Lemongrass

Lemongrass, also called West Indian lemongrass, is a tropical grass of the family Poaceae, native to South Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia and now naturalised across the tropics and subtropics. It grows in large, dense clumps of long, narrow, bluish-green leaves, cannot survive frost, and is often sold in markets as stems. Its leaves season roast meats in the Philippines, it is essential to the Thai soups tom yam and tom kha kai, and its dried leaves make a mild, lemony tea. Its essential oil, mostly citral, goes into aromatherapy blends, and beekeepers bait swarm traps with it. Kynes records that the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians used lemongrass in food and medicine, and that it was widely used in perfumery in the Middle East and India, but finds no older magical use outside hoodoo, where it goes into Van Van oil to clear negative energy and spirits from a home, counter magic and bring luck. Cunningham plants it around the house and garden to keep snakes away, adds it to lust potions, and drinks it as an infusion to develop psychic powers. Kynes dresses a candle with its oil before divination, and diffuses the oil to open the way to intuition.