Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed that the native lemon grass used by Indigenous Australians has the potential effect of curing headaches and migraines.

When it comes to relieving headaches, lemon grass plant Cymbopogon ambiguous is now scientifically proven to be at par with aspirin. The research carried out by Lyn Griffiths, Dr. Darren Grice and Dr Kelly Rogers validated the lemon grass plant's therapeutic ability in this respect.

According to Dr. Grice of the Institute of Glycomics, during headaches or migraines, there is a trigger of abnormal activities in our bodies that include altered serotonin levels as well as compromised function of the blood platelets.

In normal mechanism of wound repair, the platelets usually clump together. But they can also create internal clots that can starve the brain from oxygen which can lead to strokes.

The extract of lemon grass was used on human blood platelets and the study showed that one fraction demonstrated powerful biological activity. This was due to the activity of eugenol, a potent compound present in native lemon grass plant. The compound shows similar activity to aspirin, as it acts by inhibiting platelet-clumping and serotonin release.

Serotonin plays a role in regulating mood, sleep, appetite, muscle contraction and certain cognitive functions involving learning, memory and its level is altered during migraines.

Dr. Grice stated that there are many plants out there that carry unknown therapeutic capabilities and that traditional medicine had not been explored in greater depth. He said, Nature's medicines hold enormous potential to cure health problems and traditional medicines are a source of good leads for new scientific discovery.

Medicine