How do Lemongrass Essential Oils Benefit You

lemongrass essential oil benefits

Herb Uses of Lemongrass

Lemongrass is a herb with a citrus scent that closely resembles the smell of lemons. Its medicinal and culinary uses are well known all over the globe.

You can find this herb in many traditional beverages, including medicinal tea. It’s also found in soaps and other personal care products. Lemongrass can be used fresh, dried, or even powdered and added as a seasoning to curries and soups.

The herbal compounds of lemongrass in tea can heal various illnesses, from gastric problems to fevers, and cholesterol.

While this herb has traditionally been used to treat digestive disorders and high blood pressure. The lemongrass essential oil has many other potential health benefits.

For instance, it is becoming a popular tool used in aromatherapy, helping many relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.

Lemongrass Essential Oils

Lemongrass essential oil is extracted from the leaves and stems of lemongrass plants and has a strong citrus scent.

The effective ingredients of lemongrass essential oil are believed to have antifungal, antibacterial, insecticidal and anti-inflammatory properties. For example, one of the main ingredients of lemongrass essential oil is citral, an antibacterial compound. Lemongrass essential oil also contains limonene, a compound that has been shown in scientific research to reduce inflammation and bacteria.

In industry, many manufacturers use lemongrass essential oil as a fragrance for cosmetics, soaps and homemade deodorants.

Furthermore, there are several different ways to use lemongrass essential oils, including topical and internal use.

For topical use, people mix essential oils into carrier oils, body oils, and hair and skin products.

In aromatherapy, You can add lemongrass essential oil to the water and use it as a mist, or you can add it to a diffuser. Inhaling the aroma of essential oils or has multiple benefits like reducing inflammation, headaches, and indigestion.

The most common lemongrass essential oil benefits include:

It may act as a pain reliever

The citral in lemongrass essential oil may help kill the pain as it relieves inflammation. Furthermore, the researchers in Australia believe that a compound in lemongrass called eugenol has similar abilities to aspirin.

Eugenol helps prevent platelets from clumping together. It also helps release serotonin. We all know Serotonin is a hormone that regulates mood, sleep, appetite, and cognitive function.

On the basis of a 2017 study on people with rheumatoid arthritis, topical lemongrass oil decreased their arthritis pain. As an evaluable result in this study, lemongrass oil help pain levels gradually decrease from 80% to 50% within 30 days.

As a pain reliever, It is occasionally applied in :

Relieve headaches – Lemongrass oil has a soothing and sedative effect. It can relieve pain, tension or stress that may cause headaches.

Menstrual cramps relief – Lemongrass can help girls relax and relieve pain in their periods.

Reduce joint and muscle pain – Good news for athletes.

It may help drives away stress and anxiety

Many studies have shown that aromatherapy can relieve stress and anxiety.

Lemongrass oil, as a material commonly used in therapy, can enhance self-confidence, reduce anxiety and counter depression.

To gain greater benefits in psychotherapy, more and more spas combine their massage works with aromatherapy. As a common side effect of stress, high blood pressure can also be eased in this method.

Relieves ailments

This essential oil is one of the best materials for treating illnesses, as it possesses anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties.

Based on studies of animal experiments in 2014, it is convincing that oral lemongrass essential oil has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

Chronic inflammation may cause many health problems. These include arthritis, cardiovascular disease. Lemongrass contains citral, an anti-inflammatory compound, to fight them.

Boosts energy

Lemongrass’s scent enhances energy levels and increases focus.

It has antibacterial properties

Lemongrass is used as a natural medicine to treat wounds and prevent infections. A study in 2010 found that lemongrass essential oil was effective against a variety of bacteria, including those that cause the following diseases.

Skin infections

Pneumonia

Blood infections

Intestinal infections

It has antifungal properties

Fungi are organisms like yeast and mold. Lemongrass oil was an effective deterrent against four specific types of fungi. One of them causes athlete’s foot, ringworm, and jock itch.

To gain utility, at least 2.5 percent of the solution must be lemongrass oil.

Antioxidant properties

Antioxidants help your body fight free radicals that damage cells. Studies have shown that lemongrass essential oil helps eliminate free radicals. Hence, it’s a potential complementary therapy for non-surgical dental procedures.

It may help prevent gastric ulcers or relieve nausea

Lemongrass is used as a folk remedy for many digestive problems, from a stomachache to gastric ulcers. According to a 2012 experiment on mice, lemongrass essential oil helps prevent gastric ulcers, which is a common cause of stomachache.

Lemongrass is also a common ingredient in herbal teas as a treatment of nausea. Although most herbal products use dried lemongrass leaves, aromatherapy with essential oils may provide similar benefits.

It may help ease diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common issue, but it can also cause dehydration. Over-the-counter diarrhea treatments may come with unpleasant side effects, such as constipation, letting some people switch to natural remedies.

According to a 2006 study, lemongrass may help reduce diarrhea syndrome. More precisely, studies have shown that this oil may reduce the amount of stool in mice with castor oil-induced diarrhea by slowing intestinal motility.

It may help reduce cholesterol

High cholesterol is a factor in increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Hence, it’s important to keep your cholesterol levels stable.

In tradition, people use lemongrass to treat high cholesterol and heart disease. A 2007 study also helped support its use in these conditions: Lemongrass oil can significantly reduce cholesterol in rats fed a high cholesterol diet for 14 days. As convincing evidence, the positive response is dose-dependent, which means that its effect changes when the dose is changed.

Lemongrass essential oil may help fight dandruff

It may help regulate blood sugar and lipids

According to a 2007 study on rats, lemongrass oil may help lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. In this study, researchers treated rats with 125 to 500 mg of lemongrass oil daily.

The results showed that lemongrass oil regulated blood sugar levels. It also changes lipid parameters while increasing so-called good cholesterol levels (HDL).

A 2015 research evaluated the effectiveness of lemongrass and sweet almond oils during massage. Study participants receiving weekly essential oil massages for three weeks had lower diastolic blood pressure than the control group. While lemongrass oil didn’t affect systolic blood pressure and pulse rate.

Please note that essential oils aren’t regulated by the FDA. It’s hard to know whether a product you are going to buy is pure. So you should only purchase essential oils from manufacturers you trust.

How to use

Before applying lemongrass essential oils on your skin, you should always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil. The recommended dose is 3-5 drops of essential oils per teaspoon of carrier oil. Many people massage the diluted essential oil into their temples to help relieve headaches.

In aromatherapy, add around 10 drops of essential oil to 1 teaspoon carrier oil such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil. Then mix the blended oils into a warm bath.

You can also inhale lemongrass oil directly. Add 7-10 drops of Essential Oil in a diffuser） filled with water and diffuse them intermittently – diffusing for 40 minutes then turn it off for 30 minutes

Note: Never apply undiluted essential oils directly to your skin.

Precaution of LemonGrass Essential Oils

Lemongrass as a herb is generally safe for use in food and beverages. While higher dosages may increase the risk of side effects.

Hence, you should never use undiluted essential oils on the skin. Before using essential oils topically, we do recommend that you have a skin patch test on your essential oils to find out whether you are sensitive to them. And test your skin sensitivity before using it extensively. Applying any undiluted essential oil to a larger area of the body may cause skin irritation.

Possible side effects and risks

As Lemongrass essential oil is highly concentrated. And Its side effects aren’t well-studied. In certain people, they might be stronger than the side effects of the lemongrass plant.

Undiluted lemongrass may cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation when used topically.

Other side effects of oral lemongrass include:

Dizziness

Drowsiness

Increased appetite

Increased urination

Essential oils may be toxic when ingested. Do not ingest lemongrass essential oil.

Talk to your doctor before use if you:

Got diabetes or low blood sugar

Have a respiratory condition, such as asthma

Are undergoing chemotherapy

Having liver disease

Are pregnant

Are breastfeeding

You should not use lemongrass as the main therapy or in place of your regular treatment for any condition unless under your doctor’s supervision.

Conclusion

In conclusion, some researches have shown that lemongrass essential oil has powerful antifungal, antibacterial, insecticidal and anti-inflammatory properties. However, lemongrass oils still need further studies before it can be a mainstream treatment. Note that only used in proper ways does lemongrass benefit you.