Lemongrass Tea: What the Research Says and What It Doesn't

Updated: May 2026

Lemongrass tea has attracted a fair amount of research interest over the years, particularly around citral — the compound that gives lemongrass its distinctive lemony aroma. Some of that research has been reported in ways that significantly overstate its conclusions, and a lot of the claims that circulate online about lemongrass bear little resemblance to what the studies actually found. This post looks at what the research genuinely shows, where the limitations are, and what a more grounded case for drinking lemongrass tea actually looks like.

The citral research — what it actually found

The most widely cited piece of lemongrass research was conducted in 2005 by a team at Ben Gurion University in Israel, led by Dr Rivka Ofir. The team investigated the effect of citral on cancer cells in laboratory conditions. Their findings — that citral appeared to trigger apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unaffected in the lab setting — generated considerable attention at the time.

That attention was understandable. The findings were genuinely interesting from a research perspective. However, the gap between laboratory results and clinical evidence is significant and worth being clear about. The study was conducted on cells in controlled conditions, not on humans or animals. No subsequent clinical trials have established that drinking lemongrass tea produces equivalent effects in the human body. The Ben Gurion research is a starting point for further investigation, not a conclusion.

This is not unusual in botanical research. Many plants contain compounds that show interesting properties under laboratory conditions that do not translate reliably to human consumption. Citral is an interesting compound worthy of further study — but the honest position is that no clinical evidence currently supports health claims about lemongrass tea in humans.

What lemongrass tea can honestly be said to offer

Setting aside the overclaimed research, there is a straightforward and genuine case for lemongrass tea that does not require any health claims at all.

It is a naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion with a distinctive, bright citrus flavour that many people find genuinely enjoyable. It has a long history of everyday use across South and Southeast Asia — in India, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia — as both a culinary ingredient and a daily drink. That tradition reflects how well it fits into ordinary daily life rather than any specific therapeutic purpose.

The flavour is one of its strongest points. Clean, lightly citrusy and naturally sweet in the finish, lemongrass tea is easy to drink without additions and versatile enough to work hot or cold. For more on its flavour character, culinary history and how it pairs with other ingredients, our post on lemongrass herbal tea origins and everyday use covers the detail.

A note on how herbal tea research gets reported

Lemongrass is not unusual in having early-stage research attached to it that gets reported more confidently than the evidence warrants. The same pattern occurs with many botanicals — chamomile, peppermint, turmeric, ginger. Laboratory findings get translated into definitive-sounding claims, and those claims circulate online long after the research community has moved on to more nuanced positions.

At The Natural Health Market, we think the honest approach is to acknowledge that research is ongoing, be clear about what has and has not been established, and let the genuine qualities of the product — flavour, sourcing, tradition — make the case without overclaiming. A good herbal tea does not need dramatic promises to earn a place in the daily routine.

Choosing a good lemongrass tea

The practical case for choosing organic lemongrass rests on sourcing and quality rather than claimed effects. With a single-ingredient tea, the raw material is everything — the aroma when you open the packet, the freshness of the dried grass, and the clarity of the flavour in the cup are all directly shaped by how the plant was grown, dried and stored.

Our lemongrass teas are Soil Association certified organic, available as tea bags and loose leaf, and use biodegradable filter mesh and plastic-free outer packaging. For something warmer and fuller, our organic ginger and lemongrass blend pairs the citrus brightness of lemongrass with the warmth of ginger for a more rounded cup.

For the combination of lemongrass with pandan — a pairing with deep roots in Southeast Asian cooking — our post on lemongrass and pandan tea covers what each ingredient brings to the cup and why the combination works.