Lemongrass is good for digestive comfort, reducing anxiety, fighting bacteria and fungi, and lowering inflammation. It has a long history in traditional medicine across Southeast Asia, and modern research is starting to back up many of those uses. Whether you brew it as tea, cook with it, or inhale its essential oil, lemongrass offers a surprisingly wide range of benefits.
Digestive Relief
Lemongrass tea is one of the most popular natural remedies for upset stomach, cramping, and bloating. The compounds in lemongrass help relax the muscles of the digestive tract, which can ease that uncomfortable tightness after a heavy meal. In animal studies, lemongrass essential oil also protected the stomach lining against damage from aspirin and alcohol, suggesting it may help guard against gastric ulcers.
For women dealing with menstrual discomfort, lemongrass tea pulls double duty. It can help soothe menstrual cramps and bloating while also stimulating menstrual flow. This makes it a common choice during the first days of a period when cramping tends to peak.
Anxiety and Stress Reduction
Inhaling lemongrass essential oil has measurable effects on anxiety. In a randomized clinical trial, patients who inhaled lemongrass oil before a dental procedure saw their anxiety scores drop by nearly 7 points on a standardized scale, while the control group’s scores actually increased slightly. The lemongrass group also had lower blood pressure and heart rate, signs that the calming effect wasn’t just psychological.
You don’t need a clinical setup to get this benefit. Adding a few drops of lemongrass oil to a diffuser during stressful moments, or simply breathing in the steam from a hot cup of lemongrass tea, can help take the edge off. The citrusy, clean scent is part of what makes it effective: it activates calming pathways without sedating you.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Chronic, low-grade inflammation drives a long list of health problems, from joint stiffness to skin conditions. Lemongrass essential oil has been shown to significantly reduce several key inflammatory signals in human skin cells. Specifically, it dials down molecules that recruit immune cells to inflamed tissue, which is part of what causes swelling, redness, and pain. The main active compound, citral, also blocks the production of TNF-alpha, one of the body’s primary inflammation triggers.
This is why lemongrass oil shows up in topical pain blends and massage oils. Applied to the skin (diluted in a carrier oil), it may help with localized soreness and joint discomfort. The effects are modest compared to pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories, but for everyday aches, it’s a reasonable addition to your routine.
Blood Sugar and Cholesterol
Early research suggests lemongrass may support metabolic health. In one study, blood glucose levels were 17% lower in the lemongrass group compared to controls. Perhaps more striking, insulin levels dropped by about 45% and insulin resistance improved by nearly 55% compared to pre-treatment values. These numbers come from small studies, so they’re preliminary, but the direction is encouraging for anyone looking at blood sugar management through diet and lifestyle.
Some animal research also points to cholesterol-lowering effects, though human data on this front is still limited. Drinking lemongrass tea regularly won’t replace medication for serious metabolic conditions, but it may offer a helpful supporting role.
Antimicrobial Properties
Lemongrass essential oil is genuinely potent against a range of bacteria and fungi. Lab studies show it inhibits Staphylococcus aureus (a common cause of skin infections) at very low concentrations, and it’s also effective against Acinetobacter baumannii, a notoriously drug-resistant hospital pathogen. On the fungal side, lemongrass oil is used as an edible coating on fruits, meat, and dairy products in food science applications because it slows spoilage by restricting fungal growth.
This antimicrobial strength is largely thanks to citral, the dominant compound in lemongrass oil. Citral disrupts the membranes of bacterial and fungal cells, essentially breaking down their outer walls. This is also why lemongrass oil is a popular ingredient in natural household cleaners and insect repellents.
How to Use Lemongrass
The simplest way to get lemongrass into your routine is as tea. Cut one to two fresh stalks into pieces about an inch or two long, place them in boiling water, and steep for at least five minutes. Longer steeping pulls out more of the beneficial compounds. Starting with one cup a day and gradually increasing is a reasonable approach.
For aromatherapy, add a few drops of lemongrass essential oil to a diffuser. You can also dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba for topical use on sore muscles or joints. Never apply undiluted essential oil directly to your skin.
In cooking, lemongrass is a staple in Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cuisines. The lower, pale section of the stalk is the most flavorful part. You can slice it thin for stir-fries and curries, or bruise a whole stalk and add it to soups and broths for a subtler flavor. Lemongrass oil is recognized as safe for food use by the FDA, classified as a flavoring agent under its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation.
Safety Considerations
Lemongrass in normal culinary and tea amounts is safe for most people. The risks increase with concentrated forms like essential oils and high-dose supplements. In high doses, lemongrass essential oil can damage the stomach lining and liver, which is ironic given its protective effects at lower doses. Excessive tea consumption may also strain kidney function over time.
Pregnant women should avoid lemongrass beyond what’s used in cooking. Citral and another compound called myrcene caused birth defects in animal studies, so caution is warranted. If you take medications processed by your liver’s main detox enzymes, large amounts of lemongrass could increase the risk of side effects by interfering with how those drugs are broken down. This isn’t typically a concern with a daily cup of tea, but it matters if you’re taking concentrated supplements.