Lemongrass is a herb with lemony scent. The culinary herb is produced from the stalk of the lemongrass plant. The plant is indigenous to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and India.

Purchasing your first bottle of lemongrass essential oil will have you hooked on this powerful solution in just a few days. Most people use it to support their health, brighten their outlook, and detoxify their home.

One of the main components of lemongrass essential oil is citral, a compound found to act as an antimicrobial (a substance that destroys or suppresses the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria and fungi). Lemongrass essential oil also contains limonene, a compound shown to reduce inflammation and knock out bacteria in scientific research (1). Geranial – the monoterpene aldehyde – which is the primary constituent is known in perfumery for its intense lemon odour.

Find out how you can apply lemongrass essential oil in your daily life with these top tips for application.

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For numerous reasons and the reasons mentioned above, the essential oils, here at Thangching Herbals Enterprises are stored in dark, amber coloured bottles. This is done so as to extend the shelf life and protect the oils from the penetration of harsh UV rays from the sun. The dark coloured bottles may protect the oils from the UV rays to a certain extent, but it is best to refrain from direct exposure of the oils in the sun. This is because the constant cooling and heating of the oils will lead to the oxidation of the oil.

Other factors influencing an oil’s shelf life –

HEAT

Being frequently exposed to heat will hasten an oil’s deterioration. It is also important to note that essential oils should never be kept near open flames or any sources of heat or fire due to their flammable nature.

MOISTURE

Another cause leading to the ineffectiveness of the oils is moisture. Keeping the lids of the oil bottles unsealed or storing the oil in damp places will allow for moisture to seep into the oils leading to the oils looking cloudy, unclear and for water beads to form within the bottles.

OXYGEN

To prevent or slow the process of oxidation, it is important that bottles remain capped when Essential Oils are not in use.

The proper storage of the oils will ensure, as mentioned earlier, a longer period of effectiveness of the oils. Properly cared for oils will last a longer time, and depending on the type of oils, some may last even for ten years or longer, all depending on the proper storage and the care given.

Chingneihoih

MA English, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong

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As per the estimates of the WHO, nearly 80% of the world’s population depends on herbal medicine for their primary health care requirements. Global trade in medicinal plants is over USD 60bn in 2004 with an annual growth rate of 15%. India is rapidly emerging as a key player for supplying medicinal plants to the world. America, Arabia, China (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Egypt, Europe, Greece, India, Mexico, Rome etc. recorded the use of plants for medicinal use. Japan, Korea (Kampo system), Indonesia (]amu system), South Africa (julu system), Bhutan (gso-ba-rig-pa), Sri Lanka (DeshiyaChikitsa), Malaysia (Matay herbal medicine) etc. have traditional medicinal systems akin to Indian Ayurvedic system. Sustainable and eco-friendly technologies were developed for preparing products of commerce from plants by civilizations that existed for centuries in different countries around the globe.

In recent years, industrial and technological revolutions brought with them tools of technology to unravel the mysteries of plants and place on the platter of global customer plant derived products of immense commercial value. Modern technology placed medicinal and aromatic plants in frontier areas of research in plant sciences. Bio prospecting for pharmacologically active biomolecules or flavour / fragrance, natural chemicals from medicinal and aromatic plants has become a multi-billion dollar R&D cum commercial global enterprise for which a war-like competitive atmosphere exists. Both developing and developed countries are racing against time to gain superiority over others in this field. The global market for plant-based drugs is estimated to reach US $ 5 trillion by 2050 (25% of prescription drugs in USA, 28.7% in OECD countries, 5-20% in Japan, 35-40% in Germany are reportedly plant based). The international cosmetics market is worth US $ 150 billion annually. In addition, market for herbal teas, nutraceuticals, functional foods; cosmaceuticals made from medicinal and aromatic plants is growing by leaps and bounds.

At the same time GATT agreement, globalization has brought with it tremendous challenges and opportunities. The northeastern region of India need to inventorize, conserve, cultivate, patent and utilize this resource expeditiously in addition to scientifically validating traditional claims through reverse pharmacology to become a global market player. The time is ripe for moving from farming to pharming and engineer medicinal plants using biotechnological tools to design affordable plant-based drugs for major diseases and use perfume and flavor-blends with more natural chemicals from aromatic plants. These green technologies will not only be environment-friendly but also will be society-friendly and will bring livelihood opportunities to the poorer sections of the society, besides addressing their health care needs in the absence of State funded modern health facilities.

Dr. Nemthianngai Guite

Associate Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University

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