October 29, 2008

Herbal Spotlight: Lemon Grass

I have been utterly addicted to Lemongrass.

I've been using it cooking, I've been adding it to my massage oils, and I've been blending like MAD with it....face it, I want to be on a exotic tropical island locale, and lemon grass takes me there.

With its lemony scent and hint of rose aroma, lemon grass is an essential ingredient in Thai and Indonesian cooking. Lemon grass grows wild in Indonesia, Indochina, and tropical Australia, and it is cultivated in southeast Asia and Sri Lanka as a culinary herb and in India as a medicinal herb.

Medicinally (as a tea or the essential oil), it is used a digestive tonic, as it promotes the digestion of fats and stimulates the liver. With its warming aspects, it is an all around immune stimulant and is unique in its stress reduction capabilities - which I can believe, because if I was in Thailand, I'd be eating well and would be very happy...

Drink it, eat it, breathe it....
I'm sure you could even bathe in it, and I may just have to...

If you have not taken a trip to Thailand in a teacup,
I would invite you to do so.

I will share with you some of my favorite blends as of late...

Mad Pots of Tea! BLENDS INSPIRED BY LEMONGRASS

Kick Back & Relax:
Lemongrass, Oatstraw & Lavender

Autumn Spiced Hug:

Lemongrass, Fennel Seed & Ginger Root

Thai Chai:
Darjeeling Tea, Lemongrass, Orange & Lemon Rind, Ginger Root, Kava Kava, Black Peppercorn, Cardamom, Cloves and Tumeric-encrusted Coconut Flakes


2 comments:

Celeritas said...

What do fennel seeds taste like in tea, to eat they always seemed a little sweaty tasting to me. I love them with feta and potato sald but I'm not sure about them in tea. Also what does oatstraw taste like? Is it what it sounds like?

Madam Potts said...

Oatstraw is a wonderfully relaxing, yet energizing herb that tastes rather grassy - but not at all will the spice or lemon of lemon grass. Fennel is delicious in tea, though I am not a fan of eating them straight. I know I have your addy somewhere, I will have to send you some samples!