Lemon grass, also known as fever grass in Jamaica, grows wild all over the island. I love to pluck leaves from the fresh plant and draw it in tea to start my morning. It has so many amazing health benefits.
It’s a super source of vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, B and C, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese, zinc, folate and iron. As its name suggests, fever grass is known to counteract the effects of fever (especially in children) but also for adults.
Enjoying fever grass tea is a great way to relax your mind, nuff people find sipping a cup of hot tea to be super soothing because it has anxiety-reducing properties. It is also known for its quality in reducing cholesterol levels.
Fever grass also contains some infection-preventing qualities. Including fungal infections. Boil in water and then steep in Jamiacan Ceresee to create a powerful anti-fungal infusion for skin. Allow to cool and apply directly to skin to relieve and draw out infection and toxins.
You can find lemongrass essential oils in many health food shops. Essential oil is used to uplift you mood (if diffused), and it is a powerful topical for skin (when used with a carrier oil). The leaves and the essential oil – which is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial – are used in traditional medicine to relieve spasms and increase perspiration. The essential oil is an effective treatment for conditions including athlete’s foot, ringworm, lice and scabies and used to wash wounds. I also use it in my Empress Roots Natural Bug Spray, and it does a really great job at keeping bugs away.
Some Jamaicans have been known to chew to improve dental health and keep the mouth feeling clean. Long known by elders in Jamaica, fever grass tea is used as a pain fighting remedy, inducing relieving arthritis pains.
The tea is also known to combat bloating (or to relieve “gas” as many Jamaican would tell you). The tea is also excellent for the treatment of digestive problems. It here it relaxes the muscles of the stomach and gut, relieving cramping pains and breaking wind. Drinking fever grass tea can have diuretic effects, meaning it stimulates the kidneys to release more urine than usual.
I ethically harvest fever grass from my community in Orange Hill, Jamaica, dry it, and bring it back to Wisconsin to process for tea. It’s packaged in teabags as well as in bulk. Please see my store or contact me for purchase.