Are you struggling with insomnia? Are the common remedies of taking warm milk before sleep and counting sheep not working for you? A few stalks of lemon grass in your tea may be just the remedy you need. Apart from its distinctive spicy taste that adds a minty flavor to beverages, lemon grass is known to have countless nutritional benefits?
Lemongrass leaves, stalk and derived oil, have long been used to treat fever ,convulsions, coughs, common cold and high blood pressure. It is especially good for relieving muscle pain-one of the reasons why it’s widely used in aromatherapy.
Some people use it to stimulate menstrual flow and general health of the uterus. Research show it also has beneficial antioxidant properties.
Grow some lemon grass
Cultivating your own garden of lemon grass can be a good way to make sure you supplement it in your diet. I like that they do not take too much space and like wheat grass, they are grow fast. In addition they do not interfere with your other plants in the garden. Just make sure you leave enough space to let them spread out.
How to make a cup of lemon tea
Serves 1
- 2 fresh stalks of lemongrass
- Two cups of boiling water in a pot
- 1 tea bag
- Some lime juice
- A pinch of cinnamon
- Add Honey or sugar to sweeten
Procedure
-Remove the outer leaves of the stalk and cut the root of the lemon grass.
– Fold the stalks and make them fit in the pot and add in some cinnamon and sweeteners.
– Add two cups of boiling water and a tea bag.
-Boil for 3 minutes or until the mixture turns golden brown.
-Remove from pan, pour into a cup and add in the lime (optional)
You can also add ginger or any other spice you wish. If you go for the already ground lemon grass from the store, you do not have to bring it to boil. You can easily make your mixture in a cup ,add in some hot water and enjoy.
Lemongrass is hard to cut up and most times I pulverize the portion I want to use in the electric mill that comes along with most blenders. It forms a fine wet powder which I usually use immediately for making lemongrass tea.
You can also use lemon grass in stews, marinades and soups. You can throw in whole pieces of grass and remove them after the food is cooked. By which time the sweet flavour will have infused into the food.
