Lemongrass, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, a member of the Poaceae family. It is cultivated in southern and southwestern China, as well as in Fujian and Taiwan. It has the effects of dispelling wind and unblocking meridians, warming the middle burner to relieve pain, and stopping diarrhea. It is used to treat headaches and body aches caused by colds, wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, diarrhea, and injuries from falls or blows.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, a member of the Poaceae family. It is cultivated in southern and southwestern China, as well as in Fujian and Taiwan. It has the effects of dispelling wind and unblocking meridians, warming the middle burner to relieve pain, and stopping diarrhea. It is used to treat headaches and body aches caused by colds, wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, diarrhea, and injuries from falls or blows.
Chinese Name : 香茅草
Aliases : Citronella, lemongrass, Da Feng Mao, lemon grass, grass tea, ginger-ba-mao, ginger grass, fragrant ba-mao, citronella grass, wind grass, ginger-ba grass.
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, warm in nature; enters the Lung, Bladder, and Stomach meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels wind and unblocks the meridians; warms the middle burner to relieve pain; stops diarrhea.
Indications
Used for headaches and body aches due to the common cold, wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, diarrhea, and trauma.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decocted as a soup, 6–15 g. External use: As needed; decocted in water for washing or ground into a powder for application.
Precautions
Use with caution during pregnancy.
Pharmacological Actions
1. Antibacterial effects. 2. Anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive effects, among others. 3. Anticancer effects. 4. Antimutagenic effects. 5. Effects on smooth muscle. 6. Hypoglycemic effects. 7. Other effects: analgesic, antinematode, acaricidal, and fly-killing.
Relevant Discussions
*Guangdong Chinese Materia Medica*: “Dispels wind and reduces swelling. Primarily used to treat dizziness, headaches caused by wind, wind-related disorders, and ‘crane-knee syndrome’; also relieves chest pain.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For whole-body pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness: 0.5 kg of lemongrass. Decoct in water and use for bathing. (*Chronicle of Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine*, 1960)
2. For joint pain: 30 g each of lemongrass tea, paraffin wax (also known as “chili green medicine”), and wild schizonepeta. Pound into a fine powder, add a small amount of wine, heat in a pan, and apply as a poultice to the painful area.
3. For stomach pain: 30 g of lemongrass tea. Decoct in water and drink. (Recipes 2–3 are from *Guizhou Herbal Medicine*)
Notes
The roots of lemongrass are also used medicinally to treat cardiac pain.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
1. For whole-body pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness: 0.5 kg of lemongrass. Decoct in water and use for bathing. (*Chronicle of Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine*, 1960) 2. For joint pain: 30 g each of lemongrass tea, paraffin wax (also known as “chili green medicine”), and wild schizonepeta. Pound into a fine powder, add a small amount of wine, heat in a pan, and apply as a poultice to the painful area. 3. For stomach pain: 30 g of lemongrass tea. Decoct in water and drink. (Recipes 2–3 are from *Guizhou Herbal Medicine*)
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The entire plant can grow up to 2 m tall, with stout stems often covered with a waxy powder at the nodes. The leaves are linear, approximately 15 mm wide, up to 1 m long, and clasp the stem at the base; both surfaces are rough and grayish-white; the leaf sheaths are smooth; the ligule is thick and scale-like. The entire plant emits a lemon-like fragrance.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Citronella, a plant of the Poaceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
A fragrant, perennial, densely clumping herb. Stems up to 2 meters tall, stout, with white waxy powder below the nodes. Leaf sheaths glabrous, not reflexed outward, pale green on the inner surface; ligule thick, about 1 mm long; leaf blades 30–90 cm long, 5–15 mm wide, with a long acuminate apex, smooth or with rough margins.The pseudo-panicle is multiply compound, approximately 50 cm long, open, with slender branches that droop at the tips; the spikelet glumes are 1.5 (–2) cm long; the racemes are of unequal length, with 3–4 or 5–6 nodes, approximately 1.5 cm long;the raceme peduncle is glabrous; the internodes of the raceme axis and the spikelet pedicels are 2.5–4 mm long, sparsely pubescent along the margins, and swollen or dentate at the apex. The sessile spikelets are linear-lanceolate, 5–6 mm long, and about 0.7 mm wide;The back of the first glume is flat or concave into a groove, without veins, with narrow wings on the upper part and short cilia along the margins; the second lemma is narrow and small, about 3 mm long, with 2 minute teeth at the apex, awnless or with an awn tip about 0.2 mm long. Pedicellate spikelets are 4.5–5 mm long. Flowering and fruiting occur in summer; flowering specimens are rarely observed.
Distribution Area
It is cultivated in southern and southwestern China, Fujian, and Taiwan.