According to Healthline - Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a plant that is often used as an ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine. These leaves have a fresh scent similar to lemon. Apart from cooking, the benefits of lemongrass leaves also exist in the world of traditional medicine. This plant is believed to have various properties. Check out what you can get from lemongrass leaves below.
Lemongrass content
One tablespoon of fresh lemongrass contains approximately 5 calories, which come from carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Minerals found in lemongrass include 3 mg calcium, 34 mg potassium, 0.2 mg manganese, 2.9 mg magnesium and 0.4 mg iron. While vitamins in lemongrass include vitamins A, C, B9 (folate), and B3 (niacin).
Given the relatively small vitamin content of lemongrass, consuming lemongrass will not have a significant impact on your daily vitamin adequacy. So, you still need vitamin intake from other foods.
Apart from being used directly as a spice in food and beverages, lemongrass leaves are also often processed into lemongrass oil. If this oil is used for cooking, the calorie content will be higher.
The reason is, lemongrass oil is usually a mixture of cooking oil or canola oil with lemongrass extract. In 1 teaspoon of lemongrass oil, there can be 40 calories and 4.5 grams of fat.
If you want to use lemongrass leaves in drinks or soups, crush the lower part of the lemongrass leaf stem so that the lemongrass aroma comes out more and then dip it into the dish. As for use as a seasoning, lemongrass can be cooked whole or cut into pieces and chopped first before mixing in dishes.
Health benefits and lemongrass
Many people believe that lemongrass leaves have various health properties. But actually, not many large-scale scientific studies have been conducted with results supporting these claims.
What is known is that lemongrass leaves contain antioxidant compounds such as chlorogenic acid, isoorientin, and swertiajaponin. These compounds function as anti-inflammatories and neutralize free radicals.
In addition, there are various benefits of lemongrass leaves that can be obtained when consumed in drinks and food. Some of these include:
1. Relieves anxiety
Many people find that drinking hot tea has a calming effect. For those who are often anxious, enjoying lemongrass tea seems to add to this effect. Some studies have found that inhaling the aroma of lemongrass can be helpful in relieving anxiety in people with anxiety disorders.
Therefore, using lemongrass aromatherapy is also often considered as a way to release stress and anxiety. However, the scientists who conducted the study still need to conduct further research to confirm the benefits of lemongrass leaves on this one.
2. Lower cholesterol levels
The Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research suggests animal studies showing that lemongrass leaf consumption has the potential to lower cholesterol levels. In fact, the more lemongrass leaves consumed, the more cholesterol levels decreased.
Since the experiment was only conducted on animals, more research is needed to see if the same effect also applies to humans.
3. Prevents infection
Consumption of lemongrass leaves seems to reduce the number of cases of fungal infections that often occur in people with weakened immune systems. For example, people with HIV and AIDS. The function of lemongrass leaves is of course to keep body cells from experiencing infection.
4. Improves oral health
In many countries, people often chew lemongrass stems as a way to improve health and refresh the mouth. A study published in Food Chemistry supports this practice.
Of the 12 types of herbs studied, scientists concluded that lemongrass was the most potent in preventing the growth of cavity-causing bacteria in laboratory samples.
5. Relieves pain
There is a study that found lemongrass leaves' potential as a pain reliever. This means that drinking a cup of lemongrass tea can help a person to reduce the pain they experience.
6. Increases red blood cell count
A study found that daily consumption of lemongrass leaf tea for 30 days can increase hemoglobin concentration and increase red blood cell count. It is not yet known exactly how lemongrass causes this effect, but it is suspected that the antioxidant content in lemongrass plays a role.
7. Reduces bloating
Lemongrass tea has a diuretic effect, which stimulates the kidneys to excrete more urine than usual. As such, lemongrass tea consumption can be used to reduce bloating caused by water retention, such as occurs when experiencing premenstrual syndrome.
Content created and supplied by: Sportyblitz (via Opera News )
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