Global Courant
Lemongrass tea has wide application in various medical fields, but its prospects as a potential partner in cancer treatment have increasingly attracted the attention of observers. Lemongrass tea is an herbal tea derived from the aromatic perennial herb native to Southeast Asia. It is widely used as a decorative plant, but is also used as a flavoring agent in many exotic cuisines.
While many people don’t know what lemongrass looks like, many are well aware of what it tastes like. The herb has made itself popular with many Western gourmets through its central role in flavoring the Thai soup of tom yam gung. Indeed, its lemony, slightly minty and spicy flavor has made it one of the most distinctive components of many Thai and Southeast Asian delicacies.
Recent studies on this happy-tasting herb have suggested that perhaps lemongrass is more than just an herb that injects a certain amount of culinary delight. Researchers in Israel found that a compound in lemongrass tea and essential oil called citral can cause cancer cell death while not harming healthy cells.
Cancer cells isolated in a petri dish were found to have undergone apoptosis, or programmed cell death, when they came into contact with lemongrass. Scientists trying to explain this phenomenon in layman’s terms have said that the cancer cells would have “committed suicide” when they came into contact with the lemongrass and the essential component of citral. Interestingly and more remarkably, healthy cells, also isolated in a petri dish, did not behave in the same way when also exposed to the lemongrass. Instead, they stayed healthy.
It should be noted that apoptosis is the naturally programmed response of cells when they discover that their control system is malfunctioning, i.e. when defective genetic material appears after normal cell division. Cancer cells, on the other hand, ‘ignore’ the rules of apoptosis because they divide continuously and uncontrollably.
The study found that this normal apoptosis process may have been reactivated in the cancer cells by the citral in the lemongrass. The amount of citral used in this study was equivalent to that in a cup of lemongrass tea with 1 gram of the herb in hot water. As a result, the researchers have suggested that lemongrass tea and other herbs containing the compound citral could be used as a preventative against certain cancers.
Meanwhile, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not commented on these Israeli research findings and generally maintains its position that only products that have undergone their sanctioned testing and research are the approved methodologies for cancer treatment. As such, the FDA generally adheres to conventional and widely accepted cancer treatment protocols.
For their part, the researchers admit that their results on lemongrass need further investigation, but believe that patients seeking every possible way to fight their cancer should utilize the potentially beneficial properties of natural foods. But consultation with their respective doctors is very important so that treatments are coordinated to ensure optimal effectiveness.
Lemongrass tea is being studied as a viable partner in cancer treatment
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