Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
A tall, fragrant grass with a clean citrus bite — Southeast Asia's everyday stomach-settler, mood-lifter, and fever tea.
At a glance
Bright, clean lemon with grassy, slightly gingery depth and a hint of fresh-cut hay. The decoction is pale gold, aromatic, and refreshing — almost sparkly on the palate.
- Post-meal digestive tea
- Calming aromatic evening brew
- Fever-reduction infusion (traditional)
- Culinary base for Southeast Asian cooking
Modern research
Tradition
Lemongrass is woven into the everyday medicine and cooking of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and much of South America. In Thailand it is a kitchen herb that doubles as fever tea; in Brazil capim limão is one of the most popular herbal infusions for anxiety and stomach complaints; in Ayurveda it is classified as digestive and cooling for pitta excess.
Modern evidence
Clinical evidence is limited to small exploratory trials. The most replicated findings relate to citral's smooth-muscle relaxing and anxiolytic properties via olfaction, and modest preliminary evidence for cholesterol lowering. It is firmly in the 'well-used, less-studied' category of traditional herbs.
In the kitchen
Fresh stalks can go directly into soups, curries, rice dishes, and marinades. Bruise or crush them first to release the oils. The aromatic that fills the kitchen as they cook is itself calming — a built-in aromatherapy session.