Lemongrass: The Calming Spice – Lowering Cholesterol

You know the saying: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well, when life hands you lemongrass, make lemongrass tea. You’ll feel a whole lot better.

Overwrought Brazilians drink abafado, a lemongrass tea believed to relieve tension and aid sleep. Nigerian folk healers use lemongrass tea to soothe sore throats, lower fevers, and control type 2 diabetes. In Thailand and Vietnam—where lemongrass is a much-used ingredient in the cuisine—folk healers also use it to improve circulation.

One reason these folk remedies might work is citral, an antioxidant oil in lemongrass that is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal. The oil is also rich in plant sterols, a cholesterol-like compound that cuts the absorption of dietary cholesterol.

Taming Tough-to-Lower Cholesterol

Researchers in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Wisconsin studied 22 people with high total cholesterol (an average of 315 mg/dL; 200 or less is normal). They gave them 140 milligrams (mg) a day of lemongrass oil. After three months, eight had big drops in total cholesterol, of up to 38 mg/dL.

In another study on lemongrass and cholesterol, researchers in Chile found that a compound in lemongrass stopped the oxidation of “bad” LDL cholesterol—the same process that forms artery-clogging plaque. “As oxidative damage to LDL is a key event in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions, the use of this natural antioxidant may be beneficial to prevent or attenuate atherosclerosis,” concluded the researchers in the journal Molecules.

High cholesterol is common in people with type 2 diabetes, 75 percent of whom die of heart disease. Noting that lemongrass is used by the Yoruba healers of southwest Nigeria to treat type 2 diabetes (as well as fever, jaundice, throat and chest infections, moderate-to-severe pain, hypertension, and obesity), scientists in Nigeria tested an extract of the spice on laboratory animals. They found it lowered LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, increased “good” HDL, and also lowered blood sugar levels, “confirming its folkloric use and safety in type 2 diabetic patients.”

Keep on the Lemongrass

There are many other ways lemongrass might be good for you.

Cancer. In the laboratory, a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine studied the power of lemongrass oil against 12 types of human cancer cells. The more lemongrass oil, the worse it was for the cancer cells—with lemongrass destroying projectile-like structures on the surface of cancer cells, blocking the first stage of cancer cell division, and killing cancer cells. Lemongrass oil “has a promising anticancer activity and causes loss in tumor cell viability,” concluded the researchers in the journal Chemical and Biological Interactions.

When Israeli researchers investigated “the anti-cancer potential” of citral—the amount found in a typical cup of lemongrass tea—they found it could kill human cancer cells.

Researchers from the Department of Dermatology at the UCLA School of Medicine found citral protected animals against skin cancer, and has a “possible role as an anti-tumor” agent. Japanese researchers also found that citral activated antioxidants in the skin that could protect against skin cancer.

Another team of Japanese researchers found that a lemongrass extract protected laboratory animals against chemical-induced liver cancer, publishing their results in the journal Cancer Letter. And writing in the journal Carcinogenesis, a group of Japanese researchers found lemongrass extract protected laboratory animals against colon cancer.

Researchers in India found that a lemongrass extract protected laboratory animals against DNA-damaging ionizing radiation—the same type of cancer-causing radiation we get from the sun and from medical devices such as CT scans and x-rays.

Anxiety. Noting that lemongrass tea is used in Brazilian folk medicine to reduce anxiety, Brazilian researchers tested an extract of lemongrass in mice. Using a standard maze device to measure the animals’ level of anxiety, they found the tea significantly calmed the mice.

Insomnia. They also found that lemongrass extract reduced physical activity and induced sleep in mice as effectively as a sedative drug.

Epilepsy. The spice also reduced the number of chemically induced epileptic seizures in the mice.

Fungal and yeast infections. Doctors in South Africa found that lemongrass in lemon juice was an effective treatment for oral thrush (an infection on the inner cheeks and tongue with the fungus Candida albicans) in HIV/AIDS patients. The findings were in the journal Phytomedicine.

Researchers in Brazil also found that lemongrass oil and citral had “potent” activity against candida. Japanese researchers found the same, and said their results “provide experimental evidence suggesting the potential value of lemongrass oil for the treatment of oral or vaginal candidiasis.”

Getting to Know Lemongrass

Lemongrass is, well, grass—tufted, razor-like blades with a central rib that are native to Southeast Asia. When the leaves are chopped and crushed they give off the lemony aroma that is characteristic of the cuisines of Thailand and Vietnam, where lemongrass is widely used in stews, and in soups such as hot-and-sour soup.

In Thailand, the tender stalks are also added fresh to salads and pounded into spice pastes for curries. (Sometimes the leaves are tied in a knot and simmered in a curry.) In fact, lemongrass is used to flavor spice pastes and blends throughout Southeast Asia. It’s a key ingredient in hot condiments called sambals, and in an Indonesian spice called bumbu, which is popular at roadside food stands.

Lemongrass, native to Southeast Asia, has tufted, razor-like blades with a central rib.

Lemongrass is cultivated in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, India, the Caribbean, Australia, and Florida. However, Florida lemongrass is not grown for culinary purposes. The oil is extracted for use in cosmetics, soaps, bath salts, perfumes, and furniture polish.

LEMONGRASS WAS USED TO SCENT BATHS IN ANCIENT ROME.

Lemongrass oil is often called citronella—the name of the scented oil and candles used as bug repellents. But bug-repelling citronella oil is derived from two varieties of lemongrass that are inedible.

How to Buy Lemongrass

You can often find lemongrass fresh in large or high-end markets in areas where there is a large Asian population. Even though the entire plant is aromatic, you’ll usually find only the lower white stalk—the only part of the plant tender enough to eat.

Fresh lemongrass stalks are usually sold in bunches. Choose stalks that are firm and don’t look dried or wrinkled. They should be white with a greenish tinge. However, if lemongrass is native to your cuisine, you’re more likely to purchase the whole plant, including the root and leaves, using the leaves to make lemongrass tea. Lemongrass enthusiasts also fold the leaves to release the aromatic flavor, and add them to foods cooked in a liquid. The leaves are discarded before eating, like a bay leaf. Asian and Latin markets usually carry the whole plant. But be careful: the blades are sharp. (Whole lemongrass is also sold frozen.)

Lemongrass may help prevent and/or treat:

Anxiety

Cancer

Cholesterol problems

(high total cholesterol,

high “bad” LDL cholesterol, low “good” HDL

cholesterol)

Diabetes, type 2

Epilepsy

Insomnia

Thrush (oral candida

infection)

Triglycerides, high

Vaginal yeast infection

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Lemongrass pairs well with these spices:

Black cumin

seed

Cardamom

Chile

Cinnamon

Clove

Coconut

Coriander

Cumin

Fennel seed

Fenugreek

seed

Galangal

Garlic

Ginger

Onion

Tamarind

Turmeric

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and complements recipes featuring:

Asian stir-fries

Curries

Marinades for meat

and poultry

Poultry

Shrimp

Soft-shell crabs

Tomatoes

Other recipes containing lemongrass:

Malaysian Curry Paste

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Thai Red Curry Paste

Mussels with Thai Red Curry Sauce

With the make-ahead curry paste as an ingredient, this is an easy dish that is special enough to serve company. Serve it with a loaf of crusty bread to enjoy the sauce. To complete the meal, add a green salad made with Mediterranean Vinaigrette.

3 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste

4 large red ripe tomatoes

3 garlic bulbs, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

1 fourteen-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

1½ cups seafood stock

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

1. Pick over the mussels and discard any that are open.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the red curry paste and fry until fragrant, stirring constantly, about one minute. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and ginger and continue to fry, stirring, until garlic is soft, about three minutes.

3. Stir in the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add the mussels, turn up the heat, cover and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, about 5–10 minutes. Transfer the mussels to four bowls and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Lemongrass is also sold preserved in jars, with lemon juice or vinegar. It’s the next best thing to fresh.

You can purchase dried lemongrass in Asian markets, sometimes sold under the Indonesian name sereh. It’s also available online. (For a list of online resources, please see A Buyer’s Guide to the Healing Spices.) You can find dried lemongrass whole, shredded, or ground. Reconstitute in warm water before using.

Ground lemongrass is available at most supermarkets with a well-stocked spice aisle.

All forms of dried lemongrass lack the characteristic intense lemony flavor of fresh, however. You’ll get the best flavor from fresh lemongrass. If you can’t find fresh, preserved is better than all forms of the dried.

You also can find dried lemongrass leaves for making tea in Asian and Latin markets. But don’t use them for cooking: they contribute little to the taste of a dish.

Fresh lemongrass can be kept refrigerated in plastic wrap for about two weeks. It can also be frozen in an airtight freezer bag for six months. Dried lemongrass should be stored in an airtight container in a dry, dark place. It will keep for about a year.

In the Kitchen with Lemongrass

Because of its robust flavor, lemongrass can withstand long cooking without losing its flavor. It is best used in long-simmering dishes, such as a stew or curry. But to get the best results from its strong lemony taste, you need to prepare it properly.

If you’ve bought a stalk, cut it into thin rings. Or cut it into large pieces, and crush it with the back of a knife, as you would garlic, and add it to the dish. (Use it the same way you use scallions.)

If you’ve bought an entire plant, leaves and all, trim it to get to the edible part. Cut off the root end with a knife, and pull off the outer leaves right down to the white stalk. (It’s a good idea to wear plastic gloves to protect your fingers from cuts.) Slice or chop the stalk.

Lemongrass Iced Tea

In Thailand, people drink lemongrass tea iced and slightly sweetened, as a cooling counterbalance to the hot cuisine. It is served at both lunch and dinner.

1 cup lemongrass pieces, about ½” each

½ cup sugar

8 cups water

1. Bring the lemongrass pieces, sugar, and 2 cups water to a boil in medium-size saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and steep, partially covered, until cool.

2. Put the steeped tea with the lemongrass pieces in a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. Pour the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing to get out all of the liquid. Discard the solids. Add ice, fill the pitcher with the rest of the water, and stir. Serve over ice.

You can use the entire stalk by tying the full length in a knot and dropping it into the pot. The bruising will release the lemon flavor. Again, be careful that you don’t cut your fingers on the sharp leaf edges. The whole stalk isn’t meant to be eaten—discard it at the end of cooking. (It will leave behind its intense aroma!)

You can use the fresh leaves to make a tea. Place the leaves in a large pot and pour a quart of hot water on top of them. Steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea and discard the leaves.

Here are some ways to put more lemongrass in your diet:

• Cut the stalks coarsely and add them to the water when steaming seafood.

• Put stalks in foil when you barbecue fish.

• Use whole stalks as stirrers to put a touch of lemon in drinks or to intensify lemonade.

• You can use lemongrass to tenderize and aromatize meat. Break 2 stalks of lemongrass in pieces and put them in a spice grinder with a garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds. Combine the ground spices with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¼ cup of Asian fish sauce, and rub the mixture into steaks or beef kabobs before grilling.

• Combine lemongrass (sweet) with copious amounts of garlic and shallots to make a sweet-and-sour sauce like they do in Malaysia.