🌿Surprising Benefits Of Lemongrass🌿
Lemongrass is a potent herb that helps treat insomnia, stomach and respiratory disorders, fever, and infections. The antioxidant activity of the lemongrass boosts the immune system and protects against antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It even helps in balancing cholesterol levels, managing type 2 diabetes, and promoting healthy skin. It is extensively used in aromatherapy and helps combat fatigue, anxiety, and bad body odor.
🌿Lemongrass – An Aromatic Healer
Lemongrass is an herb with a distinct citrusy flavor and aroma. Its scientific name is Cymbopogon citratus and it belongs to the grass family of Poaceae. It is a tall, perennial grass native to India and tropical regions of Asia with a rough and tufted plant with linear leaves that grow in thick bunches. They emerge from a strong base and stand about 3 meters high with a meter-wide stretch.
In addition to its culinary usage, this herb offers an array of medicinal benefits and is in extensive demand due to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties across Southeast Asia, Africa and America.
🌿Health Benefits of Lemongrass
Let us look at some of the most well-known health benefits of lemongrass.
🌿Helps Lower Cholesterol
Research published in 2011 in Food and Chemical Toxicology journal revealed that the essential oils in lemongrass possess anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic properties that support healthy cholesterol levels.
One animal study has also shown that lemongrass may assist in sustaining healthy levels of triglycerides and reducing LDL or bad cholesterol. This may help in preventing the accumulation of lipids in the blood vessels and promoting an unobstructed flow of blood in the arteries, thereby preventing various cardiac disorders such as atherosclerosis.
🌿Detoxifies the Body
According to a 2003 animal study, lemongrass may help in cleansing and flushing harmful toxic wastes from the body, as a result of its diuretic properties. Detoxification helps in the regulation of various organs of the body, including the liver and kidneys, while also helping to lower the levels of uric acid. The diuretic effect of the herb helps in increasing the quantity and frequency of urination, which helps in maintaining digestive health and detoxifying the body.
🌿Anticancer Potential
Lemongrass may be effective in preventing the growth of cancer cells without affecting the healthy cells of the body. Research conducted to assess the anticancer activity of lemongrass has shown promising outcomes in the prevention of skin cancer. This is mainly because of the presence of a chemical compound called citral.
Research conducted on the effects of citral on cancer cells shows its efficacy in inhibiting the growth of hepatic cancer cells during the initial phase and prevents further growth of cancerous cells.
Another study provides supporting evidence regarding the anti-proliferative effect of citral in impeding the growth of human breast cancer cells and the induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death).
🌿Fights Staphylococcus Aureus
Research published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology has shown that lemongrass essential oil has an anti-biofilm capacity and is beneficial against the infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus. It contains phenols and essential oil, which may disrupt the growth of infections and germs and help inhibit the formation of biofilms.
🌿Stomach Disorders
Studies have shown that lemongrass essential oil has anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties which help in fighting the infections caused by pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori and Escherichia coli.