Common name: Lemon
Grass, Oil grass, West Indian lemon grass • Hindi: गंधत्रिण Gandhatrina • Manipuri: হাওনা Haona • Marathi:
Olecha • Tamil: கர்ப்பூரப்புல் Karppurappul • Malayalam: Vasana Pullu • Telugu: Nimmagaddi
• Kannada: Majjigehullu • Bengali: গংধবেনা Gandhabena • Konkani:
Oli-cha • Gujarati: લિલિચા Lilicha • Sanskrit: Bhustrina
Botanical name:
Cymbopogon citratus Family: Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction: Lemon
Grass is a fragrant herb which is increasingly being used in teas, beverages,
herbal medicines, and Eastern inspired soups and other dishes. This grass grows
in dense clumps that can grow to 6 ft in height and about 4 ft in width,
although it commonly seen much smaller. Leaves are strap-like, 1.3-2.5 cm wide,
to 3 ft long, and have gracefully drooping tips. The evergreen leaves are
bright bluish-green and release a citrus aroma when crushed. The fragrant
leaves are the part that is used as flavoring. Leaves are steam distilled to
extract lemongrass oil. The lemon grass plants rarely produce flowers. In fact,
there are many cultivars which never flower. Lemon grass is native to India,
Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. It is found growing naturally in tropical
grasslands. It is also extensively cultivated throughout tropical Asia.
Geographical distribution
It occurs throughout India.
Chemical composition
Palmrosa oil or Rusa oil or East
India Ginger oil is obtained from the leaves and
inflorescence of the grass, which
contain geraniol.
Medicinal uses
The leaves of grass is generally
used in the form of an infusion; it is valuable stomachic for children; with
aromatics it is given as a diaphoretic and stimulant in catarrh and febrile conditions;
with black pepper the infusion is used in congestive and neuralgic forms of
dysmenorrhoea, disordered menstruation, vomiting, diarrhoea and dropsical
condition caused by malaria. A decoction of the grass is used locally over
rheumatic joints, lumbago and sprains. A tea made from the leaves is a
stomachic tonic, diaphoretic, diuretic and refrigerant.
Folk medicinal uses
A paste of the leaves made with
buttermilk is applied on ringworm. The oil mixed with twice its bulk of coconut
oil is a stimulating embrocation for rheumatism, lumbago, neuralgia, sprains
and other painful affections.
Flowers : March-May
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