Are you trying to reduce your caffeine consumption? Lemongrass may be the answer.
More and more people are realising that when it comes to their caffeine consumption, reducing or eliminating caffeine from their diet may be a good idea.
Caffeine can have some positive short-term benefits. It acts as a stimulant, can improve alertness and even coordination. Caffeinated drinks may also contain other positives like antioxidants (however these may be better sourced from fruits and vegetables that don't have the negative side effects caffeine does).
Unfortunately, in the long-term it also has many negative side effects. The most obvious is dehydration. Caffeine acts as a diuretic, leaching valuable water that is vital for almost every cellular function in your body. Caffeine has also been shown to cause nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, ulcers and reflux.
Caffeine also increases the acidity of the body. When your body is acidic it tries to neutralise it. It does this in several ways. It removes calcium from the bones (osteoporosis) and magnesium from the muscles (muscle cramps, high blood pressure).
When your body can't neutralise the acid, it stores it in your fat cells. Once the ones you have are full, your body actually creates new fat cells and stores more fat in order to safely store the acid. This increased acidity also causes increased ageing and decreased immune function.
Caffeine is particularly hazardous in pregnancy. It has been shown to increase foetal heart rate and is even linked to miscarriage.
Reducing your caffeine intake for many people is easier said than done. In my experience, the key is to do it gradually. If you drink a lot of coffee, try replacing a few of them with teas. If you drink lots of tea, try adding a few non-caffeinated herbal teas.
Many people don't like the idea of herbal teas because they "taste funny". One of the best teas to try is lemongrass tea - it still has a bitter taste similar to "normal" tea, but without the caffeine. So replace a few of your coffees and teas with a lemongrass tea and your body will thank you for it.
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