The Inflammation-Fighting Compounds of Lemongrass Tea

Also known as citron grass or fever grass,¹ lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is an herb used in cooking to give stir-fries, soups and many other dishes a hint of lemony brightness. It can also be transformed into lemongrass tea — a refreshing beverage with numerous health benefits.

What is Lemongrass?

Often used as an ornamental plant,² lemongrass is like grass on steroids, arcing in graceful plumes, especially when it grows to its potential height of 6 feet. About 55 varieties exist worldwide.³ One highly appreciated function, as many gardeners and nature-lovers can attest to, is that it's a natural mosquito repellent.⁴ You can even break off the leaves to rub on your skin (just make sure to test it on your skin first).

East Indian lemongrass (aka Cochin or Malabar grass) and West Indian lemongrass can have their oil extracted to make perfumes, lotions and deodorants, but Medical News Today⁵ notes that these two varieties are also the only ones suitable for cooking.

What is Lemongrass Tea?

According to the blog Cup and Leaf, lemongrass tea is made from either the fresh or dried stalks and leaves of the plant. It’s a refreshing beverage with a light yellow color.⁶

Lemongrass stalks closely resemble tough green onions in appearance, but not in flavor. Originally from tropical and other warm-weather areas like India, Thailand and China,⁷ lemongrass has been described as having a very complex and sophisticated flavor — like lemon, but with a mild, delicate tang, a hint of ginger and mint and floral notes as well.⁸

Cup and Leaf describes it as “a slightly lemony taste without the bitter or tangy notes of classic lemons. It is mildly sweet and features a crisp, brisk finish.”⁹ As a tea, these fragrance components are pleasant, but it's the medicinal aspects I'll highlight today.

Lemongrass Tea Benefits

Both lemongrass and lemongrass tea have a history of medicinal use among several cultures worldwide for a variety of conditions, including digestive disorders, fevers, menstrual disorders, joint pain, inflammation and nervous conditions. Several regions have found the plant useful medicinally, the American Botanical Council¹⁰ notes:

 

As with most herbs, extracted oils and healing plants, studies on lemongrass usually mention that any therapeutic properties can be attributed to the synergy of many compounds working together rather than a single compound. In any case, the advantages are too diverse to ignore, as studies suggest lemongrass may:

One of the most dramatic benefits of lemongrass tea is how it fights free radicals, making it exceptionally effective as an antioxidant. In fact, free radicals are one of the greatest culprits in causing inflammation, as they can break down cells over time. According to Medical News Today:

"Inflammation is a factor in many adverse health conditions, including pain and heart disease. As such, lemongrass tea could be a beneficial drink for people to incorporate into their diet … Lemongrass contains the inflammation-fighting compounds chlorogenic acid, isoorientin and swertiajaponin."¹⁸

More Studies Reveal Powerful Compounds in Lemongrass

One study¹⁹ noted a number of powerful plant chemicals in lemongrass, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds including luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol and apigenin, which all exerting disease-fighting, pharmacological activities, including:

 

Various effects from the compounds in lemongrass that are being studied include antimalarial, antimutagenicity (reducing the rate of mutation²⁰), antimycobacterial (such as organisms that cause tuberculosis), antioxidant, hypoglycemic and neurobehaviorial problems.

In addition, a study in Japan²¹ found that the glutathione in lemongrass could be used in the future for skin cancer prevention, and in India, researchers reported it as "highly useful in the development of anticancer therapeutics," particularly leukemia.²² Polysaccharides in lemongrass were found to produce antitumor activity when tested in a study in East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai.²³

You can use all of the aforementioned compounds and plant chemicals contained in lemongrass to your advantage by starting a regimen of tea made from the stalks or leaves to treat a number of maladies, similar to how people in areas where the plant has grown for millennia have used it to treat colds, headache, bacterial infections, sore throats, circulatory problems and stress.²⁴

Recipe and Uses for Lemongrass

You can add fresh lemongrass stalks to curry paste, sauces, soup stock and stir-fries. Look for them in the produce section or the freezer section in supermarkets. Make sure the stalks are firm, not rubbery, and that the lower parts of the stalks are pale yellow, while the upper stalks are green. The Spruce Eats explains that the best way to use each stalk is by cutting off the lower bulb so you can remove the tough outer leaves. Then:²⁵

"From here, you have two options. The first is the easier of the two. Simply cut the yellow stalk into 2- to 3-inch lengths. Then 'bruise' these sections by bending them several times. You can also create superficial cuts along these sections with your knife, which will help release the lemon flavor. Add these bruised stalks to your soup or curry.

When serving, remove the lemongrass pieces, or ask your guests to set them aside as they eat. The second option is to slice the lemongrass. In this case, we are preparing the lemongrass to be consumed, adding fiber, nutrients, and more flavor to the dish. You will need a very sharp knife, as the stalk is quite firm. Cut the yellow section of the stalk into thin slices and place these in a food processor. Process well."

A possible faster alternative to slicing is to simply pound the stalks with a pestle and mortar until they become soft and fragrant, and then add them to your dishes.

How to Make Lemongrass Tea

While you can purchase prepared lemongrass tea in health food stores or online, you can also make your own, and it's no more difficult than buying the stalks and chopping them. You can use either the leaves, dried or fresh, or the woody stalks. Add one-half teaspoon of stevia, if desired. Here’s an easy recipe from Medical News Today you can try:²⁶

Other Lemongrass Tea Recipes You Can Try

You can serve cold lemongrass tea, too — just follow the recipe above, pour over ice and enjoy! Start by drinking one cup of lemongrass tea per day, then increase it to more over a matter of days, if desired. You may find, as researchers did in the studies, that your oral health improves, bloating is relieved and even pain and inflammation become less of a factor in your life.

If you want to add more flavor and potential benefits to your lemongrass tea, you can infuse it with other herbs. Here are two other recipes you can try:

Lemongrass Tea Side Effects

One study described a patient who developed allergic contact dermatitis after ingesting lemongrass tea.²⁹ If you experience any obvious allergic symptoms after ingesting lemongrass tea, stop taking it or reduce your dosage. According to WebMD, the herb itself may trigger menstruation, so if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, consult with your doctor before consuming this herb or the tea.³⁰

Quick Tutorial on Growing Lemongrass

You can buy a small lemongrass plant at the grocery store or gardening shop in early spring, trim it to about 6 inches high above the root line and add a pinch of cinnamon as a root starter. As lemongrass grows, it can become an attractive indoor plant in a sunny spot on your windowsill, or you can move it outside into rich, loamy soil, which retains water better. Growing lemongrass is quite easy, given the optimal amount of sun, water and fertilizer. According to Hobby Farms:

"Lemongrass is harvested for both the stalk and foliage. You can begin harvesting lemongrass as soon as the plant is about a foot tall. Cut, twist or break off a stalk that is at least one-quarter-inch thick. The most tender part is at the bottom, so remove it as close to the ground as possible. Once you have harvested the number of stalks you want, remove the woody outer portion and the leaves. Slice the tender part of the stalk, and add as needed to your recipe."³¹

The edible part of the plant is closest to the bottom of the stalk. When the stalks get to be around a quarter-inch to a half-inch thick, cut the stalks close to their roots. Make your last cuttings before the first frost in the fall.

One of the great things about harvesting lemongrass stalks is how easy it is to preserve them by freezing. Freeze whole stalks or cut them into 1-inch pieces, and they'll be usable in recipes for about six months. If your favorite recipe calls for one or two stalks, store that amount in freezer containers to make the job quick and easy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Lemongrass Tea