Lemongrass - Cymbopogon spp

Lemongrass

Cymbopogon spp

Lemongrass helps with pain relief, bloating and cramping. It can also be used as antibacterial and anti-fungal. Helps aid digestion.

  • Plant Family: Poaceae
  • Plant type: Annual
  • Other names: Fever grass
  • Medicinal: Yes
  • Culinary: Yes
  • Ceremonial: No
  • Parts Used: Whole Plant
  • Side Effects: None
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About Lemongrass

Lemongrass, scientifically acknowledged as Cymbopogon citratus, is an aromatic plant that owes its rights to the grass family Poaceae. The appearance of lemongrass depicts the idea of a tall grass because of the stiff stems and long, slender fragrant leaves.

Lemongrass is also known as ginger grass or citronella grass in different parts of the world. Lemongrass can attain a towering height of 6 feet which is enough to obscure a moderate-sized person.

Lemongrass is a hot-topic in Asian culinary and traditional medicinal culture. Lemongrass is known to compliment the curries, soups, marinades, salads, and stews with courtesy. The heavy pale green stalks are steeped into a tea to experience not only citrusy flavor but also the medicinal benefits. Talking of medicinal benefits, lemongrass performs a stellar job at relieving anxiety, improving lipid profile, fighting infections, attenuating pain, enhancing oral health, increasing red blood cell count, and inducing diuresis to relieve bloating.

Historically, lemongrass became the center of attention when a Sri Lankan scientist planted it in his garden among other medicinal plants to carry out a research. Since then, a good deal of biologically active ingredients has been isolated from this versatile plant that is considered to support its purported medicinal properties. Lemongrass contains z-citral, borneol, estragole, methyleugenol, geranyl acetate, geraniol, beta-myrcene, limonene, piperitone, citronellal, carene-2, alpha-terpineole, pinene, and a lot more.

Growing

Lemongrass likes the hotness of the sun and winds of spring to prosper. It should be planted when all the dangers of frost rolled by. Lemongrass prefers full sun exposure and well-drained rich fertile soil that dangles from slightly acidic to neutral pH i.e. 6.5 to 7.0pH.

Lemongrass is also moisture dependent. It needs to be watered if the top inch of the soil feels dry. To see the plant doing its best, it is fed with water-soluble plant food and rich organic matter.

Lemongrass can be grown both indoors and outdoors, with the same procedure. In extreme winters, lemongrass can be brought indoors to protect it from the harsh weather by giving it the temperature i.e. 40 degrees Fahrenheit to grow without any interruption.

Lemongrass loves to grow in summer because its roots like reside in warm soil. Its seeds germinate within 7 to 14 weeks which is then followed by proper growth of lemongrass to reach the height of approximately 3 to 5 feet in the span of its first three months.

In tropical regions, blooms appear on spikes which pave the path for reproduction. The creamy-white flowers are pollinated by the wind which results in the formation of lemongrass fruits called caryopsis. The fruit does not split to release seeds; instead, those seeds have to be extracted to spread them for further continuation of the lifecycle. On the other hand, lemongrass independently propagates through a vast network of the rhizome.

Harvesting

Lemongrass plant can be harvest when the plant reaches the height of 1 foot.

The foliage and stalk of lemongrass plant are harvested by simply twisting, cutting, or breaking the stalk, from close to the bottom.

Lemongrass is best used fresh. To keep the freshness intact, lemongrass is loosely wrapped and kept in the fridge to last for about a week. To make it last longer than that, wrap the stalk and foliage properly and freeze them.

Usage

Lemongrass is used in various forms for acquiring its seemingly unassuming benefits. Lemongrass is nothing short of a miracle as it knows the correct magic spells to do its jobs correctly.

  • Tea - Fresh or dried lemongrass leaves can be used covered with hot boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Some honey can be stirred in to sweeten it.
  • Tincture - Infuse fresh or dried chopped lemongrass leaves in grain alcohol for 4 to 6 weeks. Strain the liquid and place it in a dark and dry place.
  • Decoction - Lemongrass stalks are simmered in water and the decocted liquid is used for consuming.
  • Salve - Lemongrass essential oil is used to make lemongrass salve. 
  • Syrup - Lemongrass core, sugar, and water are combined and cooked until the consistency of the mixture thickens. The plant material is strained and thick liquid is hailed as syrup.
  • Infused oil - Chopped lemongrass bulb is boiled with carrier oil and cooled for 6 hours. The plant material is then strained to formulate lemongrass-infused oil.