Lemongrass oil gives off pleasing scents of lemon. It has several different uses, including creating scents for candles and soaps, as well as in some medical treatments. Some people use it in food, generally as a part of Asian, Vietnamese, or Thai cuisines. Others will take lemongrass pills for health reasons.
What Is It
Lemongrass oil is derived from a perennial grass in India. The grass itself is approximately 3 feet tall. Its natural oils are produced from the leaves of the plants during a process of steam distillation. The oil is typically a dark yellow or red color. It can be used as massage or aromatherapy oil, as part of culinary dishes, or consumed in pill form.
Therapeutic Uses
Traditionally, the oil of lemongrass was used in Indian culture as a fighter against aches and pains. It helps the central nervous system by actually sedating it. The oil is also used as an antimicrobial, antiseptic, diuretic, fungicidal, and can even be used as a deodorant. It is also a powerful agent against bacterial and viral infections.
Repellent Benefits
Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria conducted a study in 2002 that used lemongrass oil as a mosquito repellent. After starving Aedes aegypti L. -- a type of mosquito -- for two days, and rubbing lemongrass oil ointment into the skin of a bird, researchers concluded that the oil showed 50 percent effectiveness against the bugs for approximately two to three hours. Researchers suspect that the overall repellent can be credited to one of the main components of the oil, citral.
Mental Benefits
Some people massage lemongrass oil into their skin because of its calming effects. It is also available as a spray. You could also inhale the scent from a drop or two of the lemongrass oil from a cloth, or taking a lemongrass capsule. Be sure to discuss taking lemongrass capsules with your health care provider.
Treating Fungus
During one study at the Center for Rural Development and Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology, researchers discovered in 2010 that lemongrass oil in its vapor stage -- the stage before the oil is yet in its liquid form -- could be used to treat Candida albicans, a type of fungus commonly referred to as yeast. They also found that lemongrass oil in its liquid stage was a less substantial aid, in that it only yielded results of "shrinkage" in the cells of the fungus.
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