If you look at the tremendous popularity of lemon grass in Europe and North America, it is hard to believe that the true origins of lemon grass are in South East Asia. This lemon scented grass is grown on a commercial scale in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and China. A typical piece of lemon grass would be around 8 inches (20cm) long with a slight bulge towards the end. Lemon grass might look a little like a fat spring onion, but the aroma is distinctly different (from spring onions). The color of lemon grass is a pale green with, slight brownish (or brownish pink) portions. To get the true aroma of lemon grass, you will need to cut the stem. This releases the distinct citrus aroma that is bound to stimulate your taste buds. It is this lemon aroma and flavour that gives lemon grass it's name. Regarding the taste and flavour of lemon grass, it could be described as an intense lemon flavour. You will also get a slight ginger flavour when tasting lemon grass.

Citronella is known for its calming effect that relieves insomnia or stress. It is also considered as a mild insect repellant. But more than scent, tanglad or lemon grass provides a lot of health benefits. Studies have shown that the lemon grass has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Mixed with pepper, it's a home therapy for menstrual troubles and nausea. Drank as tea, it is an effective diuretic. When it comes to pets, citronella is used to neutralize excessive barking of dogs. Since dogs hate citronella, it is sprayed to dogs to prevent them from barking or just to lessen the behavior.

The Lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. It cuts down uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats and other toxins in the body while stimulating digestion, blood circulation, and lactation; it also alleviates indigestion and gastroenteritis. It is said that lemongrass also helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples and acts as a muscle and tissue toner. Also, it can reduce blood pressure. Just make a concoction by boiling some lemon grass leaves, let it cool for a while and drink the liquid.

The leaves and base of this tender perennial are used as a food flavoring, particularly in fish and poultry dishes, and its essential oils are used medicinally. Its distinctive flavor balances hot chillies and contributes to the elaborate, multi-layered flavors of many dishes in South East Asian cuisine.

As the long, thin, grey-green leaves are tough and fibrous, the outside leaves and the tips are usually chopped very finely or discarded from the dish before it is served. The base is often ground. Citral, an essential oil also found in lemon peel, is the constituent responsible for its taste and aroma.

Lemon grass, also known as Sweet Rush and sometimes called Fever Grass in the Caribbean, can be used as a remedy for ague, fevers, and colds.

Filipino ingenuity has produced a commercial beverage made from lemon grass. A concentrate composed of lemon grass juice and muscovado sugar bottled in attractive design.

A recent study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the department of Science and technology ( DOST ) claims that every 100g of edible tanglad when boiled can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the anti-oxidant that scientists believe can help prevent cancer. Another DOST study shows that lemon grass oil has the potential as a tropical eye medication against keratomycosis, an inflammation of cornea often associated with burning or blurring of vision.

Numerous South-east Asian dishes use lemon grass. In Thailand, 'takraai' which is the local name for lemon grass, is used in salads, soups, stir fried dishes etc. Lemon grass is often pickled and eaten along with rice dishes. The abundance of lemon grass in Thailand, has made it an important ingredient in Thai food. A very interesting feature of Thai cooking is to flavour hot cooking oil with slices of lemon grass, ginger or galangal. This also creates a terrific aroma in the kitchen, try this and you will agree. The 'oil flavouring' is done as the oil is being heated and before, the main ingredients are put into the heated oil pan.

There is more than one way in which lemon grass can be used in the cooking process. Before you use either of the processes, remember to trim off the base of the lemon grass. Notice the lemon grass image shown above, cut off around 1cm from the base. The remaining length of the lemon grass is what needs to be used in cooking. The stalk of the lemon grass is the upper portion above the bulbous base. This portion is slightly crushed with a wooden pestle and boiled in soups and stews. The slow cooking releases the aroma of the lemon grass. You can take off the lemon grass and discarded it once the cooking process is finished. If you have a Thai food recipe for a salad or stir fried dish, you could use the bulbous portion. This is the lower portion of the lemon grass, remember you have already trimmed the base away. If you have not done so, chop off around 1cm from the base of the lemon grass, we will not be using the small cut off piece. You can use around 5cm which is about 2 inches, either slice it (round slices) or chop it finely into small pieces. These sliced or chopped lemon grass pieces can now be used to make your salad or stir fried dishes. Many Thai food recipes use this method to cook lemon grass.