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erva cidreira

English translation: lemongrass

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:erva cidreira
English translation:lemongrass
Entered by: Daniel Martz
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11:32 Feb 7, 2006
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Science - Botany
Portuguese term or phrase: erva cidreira
A kind of herb used in making tea, but what is the English word for it?
Paul Dixon
Local time: 09:02
lemongrass
Explanation:
There are four different herbs known as erva cidreira here in Brazil:

Erva Cidreira - Lippia alba
Erva Cidreira - Cymbopogon citratus
Erva Cidreira - Melissa officinalis
Erva Cidreira - Lippia alba

Without knowing the Latin name, my best bet would be lemongrass.

Check:

Lemongrass - Cymbopogon citratus

MEDICINAL:
Lemongrass is drunk before bed to induce sleep. The infusion is also used to loosen and lessen mucous, to treat fevers, cramps, and stress. The essential oil is used as a food flavoring and an ingredient in cosmetics and perfumes. The oil has antibacterial properties.

GROWING:
Common to Southeast Asia, Lemongrass is cultivated throughout the warm tropical climates of the world. Grow as an annual, or in the greenhouse.
www.allnatural.net/herbpages/lemongrass.shtml

It is Very popular in North America due to the influence of the immigrant Asian population.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-02-07 14:21:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I went and checked my grandpa's tea cabinet and there it was:

Check the famous Brazilian tea manufacturer's web site:

http://www.matteleao.com.br/produtos/ervas.htm

CAPIM-CIDREIRA (Cymbopogon citratus)
Nativa das regiões tropicais da Ásia, África e América, a erva-cidreira se adaptou bem ao clima brasileiro e hoje é muito encontrada nas hortas e jardins do interior do Brasil. Indicada para uma infinidade de transtornos de origem nervosa, assim como contra digestões difíceis, cólicas, vertigens e enxaquecas.
O chá de Capim-Cidreira Leão tem um sabor muito agradável.
Selected response from:

Daniel Martz
Local time: 09:02
Grading comment
Thanks for all who have made suggestions.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5lemongrassDaniel Martz
5 +3lemon balmAntónio Ribeiro
3nfgAmilcar
4 -1balm; elephant grassDolores Vázquez


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
balm; elephant grass


Explanation:
Nome científico = Melissa officinalis


    Reference: http://alcor.concordia.ca/~vjorge/paginas/valdir/plantas.htm...
Dolores Vázquez
Native speaker of: Native in GalicianGalician, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Fell: balm/Melissa officinalis but not elephant grass: Elephant Grass = Pennistum purpureum (that term in the link is incorrect)
22 mins
  -> Ok, thanks.
neutral  Daniel Martz: Aqui no Brasil, chamamos a melissa oficinalis de "melissa". Seu efeito é muito mais sedativo.
1 hr
disagree  Claudio Mazotti: sorry, Dolores, that's melissa and not erva-cidreira (also known as capim-cidreira, capim limão, capim-santo)
2 hrs
disagree  Amilcar: I agree with Rachel otherwise, but balm is not a correct answer either ... for Pt cidreira OR Br erva/capim-cidreira.
1 day12 hrs
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57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
lemongrass


Explanation:
There are four different herbs known as erva cidreira here in Brazil:

Erva Cidreira - Lippia alba
Erva Cidreira - Cymbopogon citratus
Erva Cidreira - Melissa officinalis
Erva Cidreira - Lippia alba

Without knowing the Latin name, my best bet would be lemongrass.

Check:

Lemongrass - Cymbopogon citratus

MEDICINAL:
Lemongrass is drunk before bed to induce sleep. The infusion is also used to loosen and lessen mucous, to treat fevers, cramps, and stress. The essential oil is used as a food flavoring and an ingredient in cosmetics and perfumes. The oil has antibacterial properties.

GROWING:
Common to Southeast Asia, Lemongrass is cultivated throughout the warm tropical climates of the world. Grow as an annual, or in the greenhouse.
www.allnatural.net/herbpages/lemongrass.shtml

It is Very popular in North America due to the influence of the immigrant Asian population.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-02-07 14:21:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I went and checked my grandpa's tea cabinet and there it was:

Check the famous Brazilian tea manufacturer's web site:

http://www.matteleao.com.br/produtos/ervas.htm

CAPIM-CIDREIRA (Cymbopogon citratus)
Nativa das regiões tropicais da Ásia, África e América, a erva-cidreira se adaptou bem ao clima brasileiro e hoje é muito encontrada nas hortas e jardins do interior do Brasil. Indicada para uma infinidade de transtornos de origem nervosa, assim como contra digestões difíceis, cólicas, vertigens e enxaquecas.
O chá de Capim-Cidreira Leão tem um sabor muito agradável.

Daniel Martz
Local time: 09:02
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks for all who have made suggestions.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claudio Mazotti: that's the right answer... just another ref: hort.ufl.edu/shrubs/CYMCITA.PDF
1 hr
  -> Thanks!
agree  Maria Police
3 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  rhandler: Citronière, em francês.
4 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Marco Schaumloeffel
15 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Amilcar: As far as Br erva/capim cidreira goes; lemongrass for Pt cidreira, the one that makes the mildly-mildly-mildly sedative tea given to high strung kids.
1 day11 hrs
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13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
lemon balm


Explanation:
É assim que eu diria.

Ver como se chama nas mais variadas línguas, incluindo a portuguesa:

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Meli_off.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2006-02-07 21:34:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Se o nome científico da "erva-ceidreira" desta pergunta é Melissa officinalis, então a tradução correcta para inglês é ***lemon balm***. Verr os inúmeros resultados que o Google nos dá.

António Ribeiro
Local time: 22:02
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rachel Fell: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Melissa_officinalis...
11 mins
neutral  Daniel Martz: Please check my answer below. As you will see, there are different Latin names for the popular name for "erva cidreira". Aqui no Brasil, chamamos a melissa oficinalis de "melissa". Seu efeito é muito mais sedativo.
54 mins
  -> Mas não se pretende saber como é que se chama no Brasil!!!
agree  sheena: my garden is full of it!
1 hr
disagree  Claudio Mazotti: sorry, Antonio, that's melissa and not erva-cidreira (also known as capim-cidreira, capim limão, capim-santo)
2 hrs
agree  Amilcar: I am out of my depth here, but all I see convinces me that the cidreira as know in Ptgal by this name is Melissa Officinalis, i.e., Lemon balm. See my nfg answer.
1 day11 hrs
agree  ecoelho: Lemon balm = melissa officinalis = erva-cidreira (PT PT) Lemon grass = Cymbopogon citratus = Chá Príncipe (PT PT) My garden is full of both.
8 days
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1 day12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
nfg


Explanation:
Not really my thing, this taxonomy, but I was interested. Early on in my "research" I was convinced that what the Pt most commonly call cidreira is not the same thing that Br most commonly call erva-cidreira.

The scientific paper referenced below and other web material with apparently convincing pedigree leave me little doubt that what the Pt boticários call cidreira is the lemon balm.

As to Br, cymbopogon citratus is most convincing, based on numerous seemingly reliable sites .br, hence the erva- or capim-cidreira of the Brazilians seems to be the lemongrass.

Both cymbopogon citratus and melissa officinalis look awfully like the (Pt) cidreira, the tea of which I drank barrels of in my young years.




    Reference: http://www.bio.uminho.pt/cb/tikiwiki/tiki-cb_li_listings.php...
Amilcar
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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