Around one ounce of lemongrass provides the following nutrients:

• Calories: 30
• Protein: 1 gram
• Vitamin C
• Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 7 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams
• Iron
• Calcium
• Antioxidants like flavonoids, quercetin

Uses of Lemongrass

Lemongrass and its extracts from the leaves are used in the following ways:

• Lemongrass essential oil
• Lemongrass tea
• Mosquito and bug repellant
• Lemongrass scent in aromatherapy

Properties And Benefits in Lemongrass Extracts:

1. Anti-Bacterial Properties:

Moreover, various types of fungi cause fungal infections in the body which often leads to serious ailments like athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch. Recent research shows that the anti-fungal properties of lemongrass extracts are effective to combat these diseases.

2. Anti- Inflammatory Properties:

3. Antioxidant Properties:

4. Keeps Your Heart Healthy:

Apart from these the health extracts in lemongrass helps to lower the levels of bad or LDL cholesterol and keep the levels of good or HDL cholesterol at an optimum.

5. Contains Weight-

Other Health Benefits of Lemongrass

Besides these, lemongrass can also be used to treat the following ailments:

• Dandruff . Recent dermatological studies reveal that if you apply extracts of lemongrass or lemongrass oil solution to your hair, you can notably reduce dandruff and other hair problems.
• Treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent research are suggesting that lemongrass contains nutrients that can treat joint and muscle pains particularly among older individuals and thus can also help to relieve bone related disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
• Cramps in the stomach or intestine.
• Pain in your stomach.
• Convulsions.
• Pain and swelling.
• Achy joints (rheumatism).
• Fever, cough, headache, sneezing, and common cold.
• Nausea and vomiting
• High blood sugar levels or type 2 diabetes.
• Exhaustion.
• Use as an antiseptic and astringent.

Potential Risks of Having Lemongrass

Though lemongrass is safe to be used in its grass or stalk form, there are still some potential downsides that may be noted to avoid any serious ailment of your health.

Irritant or Allergy in Skin

Lemongrass extracts can be irritating and allergic to some people after applying. In that case, you should absolutely avoid the consumption and application of lemongrass and should ask for your doctor’s help.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Lemongrass and its extracts like lemongrass essential oil are highly concentrated compounds that may have certain downsides. So, it is always advisable to avoid the use of lemongrass by pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. In case, if they want further information, they must ask for guidance from their registered medicinal caregiver.

Apart from these, there are some other ailments that may result from the overuse of lemongrass. These are as follows:

• dizziness
• drowsiness
• shocking increase in appetite
• increase in the rates of urination

One should never ingest lemongrass essential oil because such ingestion can increase toxicity in your body that can further worsen your health conditions. In such cases it is always advisable to seek professional help. Before using lemongrass extracts, consult your physician if you have the following diseases:

• have diabetes or high blood sugar levels
• have a respiratory problems like breathlessness or asthma?
• have a liver disease like liver cirrhosis
• have cancer and undergoing chemotherapy