lemon grass tea

[planthelper]

i love cymbopogon citratus!

if one prepares just a tea (without sugar of course) out of fresh material it makes a very nice good night cuppa... however if one boils the material for a while the extract becomes more potent and exhibits a yellowish/greenish color, which disapears right away if you would be foolish enough to add a squirt of lemon.

i think to remeber that once i made a strong water extraction which caused me to have some type of mild sensations, but i can't remeber if they were stimulating or sedating.

http://www.entheology.org/edoto/anmviewer.asp?a=41&z=5

In Tanganyika the native medicine men smoke the flowers of Cymbopogon densiflorus alone or with tobacco to cause dreams which they believe foretell the future. The leaves have a pleasant citron aroma.

Unfortunately very little is known about this interesting perennial grass which grows in Gabon, the Congo and Nyasaland.

i don't know if densiflorus is a synonym for citratus...

anyway i have seen lemongrass in flower, bummer i didn't know about that some smoke it...

Chemistry Citratus - citral 65-85%, myrcene 12-25%, dipentene, linalool, geraniol and others. Flexuosus – includes citral up to 85%, geraniol, methyl eugenol, borneol (2).

Major Properties Analgesic (citratus), antifungal, anti-inflammatory?, antiseptic, astringent?, bactericidal, deodorant, insecticidal, vasodilator?, stimulant?, tonic

Uses Stress related disorders, nervous exhaustion, anger and frustration, uplifts and refreshes. headaches, jet lag.

Fevers, immune stimulant?, infectious illnesses

Muscular aches and pains, poor circulation, poor muscle tone, tired legs.

Colitis, indigestion, digestive tonic, gastro-enteritis, stimulates liver

Acne, athlete's foot, blackheads, cellulite?, excessive perspiration, hydrolipid retention, insect repellent, lice, oily skin, open pores, scabies?, tones tissues.

i guess the eugenol and maybe other oils could have stimulating properties.

anyway apoth's posts are so inspireing so i might experiment with lemon grass for a while.

any input greatly apreciated!

forget a six pack as reward, a cuppa of lemon grass tea fresh from the garden, that's what i call satisfaction, oh my god i have another one, have to be carefull not to become a lemoholic, lol.

Edited April 7, 2006 by planthelper

[apothecary]

Good find ph!

Plenty of useful starter information there...

I for one have become a lemonholic, nothing better than Lemon Myrtle tea straight off the tree in my opinion, but I haven't tried Lemon Grass yet lol.

I always wondered if you could smoke Lemon Myrtle, but I thought the good lemony stuff would be too volatile to be useful. The leaves don't really look palatable for smoking anyway, you may have discovered the perfect source of lemony smoke! :D

Eagerly awaiting results.

[Viking]

yer ive had that before.. it grows wildly up in exmouth... we usually chuck a big bunch in a pot with 4ltrs of water with sum datura and cook it up for a few hours replenishing water as required... very relaxing until the datura kciks in never gotn anything from smoking tho ... is very harsh

[gerbil]

I always wondered if you could smoke Lemon Myrtle, but I thought the good lemony stuff would be too volatile to be useful. The leaves don't really look palatable for smoking anyway, you may have discovered the perfect source of lemony smoke! :D

Not lemon, but you may be interested anyway.

Ever tried chocolate mint as a smoke? No idea if it would be any good, but it's quite a unique smelling plant.

I've a really straggly bush of it in need of a haircut, will dry some out and send you some if you want to try it out.

[apothecary]

Send away my friend, even if it is not such a good smoke it might be the perfect flavouring ingredient for a "quidmix" I'm working on.

[foolsbreath]

By lemon myrtle you are reffering to backhousia citriodora? I love this plant, and have been growing it for a while.

The foliage is pretty strong in flovour, but also phenolic. The flowers however are not phenolic and still strong in flavour. Ideal for making infusions and used in natural icecream recipes etc. Might be good for a smoke. i havn't checked lately to see the conditions but there are still plenty of dried flower on my tree and maybe some seed.

[ramon]

I vote for Tom Yum soup as the source for Lemon Grass.

[foolsbreath]

Tried smoking some dried flowers b)probably with seeds) of backhousia citriodora (2 bowls), slightly harsh, but suprisingly lemonny, nice.

Had about 3 ports before hand, and found it potentiated the alcohol considerably, slight visual enhancement, percieved raise in body temp and relaxation

My partner smoked one and her sore throat was relieved and so was a headache for a short while no other noticeable effeects and she had had no alcohol.

1 hour later and after a big feed, smoked three more bowls with similar effects as before. all in all more than a placebo, and a gabba like response, pleasantly suprised

[indigo264nm]

I used to drink lemon grass tea but the thing just grew so wildly and I got over it as well so I dug it up as it's not hard to get again. I instead switched to lemon verbana which I found a better plant to grow and a v. nice tea.

[Cptn Insane'O]

A friend got me onto a tea brewed from fresh lemon verbena and lemon myrtle mixed and it was excellent! Now I 'll have to add lemon grass as well. and why stop there... there's lemon basil, lemon thyme, lemon balm, but try the verbena and myrtle for a truly inspiring cuppa!