The main chemical component found in lemongrass is citral, an aromatic compound, also known as lemonal. Citral is used in perfumes because of its lemon odor. It is the presence of citral which accounts for lemongrass’ lemon scent. The compounds myrcene, citronellal, geranyl acetate, nerol and geraniol are found in varying quantities in citral. Myrcene, geraniol and nerol contribute to lemongrass’ strong fragrance. Geranyl acetate is a flavoring agent.

Campesterol in lemongrass prevents the absorption of “bad” LDL cholesterol, balances blood cholesterol levels, and displays anti-inflammatory properties, which may make it beneficial for arthritis and cardiovascular diseases, among other health conditions.

Lemongrass can:

• Fight free radicals. Manganese in lemongrass is a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase, which disarms free radicals produced within the mitochondria (the energy production factories within your cells).
  
• Build strong bodies. Manganese in lemongrass activates enzymes for using several key nutrients, and facilitates protein and carbohydrate metabolism and formation of bone. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. Potassium in lemongrass regulates muscle contraction, including heart rythym, regulates nerve transmission; stores carbohydrates for muscles to use as fuel, promotes regular muscle growth, maintains proper electrolyte and acid-base (pH) balance; lowers blood pressure by counteracting the detrimental effects of sodium and regulating fluid balance, and maintains the density and strength of bones by decreasing urinary calcium loss. Folate in lemongrass acts as a co-factor for enzymes involved in the synthesis of DNA, supports red blood cell production and helps prevent anemia, supports cell production, especially in your skin, allows nerves to function properly, helps prevent neural tube defects in fetuses, helps prevent osteoporosis-related bone fractures, and helps prevent dementias including Alzheimer’s disease.
  
• Lower your heart attack risk. Potassium in lemongrass regulates muscle contraction, including heart rythym, and lowers blood pressure by counteracting the detrimental effects of sodium and regulating fluid balance. Folate in lemongrass helps lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that is an independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Magnesium in lemongrass is a calcium channel blocker that relaxes your veins and arteries, which reduces resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout your body. A deficiency of magnesium is not only associated with heart attack but that immediately following a heart attack, lack of sufficient magnesium promotes free radical injury to the heart. Campesterol in lemongrass prevents the absorption of “bad” LDL cholesterol, balances blood cholesterol levels, and displays anti-inflammatory properties, which may make it beneficial for cardiovascular diseases, among other health conditions.
  
• Fight infections. Citral is an antimicrobial and can destroy or inhibit microorganisms. It also has antifungal properties.
  
• Repel insects. The citronella in lemongrass has pheromonal qualities, and acts as an insecticide.
  
• Help you use vitamin A. Lemongrass has a positive effective on your body’s ability to use vitamin A.
  
• Improve circulation. Lemongrass has rubefacient properties, meaning that it may be able to improve blood circulation.
  
• Relieve colds and fever. Used to alleviate certain respiratory conditions including laryngitis and sore throats, lemongrass has an anti-pyretic property, which reduces high fevers. Called fevergrass in some cultures, the vapor is inhaled, leading to increased perspiration and eventually the lowering of fever.
  
• Relieve pain and aid in healing. Campesterol in lemongrass displays anti-inflammatory properties, which may make it beneficial for arthritis, among other health conditions. Lemongrass has powerful pain relieving properties. It helps to alleviate muscle spasms by relaxing the muscles, leading to the reduction of pain-related symptoms. It is thus useful for all types of pain including abdominal pain, headaches, joint pains, muscle pains, digestive tract spasms, muscle cramps, stomachache and others. This remedy has also been linked to increasing the body’s ability to repair damaged connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments and tendons and is thus recommended for these types of injuries.
  

Phytolipids are plant-based fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, and others, whose main biological functions include energy storage, forming structural components of cell membranes, and acting as important signaling molecules. They include:

• Phytosterols, the more than 200 steroid compounds similar to cholesterol in plants, including:
  • Campesterol, found in bananas, pomegranates, saw palmetto berries, grapefruit, cucumbers, peppers, onions, potatoes, oats, lemon grass, and coffee beans, prevents the absorption of "bad" LDL cholesterol, balances blood cholesterol levels, and displays anti-inflammatory properties, which may make it beneficial for arthritis and cardiovascular diseases, among other health conditions.
  • Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2), found in mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light either while they are growing or shortly after they are picked, is necessary for calcium absorption, bone growth and maintenance, neurological and immune system functions, and reducing inflammation. It may also treat or prevent Addison's Disease, allergic hypersensitivity, Alzheimer's, asthma, Ankylosing Spondylitis, autism, autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, several cancers, COPD, systic fibrosis, depression, and other conditions.
• Essential fatty acids are fatty acids that you must ingest because your body requires them for good health but cannot synthesize them. They include:
  • Omega-3 fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in soy, walnuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumkin seeds, sesame seeds, mustard seeds, chia seeds, Brazil nuts, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, grains, and spirulina, can protect against cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack, and reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in people who already have heart disease.
  • Omega-6 fatty acids, including linoleic acid (LA), found in brazil nuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and pecans, is important for the growth and development of infants, and is a precursor for a hormone-like substance prostaglandins, which cause constriction or dilation in vascular smooth muscle cells, cause aggregation or disaggregation of platelets, sensitize spinal neurons to pain, induce labor, decrease intraocular pressure, regulate inflammatory mediation, regulate calcium movement, control hormone regulation, control cell growth, act on thermoregulatory center of the hypothalamus to produce fever, act on mesangial cells in the glomerulus of the kidney to increase the glomerular filtration rate, and act on parietal cells in the stomach wall to inhibit acid secretion. You should have about 1 to 4 times the amount of omega-6 as omega-3, but Americans tend to have anywhere from 10 to 30 times the amount of omega-6, due to the large amounts of oils and fried foods they eat. This unbalanced ratio can lead to health problems. You can get a higher ratio of omega-3 fatty acids by avoiding fried foods and meats, eating more flax seed, walnuts, and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids, or taking a spirulina supplement.

An average (~5.3 oz) potato with the skin contains:

• 45% of the daily value for vitamin C
• 620 mg potassium, comparable to bananas, spinach and broccoli
• trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc
• all for only 110 calories and no fat.

The inside of the potato is where you find all your carbs, but the vitamins mentioned are almost all found in the skin. This is why you should keep the skins on when making mashed potatoes!

Potatoes are an excellent source of iodine, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium. They're a very good source of manganese, fiber, niacin, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus. They're a good source of iron, copper, protein, thiamine, pantothenic acid, choline, riboflavin, and vitamin K. Potatoes also contain a variety of antioxidant phytochemicals including carotenoids, flavonoids, caffeic acid, and oxalic acid, as well as unique antioxidant tuber storage proteins, such as patatin. In fact, there are at least 60 different kinds of phytochemicals and vitamins in the skins and flesh of 100 wild and commercially grown potatoes. The phenolic content of red and Norkota potatoes rivals that of broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts, and includes flavonoids with protective activity against cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, and certain cancers. Potatoes also have high levels of folate, quercetin, and kukoamines, which can lower your blood pressure. They also contain campesterol, which prevents the absorption of "bad" LDL cholesterol, balances blood cholesterol levels, and displays anti-inflammatory properties, which may make it beneficial for arthritis and cardiovascular diseases, among other health conditions.

A single medium baked potato contains 40% of your daily value of iodine, nearly 28% of your vitamin C, and 27% of the daily value for vitamin B6, nearly 27% of the daily value for potassium, and 19% of manganese. A single baked potato also provides you with over 15% the daily value for fiber, but remember the fiber in potatoes is mostly in their skin. If you want the cholesterol-lowering, colon cancer preventing, and bowel supportive effects of fiber, be sure to eat the potato's flavorful skin as well as its tender flesh. A medium-size baked potato provides 12% of the daily value for niacin, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus, and 10% of the daily value for iron and copper. It also supplies 9% of your daily need for protein, with just 8% of your daily calories. It provides 7% of the daily value of thiamine and pantothenic acid, 6% of the daily value of choline, 5% of the daily value of riboflavin and vitamin K, 4% of the daily value for zinc, and 3% of calcium. Potatoes are known for their carbohydrate content (12% of the daily value in a medium potato), which is mostly starch. A small but significant portion of this starch is resistant to digestion by enzymes in your stomach and small intestine, and it reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch has similar health benefits as fiber: It provides bulk, offers protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, makes you feel full, and possibly even reduces fat storage. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly increases this resistant starch.