Does Lemongrass Tea Lower High Blood Pressure? | What Science Suggests

Yes, it may nudge blood pressure down for some people, but results vary and it shouldn’t replace prescribed care.

Lemongrass tea has a clean, citrusy taste and a long history as a daily drink in many regions. A lot of people reach for it when they want a calmer routine or a lighter alternative to sweet drinks. Then the real question pops up: can it help when blood pressure runs high?

The honest answer is that lemongrass tea sits in the “helpful add-on” bucket. Some research points to blood-pressure-lowering effects, yet the human evidence is still limited and not a stand-alone fix. If you already take blood pressure medicine, or you’ve been told your numbers are high, the safest approach is to treat lemongrass tea as a small tool inside a bigger plan.

This article walks through what the research suggests, what the effect might look like in real life, and how to drink it in a way that respects safety and common medication issues.

Does Lemongrass Tea Lower High Blood Pressure?

There are two separate questions hiding inside that one sentence:

• Can lemongrass affect blood pressure at all?
• If it can, is the effect large enough to matter for hypertension?

On the first question, the answer leans toward “yes.” A scientific review of lemongrass and blood pressure describes multiple pathways that can reduce pressure in the body, including blood-vessel relaxation and a mild diuretic effect, with supportive findings from animal studies and some human reports. Review on lemongrass and blood pressure summarizes these mechanisms and the state of the evidence.

On the second question, the answer is more cautious. For many people with diagnosed hypertension, the goal is not a tiny shift on one day. The goal is steady control over weeks and months, plus lowering long-term risk. That’s where proven steps like medication when prescribed, sodium reduction, weight management if needed, movement, and sleep habits usually do the heavy lifting. The American Heart Association frames blood pressure control around lifestyle changes and medication adherence rather than single “magic” foods or drinks. AHA guidance on managing high blood pressure lays out the big levers that move numbers in a reliable way.

Why Lemongrass Might Affect Blood Pressure

Lemongrass (often Cymbopogon citratus) contains aromatic compounds, with citral being one of the best-known. Researchers have proposed a few ways lemongrass could lower blood pressure:

Blood-Vessel Relaxation

Your arteries aren’t rigid pipes. They tighten and relax all day. If a compound helps vessels relax, resistance drops and pressure can fall. The research review literature describes vasorelaxant activity tied to lemongrass components in experimental settings, which is a plausible route for lower readings. Review on lemongrass and blood pressure

Mild Diuretic Effect

Some people notice they urinate a bit more after certain herbal teas. If fluid shifts downward, blood pressure can dip for a while. The same review discusses reports of weak-to-moderate diuretic action in animals and humans. Review on lemongrass and blood pressure

Heart-Rate And Nervous-System Effects

Some compounds can affect heart rate or the nervous system signals that influence blood vessels. The review literature mentions possible effects like negative chronotropic action (slower heart rate) in certain contexts. That does not mean it will happen for everyone, or that it is always desirable, yet it’s one more reason to treat the tea as an active substance, not plain water. Review on lemongrass and blood pressure

What The Research Usually Looks Like In Real Life

When people ask if a tea “lowers high blood pressure,” they often picture a clear, repeatable drop that shows up on every home monitor. That’s not how most food-and-herb effects behave.

With lemongrass tea, the reported changes tend to be modest and inconsistent. That can still be useful. A small drop, repeated daily, may help support a broader plan. Yet if your readings are far above target, tea alone is not a safe bet.

Two Common Patterns People Report

• Small early change: Some people see a mild dip in the first couple of weeks, mostly when the tea replaces sugary drinks or late-day caffeine.
• No clear change: Others see no difference once they control for sleep, stress, salt intake, and measurement technique.

If you want to test whether it helps you, treat it like a mini self-check: keep everything else steady, measure the same way each time, and watch trends, not one-off numbers.

Lemongrass Tea For High Blood Pressure: How To Test It Without Fooling Yourself

Blood pressure is noisy. One salty meal, a short night of sleep, a tough meeting, or a rushed reading can swing the numbers. If you want to know whether lemongrass tea is doing anything for you, build a simple routine and stick to it.

Use A Consistent Measurement Routine

• Measure at the same times each day, like morning and evening.
• Sit quietly for 5 minutes first.
• Keep your arm supported at heart level.
• Take two readings and write both down.

Change One Thing At A Time

If you add lemongrass tea and also start walking daily and also cut sodium, your blood pressure may improve, but you won’t know what drove the change. If your goal is clarity, keep the test simple: swap one daily drink for lemongrass tea and keep the rest steady for two weeks.

Track What Matters Alongside The Numbers

Write down a few quick notes each day: sleep quality, salty meals, alcohol intake, and whether you missed any medication doses. Those notes often explain “mystery spikes” better than any tea theory.

How To Brew Lemongrass Tea So It’s Drinkable And Steady

Strength matters. If one day is barely flavored and the next day is a strong concentrate, your results won’t be consistent.

Simple Hot Brew

1. Use dried lemongrass or fresh stalks that are washed and lightly bruised.
2. Steep in hot water for 5–10 minutes, then taste.
3. If it’s too sharp, dilute with more water rather than adding sugar.

Cold Brew Option

Cold brewing can taste smoother. Add lemongrass to cool water, refrigerate for several hours, then strain. Cold brew can make it easier to sip slowly through the day, which helps if you’re watching light-headedness.

What To Add, What To Skip

• Skip heavy sweeteners: If you add sugar or sweet syrups, you may cancel out the benefit you’re chasing.
• Watch mixed “detox” blends: Multi-herb blends can hide ingredients that push blood pressure up or clash with medications.

What Can Change Your Results The Most

Two people can drink the same tea and see totally different outcomes. That’s normal. These factors tend to shape results more than the brand of lemongrass.

Your Starting Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is already near target, there’s less room to drop. If you’re consistently high, you might see a clearer change, yet you also carry more risk from delaying real treatment.

Your Medication Plan

If you take a diuretic, ACE inhibitor, ARB, beta blocker, or calcium channel blocker, adding an herb with possible diuretic or vessel-relaxing effects can shift your readings. That might sound good, but it can also lead to dizziness or low blood pressure for some people. Mayo Clinic notes that herbal products can interact with heart and blood vessel medicines, including those used for high blood pressure. Mayo Clinic on herb and heart medicine interactions

Your Sodium And Alcohol Intake

If your diet runs salty, a tea’s effect can be hard to spot. If you cut sodium while adding tea, the diet change is likely to be the bigger driver.

Your Sleep And Stress Load

Bad sleep can raise blood pressure the next day. High stress can do the same in minutes. A calming tea routine may help indirectly by changing those inputs, even if the plant compounds themselves have a mild effect.

Factor That Shifts Readings	What It Does To Blood Pressure	How To Keep Your Test Fair
Tea Strength And Serving Size	Stronger brews may cause a larger short-term dip for some	Use the same steep time and the same cup size daily
Time Of Day	Morning and evening numbers can differ a lot	Measure at fixed times, not random moments
Salt Intake	High-sodium meals can push numbers up fast	Keep sodium steady during your two-week test
Alcohol	Can raise pressure over time and spike it short term	Keep intake consistent or skip during the test window
Medication Timing	Readings swing based on dose timing	Measure at the same interval after taking meds
Sleep Quality	Poor sleep often raises next-day readings	Note sleep each day so spikes have context
Measurement Technique	Bad cuff fit or rushed readings can inflate numbers	Sit quietly 5 minutes, arm supported, repeat twice
Added Ingredients	Some blended herbs can raise pressure or clash with meds	Use plain lemongrass during the test

Safety First: Who Should Be Careful With Lemongrass Tea

Lemongrass is widely used as a food flavor and tea, and many people tolerate it well. Still, “natural” does not mean “risk-free,” especially in a hypertension context where medication and kidney function can be in the mix.

If You Take Blood Pressure Medicine

Talk with your clinician or pharmacist before making lemongrass tea a daily habit. Herb-drug interaction risk is not just hype. NIH’s NCCIH points out that herb interactions exist and offers practical tips for safer use with medicines. NCCIH tips on herb interactions

If You’re Pregnant Or Trying To Become Pregnant

Pregnancy and blood pressure already call for closer medical guidance. Herb intake during pregnancy is a common gray area, and the safest move is to ask your prenatal care team before using lemongrass tea often.

If You Have Kidney Disease

Kidneys manage fluid balance and electrolyte levels, which tie directly to blood pressure. If your kidneys are not working well, even mild diuretic effects can cause trouble. This is another case where a quick check-in with your care team pays off.

If You’ve Had Allergic Skin Reactions To Fragrances Or Essential Oils

Lemongrass essential oil is more concentrated than tea. If you react to fragrance ingredients, keep your use food-based and avoid topical essential oil use unless your clinician has cleared it.

Side Effects People Notice Most Often

Most side effects from lemongrass tea, when they happen, are mild. The most common ones people report include stomach upset, heartburn, or feeling a bit light-headed if the tea is strong or paired with blood pressure medicine.

If you feel dizzy, weak, or get headaches after starting daily tea, stop and check your blood pressure. If your numbers are low, the tea may be adding to the effect of your medication or hydration changes.

For a deeper safety overview, Memorial Sloan Kettering’s herbal monograph explains common uses and safety notes for lemongrass in an integrative medicine context. MSKCC lemongrass monograph

How Much Lemongrass Tea Is Reasonable If You’re Testing Blood Pressure

Most people start with one cup per day. If that goes well for a week, some move to two cups. Going beyond that can raise the chance of side effects, and it makes it harder to spot what’s causing changes in your readings.

If you take medication, start low and keep your routine stable. A tea that drops your pressure too far can be just as uncomfortable as high pressure, especially when you stand up quickly.

When Lemongrass Tea Helps Most

The tea tends to make the biggest difference when it replaces something that pushes blood pressure up.

Swap It For Sugary Drinks

If lemongrass tea replaces soda, sweet coffee drinks, or bottled juices, your daily sugar load may drop. That change can support weight control and better long-term pressure trends.

Swap It For Late-Day Caffeine

For some people, caffeine later in the day hurts sleep. Better sleep can mean better readings. If lemongrass tea becomes your evening ritual, the indirect effect may matter more than the plant itself.

Use It As A “Pause Button” Routine

Stress spikes blood pressure. A slow tea break can interrupt that cycle. The win is the habit: sitting down, breathing, and letting your body settle.

What To Do If Your Blood Pressure Is High Right Now

If you’re seeing repeated high readings at home, don’t rely on tea alone. High blood pressure can be silent, and it’s easy to underestimate risk because you feel fine.

A strong baseline plan is still the safest route: follow medical advice, take prescribed medication as directed, and focus on proven lifestyle steps. The American Heart Association lists practical changes that help control blood pressure over time. AHA guidance on managing high blood pressure

If your readings are severely high, or you have chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, numbness, confusion, or vision changes, seek urgent medical care. Tea is not a response to a potential emergency.

A Simple Two-Week Plan That Keeps Lemongrass Tea In Its Lane

If you want to try lemongrass tea as a supportive habit, this structure keeps it practical and safe.

Days 1–3

• One cup per day, mid-morning or early afternoon.
• Measure blood pressure morning and evening.
• Write down sleep, salty meals, alcohol, and medication timing.

Days 4–14

• Stay at one cup if you’re on medication, unless your clinician says otherwise.
• If you’re not on medication and you feel fine, you can test two cups per day.
• Keep everything else as steady as you can so the trend means something.

At the end of two weeks, look at the average of your morning readings and the average of your evening readings. If both averages shift downward a bit and you feel well, you’ve learned something real about your response. If there’s no change, you’ve learned that too.

Situation	Safe Move	Stop And Get Help If
You’re on blood pressure medicine	Start with one cup daily and track readings	Dizziness, fainting, or repeated low readings
You’re not on medicine, mild elevation	Test one cup daily for two weeks, then review averages	Readings climb week to week
You have kidney disease	Ask your care team before daily use	Swelling, weakness, unusual fatigue, or sudden BP shifts
You’re pregnant or postpartum	Ask your prenatal or postpartum care team first	Headache, vision changes, upper belly pain, swelling
You’re using herbal blends	Switch to plain lemongrass for clarity and safety	Palpitations, jitters, sleep disruption
You want stronger results	Pair tea with proven habits like sodium cuts and daily walking	You stop or change meds to “see what tea does”

The Takeaway Most People Miss

Lemongrass tea can be a smart, pleasant habit. It may support lower blood pressure for some people, especially when it replaces sugary drinks or late-day caffeine and becomes a calming routine.

Still, hypertension care is about steady control and long-term risk. Tea can sit inside that plan, not run it. If you want to try it, keep the brew consistent, track your readings in a steady way, and treat medication safety as non-negotiable.