Lemongrass

Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, grows in long, slender stalks native to South and Southeast Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia. Steam-distilled from the fresh or partially dried leaves, the oil has been part of the region's cooking, medicine and perfumery traditions for centuries, used in everything from curries to tonics to fragrant torches burned to freshen the air.

The scent opens sharp and citrusy (immediate, almost confrontational brightness) before the grassy, slightly woody undertones arrive and temper it into something more grounded. It is not a shy fragrance. Rather than softening with wear, lemongrass holds its edge; the lemon quality persists alongside the green, herbal base. The overall impression is clean and energising without being sweet, closer to the smell of a kitchen where something has just been chopped than a florist's.

In our catalogue's register, lemongrass belongs to summer and the morning. It is the hour when the body needs lifting, before the day has settled into routine, when the mind is still assembling itself. The mood vocabulary pairs it with Energy and Focus; the intention pairings are Focus & Clarity and Protection. The tradition holds it as the kind of scent that says: something is beginning.

The practice the tradition suggests is simple and repeated. Choose one morning hour, a few drops in a diffuser while the window is open, and let the scent mark the beginning. Lemongrass asks the attention to follow, and consistency does what intensity cannot.

Below you'll find what the catalogue holds in its register: lemongrass essential oil, candles, room sprays and natural incense, the whole bright start of the shelf.