Lemongrass (tanglad)
November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ ConnieNative to India and used as an herb in Asian cooking, its common names include lemon grass, lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, citronella grass, fever grass or Hierba Luisa. In the Philippines, it is known as tanglad. It is added to soups and stews, boiled to make tea and one of its species is the source of citronella oil used as insect repellent.
During the last few years, lemongrass received a lot of attention from the media when an agriculturist in Israel was swamped with cancer patients asking for lemongrass.
It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed…
Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa (Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis.)
According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to “commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.” A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral to prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube. [Fresh lemon grass fields in Israel become mecca for cancer patients]
The Israel21c article written in 2006 by Allison Kaplan Sommer eventually became a much forwarded e-mail. Read this, however, before concluding that lemongrass is indeed a miracle cure and jumping onto the bandwagon.
But whether or not lemongrass can indeed cure cancer, it is a fact that it is a great addition to many Asian dishes. Click on the first thumbnail below for a guide on how to prepare lemongrass for cooking.
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- Use the white and light green portions only
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- Peel off the tough outer layers
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- Slice finely, grind, mince or chop
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Wow, Connie!
Such a blessing you are! Never knew how to use lemongrass, and there you go with all that info. Since the Asian store is quite a distance from us here in Colonial Heights, Virginia, can I freeze the tanglad and still retain its flavor?
Could you please post something on pandan? Thanks!
Thanks, too, for sharing the connection between lemongrass and cancer cells. I do believe there is a link. There is much literature about starving cancer cells by maintaining a balanced pH; lemon in your water is only one of many suggestions.
Keep up your great work!
You can crush and mince lemongrass, store in a jar with a screw type cap and keep in the fridge.