Lemon Grass is  an aromatic herb that has robust, lemon scented linear leaves growing up to three feet tall. Lemon grass is a perennial tropical grass that looks like the common field grass. Once planted, the grass will come back every year. Lemon grass can be used externally to treat ringworm, lice, athletes foot, arthritis and scabies. It is used to normalize and balance overactive oil glands, dandruff and similar skin problems.

Lemon grass grows turf with leaves reaching about 100 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width. To extract the lemongrass essential oil, all you need to do is to subject the lemongrass leaves to steam distillation (the process has been done by a research organization in Nigeria). The extract from lemon grass is pungent and tastes like ginger. Little quantity of lemongrass extract is all you need to improve, mask and fortify food flavors. Lemongrass extract is also used to add flavor to wines and sauces. Fresh leaves are cut and applied on fish, prawns and other sea foods to improve the taste.

Lemon grass can be used either fresh, dried or powdered. The fresh stalks can be found in your neigbourhood or CUAD office. Be sure to buy ones that have plump bases and long, blade-like green leaves: These will be the freshest ones. When using it fresh, strip off the tough outer leaves and cut off the bottom root portion.

Slice the bulbous end into rings about 1/4" in size on a diagonal. Cut into longer strips if you are not going to strain your dish so you can remove these course pieces before serving. Bruise the pieces before adding to release the flavors. Lemon grass freezes well, which is a good thing since it is usually sold in large bundles, far more than one can use at once. It can be stored whole in the refrigerator in plastic for up to two weeks, but usually one will just go ahead and prepare it at the moment and place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. It holds well for up to five months. If using dried lemon grass, soak in hot water to reconstitute.

Lemon grass has been used for centuries in Indonesia and Malaysia by herbalists. It is used in teas to combat depression and bad moods, fight fever and as well as nervous and digestive disorders. Studies show that lemon grass has antibacterial and antifungal properties.

The oil is used to cleanse oily skin, and in aromatherapy, it is used as a relaxant. Valued for its exotic citrus fragrance, it is commercially used in soaps, perfumes and as an ingredient in sachets.

PLANTING :
Place the root end in water with a bit of plant food and wait until the roots develop. Plant in an area that gets full sun but is protected from the wind. Being a native of the tropics, lemon grass prefers a sandy soil and plenty of moisture. It is a member of the grass family (Gramineae) and is considered a tender perennial. Outside of the tropics, it is treated as an annual, since it is sensitive to frost. It grows well in pots (they prefer a lot of room).

Like most grasses, lemon grass is a quick grower, getting up to 6' tall under ideal conditions: Outside the tropics, it will grow to about 3'. It will even grow indoors with sufficient light and heat.

I find that lemon grass, with its delicate, long green leaves and ivory bases, adds an attractive contrast to the other plants in my herb garden. As the lemon grass grows, it sends out new stalks from the central base. Once these are about 2 1/2" long and 3/4" wide at the base, they are ready to use.

Grow your own lemongrass in your garden
For those who may be interested in growing their own lemongrass in your garden, a plot the size of 7 metres by 7 metres should be able to produce 400 kg of lemongrass which you can distill to produce 1 litre of lemongrass oil.

You can mince lemongrass bulbs and use it in a variety of your home-made recipes and in your tea. To harvest from your plant, just cut off the stalks you need leaving the rest to continue to grow  a bit of the tropics in your own back yard.
Stay blessed and happy farming!