Lemongrass oil kills tumour cells in laboratory dishes and slows tumours in mice — a reproducible two-decade record. No trial has given lemongrass to a person with cancer and measured whether the tumour shrank or the person lived longer, and none is registered. Tea amounts appear well tolerated; concentrated forms carry skin allergy, genetic damage, hormone-like, and drug-handling signals. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ALT | Men < 25 U/L; women < 20 U/L | Detects liver strain from citral breakdown |
| AST | < 25 U/L | Separates liver from muscle sources when ALT drifts |
| Total bilirubin | 0.3–1.0 mg/dL | Baseline for the bilirubin signal seen in human tea dosing |
| Direct bilirubin | < 0.3 mg/dL | The specific fraction that rose in the only human safety study |
| Serum amylase | 25–85 U/L | The second analyte that drifted in that study |
| Complete blood count | Neutrophils 1.8–7.0 ×10⁹/L; platelets 175–350 ×10⁹/L | Catches added bone-marrow suppression if pump effects amplify chemotherapy |
| eGFR | > 90 mL/min/1.73 m² | Confirms clearance capacity before adding any interacting agent |
| Fasting glucose | 75–90 mg/dL | Detects additive glucose lowering with diabetes medicines |
| Blood pressure | < 120/80 mmHg seated | Detects additive hypotension in the first two weeks |
| PSA (men over 40) | < 1.0 ng/mL under 60; < 2.0 ng/mL over 60 | Watches the prostate signal seen with citral in rodents |
| Estradiol (men) | 10–30 pg/mL | Tracks the oestrogen-like activity reported for citral |
| Tumour response marker or imaging | No established target for lemongrass; track change from the individual's own oncology baseline | Distinguishes disease trajectory from any attributed herbal effect |
Cadence: Baseline panel before starting; week 2 for blood pressure and glucose; week 8–12 for the full panel; every 3–6 months thereafter, with any concurrent chemotherapy schedule taking precedence.