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Tea 101:What is lemongrass?
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Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a genus of one of the 55 species of grass that grow throughout warm climates. The plant itself resembles a patch of extra large grass, standing straight up with long narrow leaves coming out of the center. It tends to grow in clumps. It’s native to India and is frequently used in many types of Asian cooking either as a vegetable or as flavoring. It contains citral, an essential oil also found in lemon peel, which probably accounts for the lemony flavor.
The species of lemongrass known as Cymbopogon citratus is also used as a medicinal herb. It has been traditionally used in folk medicine to help promote sleep and has long been used as a purifier to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, and digestive system. While some of this may be apocryphal, studies conducted in recent years have shown that lemongrass does have strong antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, which is believed to help prevent cancer. A study performed at the Ben Gurion Univwrsity in Israel found that lemongrass caused the programmed death of cancer cells.
The leaves of lemongrass are very tough and need to be chopped fine to make an herbal tea (tisane). It can be drunk alone or added to other herbs or true tea for extra flavor and additional health benefits.
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