"At first, Benny Zabidov, an Israeli agriculturalist
who grows greenhouses full of lush spices on a pastoral farm in Kfar
Yedidya
in the Sharon region, couldn’t understand why so many cancer patients from
around the country were showing up on his doorstep asking for fresh lemon
grass.
"It turned out that their doctors had sent them.
“'They had been told to drink eight glasses of hot water with fresh
lemongrass steeped in it on the days that they went for their radiation and
chemotherapy treatments,” Zabidov told ISRAEL21c. "And this is the place
you
go to in Israel for fresh lemon grass.’
"It all began when researchers at Ben Gurion University of the Negev
discovered last year that the lemon aroma in herbs like lemon grass kills
cancer cells in vitro, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
"The research team was led by Dr. Rivka Ofir and Prof. Yakov
Weinstein, incumbent of the Albert Katz Chair in Cell-Differentiatio n and
Malignant Diseases, from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at
BGU.
"Citral is the key component that gives the lemony aroma and taste in
several herbal plants such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), melissa
(Melissa officinalis) and verbena (Verbena officinalis. )
"According to Ofir, the study found that citral causes cancer cells to
'commit suicide: using apoptosis, a mechanism called programmed cell death.
"A drink with as little as one gram of lemon grass contains enough citral
to
prompt the cancer cells to commit suicide in the test tube.
"The BGU investigators checked the influence of the citral on
cancerous cells by adding them to both cancerous cells and normal cells
that
were grown in a petri dish. The quantity added in the concentrate was
equivalent to the amount contained in a cup of regular tea using one gram
of lemon herbs in hot water. While the citral killed the cancerous cells,
the normal cells remained unharmed.
"The findings were published in the scientific journal Planta Medica, which
highlights research on alternative and herbal remedies. Shortly afterwards,
the discovery was featured in the popular Israeli press.
"Why does it work? Nobody knows for certain, but the BGU scientists have a
theory.
“'In each cell in our body, there is a genetic program which causes
programmed cell death. When something goes wrong, the cells divide with no
control and become cancer cells. In normal cells, when the cell discovers
that the
control system is not operating correctly - for example, when it recognizes
that a cell contains faulty genetic material following cell division - it
triggers cell death,” explains Weinstein. "This research may explain
the medical benefit of these herbs.’
"The success of their research led them to the conclusion that herbs
containing citral may be consumed as a preventative measure against certain
cancerous cells.
"As they learned of the BGU findings in the press, many physicians in
Israel
began to believe that while the research certainly needed to be explored
further, in the meantime it would be advisable for their patients, who were
looking for any possible tool to fight their condition, to try to harness
the cancer-destroying properties of citral.
"That’s why Zabidov’s farm - the only major grower of fresh lemon grass in
Israel - has become a pilgrimage destination for these patients. Luckily,
they found themselves in sympathetic hands. Zabidov greets visitors with a
large kettle of aromatic lemon grass tea, a plate of cookies, and a
supportive attitude.
“'My father died of cancer, and my wife’s sister died young because of
cancer,” said Zabidov. “So I understand what they are dealing with. And I
may not know anything about medicine, but I’m a good listener. And so they
tell me about their expensive painful treatments and what they’ve been
through. I would never tell them to stop being treated,
but it’s great that they are exploring alternatives and drinking the lemon
grass tea as well.”
"Zabidov knew from a young age that agriculture was his calling. At age 14,
he enrolled in the Kfar Hayarok Agricultural high school. After his army
service, he joined an idealistic group which headed south, in the Arava
desert region, to found a new moshav (agricultural settlement) called
Tsofar.
“'We were very successful; we raised fruits and vegetables, and,” he notes
with a smile, “We raised some very nice children.”
"On a trip to Europe in the mid-80s, he began to become interested in
herbs.
Israel , at the time, was nothing like the trend-conscious
cuisine-oriented country it is today, and the only spices being grown
commercially were basics like parsley, dill, and coriander.
"Wandering in the Paris market, looking at the variety of herbs and spices,
Zabidov realized that there was a great export potential in this niche. He
brought samples back home with him, “which was technically illegal,” he
says
with a guilty smile, to see how they would grow in his desert greenhouses.
Soon, he was growing basil, oregano, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram and
melissa, and mint just to name a few.
"His business began to outgrow his desert facilities, and so he decided to
move north, settling in the moshav of Kfar Yedidya, an hour and a half
north
of Tel Aviv. He is now selling “several hundred kilos” of lemon grass per
week, and has signed with a distributor to package and put it in health
food
stores.
"Zabidov has taken it upon himself to learn more about the properties of
citral, and help his customers learn more, and has invited medical experts
to his farm to give lectures about how the citral works and why.
"He also felt a responsibility to know what to tell his customers about its
see. ‘When I realized what was happening, I picked up the phone and called
Dr. Weinstein at Ben-Gurion University , because these people were asking
me
exactly the best way to consume the citral. He said to put the loose grass
in hot water, and drink
about eight glasses each day.’
"Zabidov is pleased by the findings, not simply because it means business
for his farm, but because it might influence his own health. “Even before
the news of its benefits were demonstrated, he and his family had been
drinking lemon grass in hot water for years, ‘just because it tastes
good.’”
- article by Allison Kaplan Sommer
Besides, loading with great source of vitamins, minerals, lemongrass can bring about many beneficial health effects.By supporting cholesterol levels in the body, lemongrass can help with proper function of many body processes. Packing with phenols, lemongrass can also neutralize the growth of staphylococcus aureus which can cause some infectious problems. Finally, it is a naturally herbal medicine for aches.