Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a perennial grass called takrai (ตะไคร้) in Thai and is one of the herbs Thai cooking and traditional medicine cannot do without. Citral makes up roughly 80% of its essential oil, and the scent is described as a calming one.

Thai traditional medicine is said to have called it a herb that clears the mind and body, and it is recorded as having been used as a mosquito repellent and at times of fever or pain. It appears in cooking, in tea and in bathing alike.

In the herbal sauna op samun phrai, steaming lemongrass fills the room with a fresh citrus scent. At home it goes into soups such as tom yum goong, is brewed as a herbal tea, and is added to a herbal bath.

This is an English summary. The full article was written in Japanese. Original article in Japanese →