Lemon grass, or sorghum, is a fairly popular plant among cooks, which is used in the process of preparing many dishes and drinks. In addition, this product has some medicinal properties, so it is widely used in pharmacology and traditional medicine.
Lemon Grass Composition and Calories
In fact, no one knows exactly where this plant began to be grown - in India or Malaysia. Nevertheless, over the past hundreds of years this product has been an indispensable component in oriental cuisine.
Of course, lemongrass can be attributed to dietary products, since its calorie content is only 99 kcal per 100 g. In addition, the plant has a very useful composition - it is rich in B vitamins, it also contains beta-carotene and ascorbic acid. It is worth paying attention to the content of minerals - there is potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc, selenium and iron. And thanks to antioxidants, this herb is considered one of the most popular "youth products." That is why it is widely used in cooking and medicine.
Cooking Lemon Grass
Light citrus aroma with a slight hint of almond and the taste of lemon zest - this is lemon grass. You can buy it both fresh and dried.
In modern cooking, this product is very popular due to its property of changing and emphasizing the taste of the finished dish. For example, in India, lemon sorghum is added to rice and other side dishes, as well as to soups, meat dishes (veal, chicken, pork) and seafood. Quite often, this herb is added to different drinks - it gives them freshness and a delicate citrus aroma.
By the way, the leaves of the plant are very hard, so they are finely cut or mixed into a thick paste.
Lemon grass in medicine: useful properties
In fact, this product began to be used as a medicine several centuries ago. But the popularity of such treatment has not diminished to this day. As already mentioned, lemon grass saturates the body with vitamins, minerals, unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants.
But in the eastern countries I use it to treat infectious diseases. Lemongrass normalizes the immune system, helps to defeat the infection. In addition, this herb has stimulating and tonic properties. Some fans of alternative medicine prepare an antiseptic from it.
This product is used in the UK. Here it is recommended to add it to dishes in order to normalize the digestive tract, relieve pain in the stomach and cope with flatulence. In addition, experts recommend regular use of sorghum (in moderate amounts, of course) in order to get rid of the symptoms of overwork, improve memory, and also increase alertness and overcome insomnia.
By the way, lemon grass is also used to relieve headaches. To prepare the medicine, take a few drops of lemongrass essential oil, which is diluted in any base oil (sunflower, olive), the mixture is massaged with whiskey.
Grass juice is used to protect against mosquitoes. It is enough for them to rub open areas of skin - and you are protected from insects. In some cultures, lemon grass is considered a magical plant - it is planted around the house in order to scare away snakes and evil spirits.