Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Lemon grass is a tall, lemon-scented grass, Cymbopogon citratus. Its leaves are brewed as a hot tea across West Africa. In Yoruba it is called koriko oba.
People drink it for fever, colds, upset stomach and poor sleep. It is also an everyday food flavour in soups, rice dishes and drinks. The oil pressed from the leaves is used on the skin and in room sprays.
Here is the plain verdict. Human evidence is thin, and the few trials are small and short. Long use in tradition is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
No one has shown clearly how lemon grass acts in the human body. Most of what is claimed comes from lab dishes and animals, not people.
In test tubes, lemongrass oil slows the growth of some bacteria and yeasts. Whether that happens in the mouth or on skin at normal strengths is not settled.
In animal studies, leaf extracts lowered fever and dulled pain responses. Animal work also hints at small drops in blood sugar and blood pressure. These findings are early and have not been confirmed in good human trials.
You will meet lemon grass in a few common forms.
For drinking and cooking: - Fresh stalks and leaves, sold for cooking. - Dried leaf, loose or in tea bags. - Capsules and leaf powder, sold as supplements.
For the skin and the home: - Essential oil, for scent and skin use only. - Hydrosol or leaf water, used as a skin splash. - Creams, soaps and insect sprays that list the oil.
The essential oil is not for swallowing. Strength varies a lot between brands. Home-brewed tea from garden leaves is weaker and less steady than a standard tea bag.
Lemon grass has a long and well-recorded place in West African home care. Yoruba speakers call it koriko oba. It is widely known as fever grass.
Healers and households brewed the leaves for fever, malaria-type chills, colds and stomach cramps. The warm tea was also given at night to settle restless children and adults.
The plant travelled widely. It became a staple in Brazilian, Caribbean, Indian and South-East Asian home practice.
These records describe custom and belief. They do not test whether the tea changed the course of any illness.
Stop and see a doctor if you get a rash, swelling, wheeze or trouble breathing. These can mean an allergic reaction, and breathing problems need urgent care.
Get urgent help if anyone swallows the essential oil. Signs include vomiting, belly pain, confusion or drowsiness.
See a doctor rather than treating yourself if you have a fever over 39C, a fever lasting more than three days, or fever with a stiff neck, rash or confusion.
Also get checked for yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, repeated dizziness, or thrush in the mouth that keeps coming back.
In the United States, lemon grass is recognised as safe as a food flavouring, and the tea and oil are sold as food and cosmetic goods. In the UK and EU it is sold as a food, herbal tea or cosmetic ingredient. No country licenses it as a medicine for any disease.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
One email with the summary. We'll also send a short weekly evidence update — unsubscribe any time.
