Lemongrass Tea Being Studied As Viable Partner In Cancer Treatment

Lemongrass tea has a wide application in a variety of medical fields but its prospects as a potential partner in cancer treatment has increasingly captured the attention of observers. Lemongrass tea is an herbal tisane derived from the aromatic perennial herb native to southeast Asia. It is widely used as a decorative plant but is also utilized as a flavoring ingredient in many exotic cuisines.

While many people are not familiar with how lemongrass looks like, many are very familiar with how it tastes like. The herb has made itself popular to many Western palates through its central role in flavoring the Thai soup of tom yam gung. Indeed, its lemony, somewhat minty and tangy flavor has made it one of the most distinguishable components of many Thai and southeast Asian delicacies.

Recent studies on this cheerful-tasting herb have suggested that lemongrass may be something more than just an herb that injects a measure of culinary delight. Researchers in Israel discovered that a substance in lemongrass tea and essential oil called citral may trigger the death of cancer cells while at the same time cause no harm to healthy cells.

Cancer cells isolated in a Petri dish were found to have undergone apoptosis or programmed cell death when they came in contact with lemongrass. Scientists attempting to explain this phenomenon in layman's terms have said that the cancer cells were said to have "committed suicide" when they came in contact with the lemongrass and its critical constituent of citral. Interestingly and more remarkably, healthy cells likewise isolated in a Petri dish did not behave similarly when these were also exposed to the lemongrass. Instead, they remained healthy.

It should be noted that apoptosis is the natural programmed response by cells whenever they discover that their control system is not functioning properly, i.e. when flawed genetic material appears following normal cell division. Cancer cells, on the other hand, 'ignore' the rules of apoptosis as these divide continuously and uncontrollably.

The research seemingly 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 research was equivalent to that found in a cup of lemongrass tea using 1 gram of the herb placed in hot water. As a result, the researchers have suggested that lemongrass tea and other herbs containing the substance citral may be used as a preventative against certain forms of cancer.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has not given a reaction to these Israeli research findings and generally maintains its stance that only products that underwent their sanctioned tests and research are the approved methodologies for treating cancer. As such, the FDA generally stands by the conventional and generally-accepted protocols for the treatment of cancer.

For their part, the researchers concede that their results on lemongrass need to be explored further but are of the opinion that patients looking for all possible avenues to fight their cancer ought to utilize the possible beneficial properties of natural food products. But consultation with their respective physicians is very important so that treatments are coordinated to help ensure optimal effectiveness.