Lemon Grass Tea by Alternative Health & Herbs Remedies

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Abdominal pain. Although there has been interest in using oral or topical lemongrass for abdominal pain, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Common cold. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass or lemongrass essential oil inhalation for the common cold, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Cough. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for cough, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Dandruff. It is unclear if topical lemongrass is beneficial in patients with dandruff. Details: Preliminary clinical research in adults with dandruff shows that twice daily topical application of a hair tonic containing 5% to 15% lemongrass essential oil reduces dandruff when compared with placebo. Applying a 10% lemongrass formulation twice daily for 14 days reduced dandruff by around 81% compared with baseline. However, the level of benefit of lemongrass essential oil is difficult to assess from this evidence, as the base formulation also decreased dandruff by up to 58% (93950).
• Diabetes. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for diabetes, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Epilepsy. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for epilepsy, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Fatigue. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for fatigue, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Gingivitis. It is unclear if lemongrass mouthwash is beneficial in patients with gingivitis. Details: Preliminary clinical research in children aged 9-12 years with mild gingivitis shows that using lemongrass oil 0.25% mouthwash, 10 mL twice daily, for 3 weeks moderately improves plaque and gingivitis scores when compared with no mouthwash (110622). Similarly, a small clinical trial in orthodontic patients aged 13 years and older with mild to moderate gingivitis shows that using a lemongrass 0.25% mouthwash for 1 minute daily for 3 weeks improves plaque and gingivitis scores when compared with no mouthwash (112153). Additionally, the lemongrass mouthwash was slightly better than chlorhexidine on some, but not all, tooth surfaces.
• Headache. Although there has been interest in using topical lemongrass for headache, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Hypercholesterolemia. It is unclear if oral lemongrass is beneficial in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that taking lemongrass essential oil 140 mg daily orally for 90 days does not reduce cholesterol levels when compared with baseline in patients with hypercholesterolemia (59670).
• Hypertension. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for hypertension, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Influenza. Although there has been interest in using lemongrass essential oil inhalation for influenza, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Nausea and vomiting. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for nausea and vomiting, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Neuropathic pain. Although there has been interest in using oral lemongrass for neuropathic pain, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Pain (acute). Although there has been interest in using oral or topical lemongrass, or lemongrass essential oil inhalation for acute pain, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of lemongrass for this purpose.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is unclear if topical lemongrass is beneficial in patients with RA. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that applying pure lemongrass essential oil to the skin daily for 30 days can lead to a modest, gradual reduction in pain scores when compared with baseline in adults with mild, moderate, or severe RA (97052). The validity of these results is limited by the lack of a control group.
• Thrush. It is unclear if oral lemongrass is beneficial in patients with thrush. Details: Preliminary clinical research shows that consuming a lemongrass infusion 250 mL twice daily for 10 days decreases thrush symptoms in patients with HIV/AIDS more effectively than applying a topical solution of gentian violet 0.5%. The lemongrass infusion used in this study was prepared by adding dried lemongrass 12.5 mL to 500 mL of boiling water and boiling for 10 minutes (59630). More evidence is needed to rate lemongrass for these uses.

(Read more about LEMONGRASS)

LIKELY SAFE ...when used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. Lemongrass has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US (4912).

POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally or topically, short-term for medicinal purposes. Dried leaves of lemongrass or lemongrass essential oil have been safely used in studies lasting up to 2 weeks (6,12,2612,93950). ...when the essential oil of lemongrass is used by inhalation as a component of aromatherapy (2612).

PREGNANCY: LIKELY UNSAFE
when used orally. Lemongrass seems to have uterine and menstrual flow stimulating effects (12); avoid using.

LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

(Read more about LEMONGRASS)

CYTOCHROME P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, lemongrass might decrease the metabolism of CYP1A1 substrates.  Details Animal research shows that lemongrass and its constituent citral inhibit CYP1A1 (97051).

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, lemongrass might decrease the metabolism of CYP3A4 substrates.  Details Animal research shows that lemongrass and its constituent citral inhibit CYP3A4 (97051).

GLUCURONIDATED DRUGS Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, lemongrass might increase the clearance and decrease the levels of glucuronidated drugs.  Details Animal research shows that lemongrass and its constituent citral induce uridine diphosphoglucuronosyl transferase (UGT), the major phase 2 enzyme that is responsible for glucuronidation (97051).

PENTOBARBITAL (Nembutal) Interaction Rating = Moderate Be cautious with this combination. Severity = Moderate •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = D Theoretically, lemongrass might increase the effects and adverse effects of pentobarbital.  Details Animal research shows that high doses of lemongrass essential oil increases sleep time and decreases time to fall asleep in animals administered pentobarbital.

(Read more about LEMONGRASS)

General ...Lemongrass is generally well tolerated when taken orally, applied topically, or inhaled as aromatherapy.
Most Common Adverse Effects:
Topically: Allergic reactions, irritation, rash.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Inhalation: Toxic alveolitis.

Dermatologic ...Topical use of lemongrass essential oil has caused a rash or irritation, possibly due to an allergic reaction (59513,59517,59567,59500). However, allergic reactions to topical use of lemongrass essential oil are rare (2,18).

Pulmonary/Respiratory ...There have been two cases of toxic alveolitis associated with inhalation of an unknown quantity of lemongrass essential oil (2).

(Read more about LEMONGRASS)