With the advent of the coronavirus, many people are looking for ways of preventing themselves from contracting this deadly and highly contagious disease. In addition to the World Health Organization protocols such as washing hands, using masks and social distancing, people are turning to herbs to not only help cure the virus, but also to prevent it.
Theoretically, the virus enters the body in minute quantities. Within 14 days, it multiples exponentially. That is when the immune system kicks in and your temperature goes through the roof as a result of your body fighting the virus. Unfortunately, by the time your body recognizes the foreign invaders, they have already taken over much of your body and caused significant damage.
For these reasons, many people have started to take coronavirus remedies even though they do not have symptoms of the virus – in an effort to destroy the virus when it enters the body in tidbit amounts. One of the ways believed to do this is to use foods and herbs with antiviral properties, such as lemon grass, also known as fever grass. Many people believe that drinking a cup of lemon grass tea every day can help keep the coronavirus at bay. And they may be right – although the WHO has not endorsed the lemon grass as a potential cure or prevention for the coronavirus.
Some people have lemon grass growing in their backyards, front yards or somewhere around their yards, or they know somewhere they can go and harvest it. But many people do not have this grass growing in and around their communities. This has created a market for the lemon grass – especially since the use of it has had many positive reviews the world over.
Consequently, many vendors in the markets across Guyana, especially those selling herbs, have started bundling the lemon grass and offering it for sale. In fact, a recent article by Stabroek News has reported that sales of the lemon grass has gone through the roof since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Incidentally, there is a grass commonly called “razor grass” which is very similar in appearance to the lemon grass. And unfortunately, many people do not know the difference between lemon grass and razor grass. While razor grass and lemon grass look the same, the lemon grass has a distinct aroma and antiviral properties, while the razor grass doesn’t. The lemon grass is effective in fighting coronavirus, but the razor grass isn’t.
We were starting to get scared that some people might mistakenly use the razor grass instead of the lemon grass, but it gets worse: we’ve received reports that some people are actually selling the razor grass to customers coming to buy lemon grass. We’re not sure if the sellers themselves are unaware of the difference or if they are doing intentionally, however, a Guyanese citizen raised an alarm on Facebook by posting:
Please be careful. People are out here selling regular razor grass as fever grass. How desperate do you have to be to do something this deceitful?
Lemon grass is also called fever grass, but razor grass is something entirely different. Do you know how to tell the difference between the lemon grass and razor grass? The most reliable way of telling if the grass is lemon grass is by tearing a piece of it and smelling it. The lemon grass has a distinct lemon scent while the razor grass doesn’t.