Many of you would have heard about lemongrass use as a seasoning in most Thai cuisines, as it adds flavour to delicacies. However, did you know that an essential oil can be derived from it and that it contains much healing benefits and properties?

The essential oil of lemongrass is derived from Cymbopogon, a perennial plant that belongs to the Poaceae grass family. It is indigenous to the tropical regions of India, Southeast Asia and Oceania. The oil is yellow colour and its scent is fresh, lemony and slightly earthy, known to be stimulating and relaxing at the same time.

In India, it is commonly used as a medicinal herb because it holds much beneficial properties such as containing antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. In Africa and South America, it is mainly used for making tea. Want to know more about what lemongrass essential oil can offer for your health? Read on to find out more!

Health Benefits of Lemongrass Essential Oil:

1. Offers Pain Relief

Because lemongrass essential oil is an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory agent, it helps to provide pain relief and comfort to various ailments, such as muscle aches and sore joints. It also helps to relieve muscle spasms and cramps.

As such, if you have menstrual cramps during the time of the month, you can also use lemongrass oil to help ease the pain and relax the muscles as well as to help with nausea feelings and irritability.

Due to its calming and soothing nature, the oil can also help to relieve headaches and the resulting pain and throbbing effect of them. This is because it helps to improve blood circulation to these vital places, thereby reducing the pain and discomfort felt.

How to Use it: Simply rub diluted lemongrass oil on the affected areas on your body. For headaches, try rubbing it onto your temples and breathe in the citrusy fragrance. You can also make your own foot bath by adding 10 drops of lemongrass oil to warm water and soak your feet inside to relieve any muscle pain in your feet.

2. Supports Emotional Health

Lemongrass essential oil is a known sedative and antidepressant, which makes it a great agent to help relieve anxiety, tension, stress and irritability. It greatly uplifts your emotional spirits and boosts your mood as well as induce much positive feelings, thus making you feel more calm, happier and relaxed.

Its sedative qualities also make it a useful agent to promote a peaceful state of mind, thus relieving insomnia and improving the quality of sleep. Therefore, if you have trouble sleeping due to stress, anxiety or tension, then try using lemongrass oil to help remedy this problem.

How to Use it: You can dilute lemongrass oil with a carrier oil (such as coconut, rosehip, olive or jojoba oil) in a 1:1 ratio and massage onto your body. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of the oil into your own body lotion. If you wish to consume it, then you can add 1 drop of it to your tea and ensure proper dilution before proceeding to drink it.

3. Helps to Heal Skin Fungal Infections

Lemongrass also has antibacterial and antifungal properties because of the citral and limonene content. It helps to kill and prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi, thus reducing the risks of incurring various skin fungal infections such as ringworms or athlete’s foot.

A 2008 study published in The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases revealed how lemongrass oil and the citral compound present in it helps combat yeasts of the Candida species, thus demonstrating its potential as an antifungal agent. Candida is a fungal infection which affects various parts of the body, such as the skin, mouth, throat and even your genital area.

Another 2012 study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology demonstrated how strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that leads to wounds becoming septic, were highly susceptible to lemongrass essential oil as it disrupted the formation and growth of the bacteria. This hence reveals its antimicrobial nature against the antibiotic resistant Staph. aureus bacteria.

How to Use it: Create your own body scrub by combining 10 drops of lemongrass oil with Epsom salts and adding coconut oil to saturate the salt. While showering rub all over the body and then rinse off. It will help get rid of any bacteria or fungus that may be lingering on your skin, and it helps to provide pain relief to various parts of your body as well!

4. For Skin and Hair Health

Lemongrass essential oil also has astringent qualities, which means it facilitates the tightening and contraction of skin and hair follicles. Thus, it helps to prevent loose and sagging skin which means it can maintain the skin’s youthful and radiant glow!

Additionally, it will seek to strengthen the hair and prevents excessive loss of hair which could lead to bald spots in serious cases.

Its antibacterial properties are also helpful as it cleanses your pores, thus preventing a range of skin problems. It also helps to relieve an itchy and irritated scalp, leaving your hair much healthier and shinier.

How to Use it: For your skin and hair, you can dilute lemongrass oil with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil or coconut oil in a 1:1 ratio and gently massage on your face or on the scalp for two minutes and then rinse off.

5. Promotes Digestive Health

Lemongrass oil also helps support the digestive health system because of its useful antibacterial and carminative properties. It helps to remove excess gas from the stomach and intestines and prevents formation of further gas. It also helps to prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders, such as gastric ulcers, stomach distress and gastritis as it stimulates bowel movement and improves the digestion process.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Young Pharmacists found that lemongrass essential oil exhibited antiulcer effects against stomach ulcers and it reduces gastric damage induced by ethanol.

How to Use it: You can rub diluted lemongrass oil over the abdominal area to promote a better digestive system or you can add a drop of lemongrass oil to your tea or glass of water. Stir well to ensure proper dilution before drinking it.

6. Helps Treat Fevers

Besides all the abovementioned properties, lemongrass oil is also an effective febrifuge. This means that it can help bring down fever levels by combating the viruses, bacteria and infections that cause fevers in the first place. It is also a cooling oil, thus balancing our body temperatures.

Furthermore, it stimulates detoxification effects, such as increased sweating and urination since it is a known diuretic as well. As such, it helps remove the buildup of toxins too, thus reducing and treating fevers.

Not only that, lemongrass essential oil can help to combat the ailments that normally accompanies fevers, such as the common colds and coughs.

How to Use it: You can diffuse lemongrass essential oil in your diffuser or vaporizer and inhale the aromatic wafts. Alternatively, you can create a steam inhalation by adding 4-5 drops of the oil into a bowl of hot, steaming water and inhale the vapors emanating out.

7. Has Antioxidant Effects

With the presence of antioxidants, lemongrass essential oil can fight off free radicals and the damage caused by them. In scientific experiments, it was found that lemongrass exhibited free radical scavenging effects. In fact, lemongrass oil also has a useful compound called citral, which is known to exhibit anti-cancer effects as well!

A 2013 study published in Pharmacognosy Communications revealed how lemongrass was effective against cervical cancer as it stopped cervical cancer cells and other types of cancer cells from spreading. It also induced cell death in these dangerous mutated cancer cells, while leaving the normal cells unharmed.

As such, lemongrass oil can be potent candidates for anticancer treatments in the future, but more research still needs to be carried out to find out how exactly to incorporate lemongrass oil into anticancer treatments.

8. Serves as a Natural Insecticide

Since it has high citral and geraniol content, lemongrass essential oil is an effective natural insecticide agent as it helps ward off pesky creepy crawlies such as mosquitoes and ants, out of your homes. It can even be used as a deodorant to be sprayed onto your skin! Its antibacterial nature comes in handy to keep your home environment fresh and clean.

Additionally, lemongrass oil can be used as a disinfectant agent to cleanse the air and rid it of any bacteria or viruses that are airborne. A 2009 study from Letters in Applied Microbiology found how a blend of lemongrass and geranium essential oil, which was subsequently dispersed into the environment, led to an 89% reduction of airborne bacteria in 15 hours!

How to Use it: You can diffuse lemongrass essential oil into your diffuser or vaporizer, or like what the experiment suggests, mix lemongrass and geranium essential oils together in your diffuser. Alternatively, for a natural insect repellent, you can try adding 6-8 drops of it in a spray bottle containing water and spray all over places where you think insects and other pesky creepy crawlies are hiding at. By mixing it with coconut oil, you can also apply it onto your skin for an insect repellent and natural deodorizer.

Safety Precautions:

• Lemongrass essential oil might produce some skin or scalp irritations, resulting in rashes, discomforts or even a burning sensation, especially if you have sensitive skin. Therefore, it is important to dilute it with a carrier oil and perform a skin patch test first before applying the oil on desired areas to check for any sensitive or allergic reactions.

• Do not diffuse lemongrass oil for too long as excessive inhalation of it can lead to toxic side effects. Diffuse for no longer than 20-30 minutes every time you use it.

• Pregnant and nursing women should avoid using lemongrass essential oil as it helps to stimulate menstrual flow too.

• Avoid using lemongrass essential oil on small children.

• If you are looking to ingest the oil, always purchase a top-quality and high-grade, 100% pure lemongrass essential oil from a reputable and reliable seller. Seek the advice of a medical professional or a doctor first and only use 1 drop of it into a glass of water and tea while ensuring that you stir properly before drinking.

• If you have pre-existing medical conditions and are under prescribed medication, then always check with your doctor first before using lemongrass essential oil as a form of alternative treatment because it can interfere with your prescribed medications to produce unwanted side effects.

References:

CN Fernandes, et al., “Investigation of the Mechanisms Underlying the Gastroprotective Effect of Cymbopogon Citratus Essential Oil”, Journal of Young Pharmacists (2012); 4(1)

Silva Cde B, et al., “Antifungal activity of the lemongrass oil and citral against Candida spp.”, The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases (2008); 12(1)

Adukwu EC, Allen SC, Phillips CA, “The anti-biofilm activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) essential oils against five strains of Staphylococcus aureus”, Journal of Applied Microbiology (2012); 113(5)

Kavisa Ghosh, “Anticancer effect of lemongrass oil and citral on cervical cancer cell lines”, Pharmacognosy Communications (2013); 3(4)

Doran AL, et al., “Vapour-phase activities of essential oils against antibiotic sensitive and resistant bacteria including MRSA”, Letters in Applied Microbiology (2009); 48(4)