A native grass used by indigenous Australians as a traditional remedy for headache has been found to have properties “as potent as aspirin”.

The lemon grass Cymbopogon ambiguus, which grows on rocky hillsides in the Northern Territory, has been confirmed to have headache and migraine relieving properties.

Dr Darren Grice, from the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University, was part of the research team that found the effect and isolated the particular chemical responsible.

“It was caused by the compound eugenol in the native lemon grass plant,” Dr Grice told AAP on Tuesday.

“It’s not the first time that it has been found but it is the first time it has been found in this plant.”

The research team devised a test which used the platelets from human blood to see whether compounds from the plant would have any bio-active effect.

People suffering a migraine are known to show abnormal blood activity, as their platelets become more closely clumped together along with altered serotonin levels.

“We looked at the extracts from these plants really to track down the molecules responsible for preventing the aggregation of the platelets and or the release or serotonin,” Dr Grice said.

“Out of that we tracked down one chemical that was particularly potent … this plant does have potential to act as an anti-inflammatory or an anti-headache agent.

“In all the studies we have done it indicates it is equally as potent as aspirin would be.”

Dr Grice said the discovery made sense because indigenous people were more likely to pass down knowledge about plants that had a real effect on the body.

Despite this, he said, many traditional medicines had not been studied in depth and many of Australia’s native plants could have unknown therapeutic qualities.

For modern-day Australians who may now seek to use the traditional headache cure, Dr Grice offered some encouragement and a warning.

“If people were to make (lemon grass) teas or infusions it would be a good thing, and quite therapeutic,” Dr Grice said.

“(But) just because it is natural doesn’t mean that everything is inherently safe and you could take as much as you want.”

The research, conducted by Dr Grice along with Professor Lyn Griffiths and Dr Kelly Rogers, is published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.