What is Lemon grass (tea bush)?

Lemon grass is a tall, lemon-scented grass grown across West Africa. In Yoruba it is called koriko oba. The leaves, fresh or dried, are steeped in hot water to make a everyday tea.

People drink it for fevers, colds, upset stomach and to settle the nerves. The same plant gives lemongrass essential oil, which is far stronger than the tea. That oil is made for scent and diluted skin use, not for drinking.

Here is the honest verdict. Lemon grass has a long and respected place in West African home care. Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and it is not proof that it is safe; the human trials are few, small and mixed.

How does Lemon grass (tea bush) work?

No one has shown in people that lemon grass treats a disease. What follows is proposed, not proven.

In test tubes, the oil and its main compound citral slow the growth of some bacteria and yeasts. Whether that happens in the mouth, gut or on skin is not established. The tea is far weaker than the oil used in those tests.

In animal studies, lemon grass extracts have lowered fever, eased pain and calmed behaviour. Animal results often fail to repeat in people. In cell studies the plant's flavonoids appear to damp down signals linked to swelling.

Some of the comfort people feel is likely simpler. A warm drink and a strong, pleasant smell can relax you on their own. That is a real effect, but it is not a drug effect.

What forms does Lemon grass (tea bush) come in?

Lemon grass reaches you in several very different strengths.

- Fresh leaves and stalks, cut and steeped at home - Dried leaf, loose or in tea bags - Leaf powder, sold for drinks and cooking - Essential oil, highly concentrated, for scent and diluted skin use - Hydrosol or floral water, a weak by-product of oil making - Soaps, creams, sprays and insect repellents - Food uses, in soups, stews, pastes and marinades

The gap between a tea bag and the essential oil is huge. Most safety worries on this page belong to the oil, not the cup.

Where it comes from:

Lemon grass has long standing in West African home medicine. In Yoruba it is koriko oba, and the leaves were boiled as a fever drink. It was also used in steam baths for colds and in washes for the skin.

Healers gave the tea for stomach pain, wind and restless sleep. Mothers used it for children's fevers. Planted near houses, it also served to keep insects away.

The plant travelled widely. It became a common tea in the Caribbean and Brazil, and a kitchen herb across South and South East Asia. Those older uses tell us the plant was valued and widely tolerated, not that it treats any named illness.

What does Lemon grass (tea bush) help with?

• Fever and common colds: This is the classic West African use. The hot leaf tea was given to break a fever and ease a stuffy head. Animal studies show fever-lowering and pain-easing effects from leaf extracts. No good human trial backs this. A hot drink and steam can make you feel better without changing the illness. If a fever is high, or lasts more than three days, it needs a doctor, not tea.
• Upset stomach, wind and bloating: Tradition treated lemon grass as a gentle stomach settler. The tea was drunk after heavy meals. In animal work, the oil relaxes gut muscle. Human evidence for the tea is essentially absent. Many warm herbal teas feel soothing, and lemon grass may work much the same way.
• Stress, low mood and poor sleep: People drink lemon grass tea in the evening to wind down. The smell is a big part of the appeal. A few small studies have tested the scent for nerves before dental work or tests. Results were mixed and the groups were small. There is no solid proof it helps anxiety or insomnia (trouble sleeping).
• Mouth and gum care: Small dental studies have tested a very dilute lemongrass oil mouthwash for plaque and sore gums. Some reported less plaque over a few weeks. These trials were small and short. They do not show lemon grass beats standard mouthwash or brushing. Never gargle with undiluted essential oil.
• Period and muscle pain: The tea was a home remedy for cramps, and the diluted oil was rubbed on aching muscles. Animal studies show pain-easing effects. Human trials are lacking. Any rub may help partly through massage and warmth.
• Blood pressure and cholesterol (traditional claim): Lemon grass tea has a mild water-losing effect, so it was linked to blood pressure. Some small human studies looked at tea and blood fats. The findings were weak and not repeated well. Do not treat lemon grass as a substitute for blood pressure or cholesterol medicine. Keep taking what your doctor prescribed.
• Skin care and insect repellent: Lemongrass oil is a long-standing mosquito repellent and a common soap scent. Lab tests show it repels some insects for a short time. It wears off faster than standard repellents such as DEET. For areas with malaria or dengue, use a proven repellent and a net. On skin, the oil must always be diluted, or it can burn and irritate.

Which foods are rich in Lemon grass (tea bush)?

1. Lemon grass leaf tea
2. West African soups and pepper stews
3. Thai and Vietnamese curries and broths
4. Marinades for fish and chicken
5. Flavoured syrups and cordials

Practical Tips:

Lemon grass is a food plant first. The amounts used in cooking are small and widely regarded as safe for most people.

Food use is not the same as taking the essential oil. Cooking with the stalk is nothing like swallowing concentrated oil.

What are the side effects of Lemon grass (tea bush)?

• Passing urine more often
• Stomach upset or nausea
• Dizziness or feeling drowsy
• Dry mouth
• Rash, burning or stinging from the oil on skin
• Allergic reaction, with itching, swelling or wheezing
• Lung irritation after breathing in strong oil vapour (reported rarely)
• Poisoning if the essential oil is swallowed

Good to know:

Lemon grass tea is well tolerated by most people. Side effects are usually mild and go away when you stop.

The essential oil is a different story. Undiluted oil can burn skin, and swallowing it can cause serious harm. Case reports describe lung trouble after breathing in strong vapour.

Stop and get help if you get swelling of the lips or face, trouble breathing, or a spreading rash.

How much Lemon grass (tea bush) should you take?

• Recommended daily: Lemon grass tea is used as a drink, not as a measured medicine. There is no proven dose for any health claim. Tea packs usually suggest about 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried leaf per cup. That is roughly 2 to 4 grams. Many labels say up to three cups a day. That is what labels carry. It is not a plan for you, and it is not advice to treat an illness. Essential oil labels say clearly: do not swallow. Take that at face value.
• Best time of day: Timing does not matter much for a herbal tea. Drink it when you like the taste. Many people choose the evening because the smell feels calming. It holds no caffeine, so it will not keep you awake. The tea can make you pass more urine. If that disturbs your sleep, drink it earlier in the day.
• With or without food: Either is fine. Lemon grass tea is a normal drink. Some people find any strong herbal tea sits badly on an empty stomach. If that is you, drink it with or after food. Taken with a meal it may also be gentler if you are prone to reflux (acid coming back up).
• Time to effect: The warmth and smell feel pleasant straight away. That is comfort, not a treatment effect. No health benefit has a proven timeline, because no health benefit is proven. It may do nothing for your symptoms at all. If you try it and see no change within a week or two, it is fair to stop.
• How long to take it: As a drink, lemon grass is used on and off, the way any herbal tea is. No trial has tested heavy daily use over months or years for safety. So no safe long-term limit can be given honestly. If you drink it daily for weeks, keep it modest. Stop if anything feels wrong. If you are drinking it to manage a symptom that will not clear, see a doctor instead of drinking more.