As you begin to share the news of your pregnancy, you will get tons of advice from your close ones on foods to eat and avoid during pregnancy. One of the diet suggestions could be consuming lemongrass during pregnancy. Since pregnancy is a delicate period, you should be quite cautious about what you eat. Therefore, you may want to know if it is safe to include lemongrass in your pregnancy diet before doing so. Read on as we explain some important aspects of lemongrass and the safety considerations of adding it to your diet during pregnancy.
What Is Lemongrass?
Lemongrass is a perennial plant also called the fever grass. It has long and thin leaves and is found throughout Asia. The grass has a lemony smell but has a sweeter and milder taste than a lemon. It is commonly used as a herbal ingredient in different Asian cuisine, and as a flavoring agent as well. Lemongrass is a good source of folic acid, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, calcium, manganese, Vitamin A, phosphorous, and Vitamin C. Lemongrass is a sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, carminative, antipyretic, antiseptic, diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-cancer agent. Herbalists often use the leaves and stems of lemongrass to prepare different herbal medicines (1).
Is It Safe To Have Lemongrass During Pregnancy?
When you’re pregnant, it goes without saying that you should be extremely cautious about what you eat. Though lemongrass has many health benefits, medical consultants may recommend you avoid having Lemongrass during pregnancy. High doses of lemongrass can trigger menstrual flow, which may, in turn, lead to miscarriage. You should also avoid consuming lemongrass when you nurse your child, as it can trigger reactions for your little one.
Health Benefits Of Lemongrass
Some common benefits of lemongrass include:
1. Promotes digestion
Lemongrass improves your digestive functioning during pregnancy, and the antiseptic compounds of the herb kill harmful bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract.
The destruction of harmful parasites and bacteria helps you overcome digestive problems like constipation, indigestion, stomach spasms, cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. Lemongrass tea possesses antimicrobial properties that help treat gastroenteritis.
For optimum digestive health, you can drink a glass of lemongrass tea in healthy condition. However, during pregnancy, you should avoid consuming the herbal tea.
2. Controls cholesterol levels
The anti-atherosclerosis and anti-cholesterol properties of lemongrass help absorb excess cholesterol from your intestine.
Additionally, it helps in oxidation of the LDL-cholesterol present in your blood that helps you overcome atherosclerotic plaque buildup.
As lemongrass is a rich source of potassium, it lowers and regulates your blood pressure level.
When you suffer from hypertension during pregnancy, you can try drinking a cup of hot and brewing lemongrass tea, which quickly brings down your blood pressure level to normal. But you should only consume the tea once you consult your gynecologist.
3. Cleanses and detoxifies
Consuming lemongrass tea helps cleanse and detoxify your body. Its diuretic property flushes unwanted uric acid, toxins, and bad cholesterol from your body.
The cleansing property of lemongrass purifies your pancreas, bladder, liver, and kidneys and regulate a healthy flow of blood to the vital organs.
4. Heals cold and flu
The antifungal and antibacterial property of lemongrass cures a common cold, cough and the symptoms of flu. The high Vitamin C content boosts your immune system so that your body can resist against infections.
You can also apply lemongrass oil to your joints, to get quick relief from severe pain.
Lemongrass also loosens mucus and phlegm buildup in your respiratory tract. People suffering from bronchitis or asthma should take lemongrass tea to overcome breathing problems.
5. Fights cancer
The compound citral in lemongrass can fight free radicals and restrict the initial growth of the cancerous cells.
6. Reduces stress
Lemongrass essential oil possesses effective calming and soothing smell. It helps alleviate depression, anxiety and mood swings. The sedative property of lemongrass oil promotes good sleep.
7. Antibacterial property
The presence of limonene and citral in lemongrass inhibits the unwanted growth of bacteria and yeast in the body, both externally and internally.
The antibacterial agent fights harmful microbes and treats skin infections like athlete’s foot and ringworm (2).
Note: A doctor will, more often than not, advise you to avoid lemongrass tea during pregnancy.
Side-Effects Of Lemongrass During Pregnancy
Here are some of the adverse effects of lemongrass. And, why you should avoid drinking lemongrass tea while you’re pregnant:
1. Allergies
Lemongrass can trigger allergies. Common reactions may exhibit symptoms like itchy skin rashes, chest pain, breathing difficulties, and throat swelling.
2. Stimulates menstrual flow
Women with painful or irregular menstrual cycles can drink lemongrass tea as the herb initiates menstrual flow. However, when you’re pregnant, the active compounds in lemongrass tea can lead to sudden ruptures to the fetal membrane, and trigger miscarriage.
3. Dizziness
Over consumption may cause dizziness or drowsiness which is particularly unsafe during pregnancy (3) (4).
How You Can Use Lemongrass Oil During Pregnancy?
Cosmetic brands often infuse the lemongrass oil in different products like soaps, shampoos, lotions, deodorants, and tonic, because of its potent aroma. It also works as an air freshener. You can just mix it with essential oils like bergamot, or geranium, and put it in a diffuser, or vaporizer. Lemongrass oil, popularly known for its antimicrobial properties acts as an insect repellant and kills ants and mosquitoes die to its geraniol and citral content. The soothing and refreshing aroma of the therapeutic oil also helps in getting relief from a headache, anxiety, irritability, drowsiness, stress and insomnia. The aromatic oil helps in relaxing your muscles and get relief from muscle strain, stomach ache, migraines, headaches, toothache, menstrual cramp, and rheumatism. Here are some ways to use the lemongrass essential oil during pregnancy:
You can prepare a refreshing foot bath by adding few drops of lemongrass oil to a tub of lukewarm water. Soak your feet in the water for 10-15 minutes. For severe feet pain, you can also add one tablespoon of Epsom salt to the water.
Try making an aromatic massage oil by diluting lemongrass oil with almond or jojoba oil. Apply the mixture to the affected regions of pain like joints, or head.
You can dilute lemongrass with other essential oil and spray it around your home, as it serves as a great insect repellant and effectively kills mosquitoes and insects.
You can also try adding few drops of lemongrass oil to your bath water.
Is It Safe To Use Lemongrass Oil During Pregnancy?
Though small quantities of lemongrass can cause no harm during pregnancy, you should avoid applying the concentrated oil to your skin. Undiluted lemongrass oil can burn or irritate your skin, due to the high levels of citral. It is recommended that you dilute the aromatic oil with a carrier oil. Some of the best carrier oils that you can use for diluting lemongrass oil are:
Basil Fennel Rose Lavender Sandalwood Cedarwood Fennel Geranium
Side-Effects Of Lemongrass Oil During Pregnancy
If you are allergic to lemongrass, you may experience any of the following discomforts after applying the oil to your skin:
Skin irritation A burning sensation Rashes or hives Unwanted swellings
How To Prepare Homemade Lemongrass Tea?
You can prepare the herbal drink by infusing dried lemongrass in the cup of hot and brewing plain water. Here is a complete guide to preparing homemade lemongrass tea. You Will Need:
Water – 1 cup Clumps of lemongrass Sugar or honey to flavor Milk (Optional) Strainer
How To: You can also try chilled lemongrass tea, by adding few ice cubes to your tea. The recipe remains the same, and the only thing you need to do is to let your tea cool down and avoid adding milk to your chilled lemongrass tea. Note: You should only enjoy drinking lemongrass tea after your child has moved on from feeding on your breastmilk.
A Word Of Caution
You can use small amounts of diluted lemongrass oil to get relief from pain and headaches. However, you should take a skin patch test.
The high citral concentration of lemongrass oil can burn or harm your skin.
Diabetic or hypoglycemic people should avoid drinking lemongrass tea or supplements as it reduces the blood glucose levels abruptly.
A patient with liver or kidney disorders must consult her doctor before using the herb.
