What is peppermint good for?

Peppermint is a perennial plant from the Lamiaceae family. Its branched stems can reach a height of 30-80 cm and bear a multitude of fragrant leaves, which are pointed at the top and slightly serrated around the edge. The small flowers can vary from white to purple.

The flowering period lasts from June to October.

Its origin is the Far East, where it was cultivated in China and Japan, from where it spread across the continent via Africa and Southern Europe. Records of its healing effects are abundant, and data on the first cultures in Egypt date back to the 12th century BC. While Dioscorides considered it an aphrodisiac, Hippocrates and Aristotle claimed its effect was quite the opposite. The fact that cultivated mint was economically very important in antiquity can be concluded from the works of Theophrastus, Pliny, and Columella, who also mention its inconvenient tendency to degenerate from a cultivated crop to a wild plant over time. On the European continent, the cultivation of cultivated mint expanded thanks to monastic orders, because of its beneficial effect it was mandatory in monastic gardens' medicinal herbs. The first mint cultivations in England date back to the 17th century in the Hertfordshire area.

Are mint and peppermint the same thing?

It is little known that this medicinal plant, used all over the world, is a hybrid with a very complex genetic makeup, created by crossing watermint (Mentha aquatica L.) and spearmint (Mentha viridis L.), while spearmint was created by crossing wild mint (Mentha silvestris L.) and round-leaved mint (Mentha rotundifolia L.)

This fact is of great importance for production, given that when propagated by seeds, degeneration occurs, as mentioned in ancient historical texts, therefore cultivated mint is propagated exclusively by vegetative means, stolons.

As a medicinal part of the plant, a mint leaf (Foilum Menthae piperitae) is used, collected before flowering, as it is then richest in active substances and contains the highest concentration of essential oil.

In addition to the leaves, essential oil (Menthae piperitae aetheroluem) is also used in phytotherapy, and Aqua Menthae piperitae, a product also obtained during the distillation of essential oil, is used for the preparation of pharmaceutical preparations.

The mint leaf is rich in active ingredients, the most important of which are polyphenols (flavonoids, phenolic acids), tannins, triterpenes, bitter substances and essential oil (with a high content of menthol and menthone, with the presence of compounds eucalyptol, terpineol and limonene).

Pharmacy Garden's peppermint leaves are dried in the shade, outdoors, to preserve the active ingredients. Our peppermint is therefore full of the essential oil and can therefore be distilled even from dried plants.

The entire plant has a pleasant balsamic scent and a characteristic refreshing taste, which first warms and then cools. Freshly picked, cultivated peppermint is used in cooking, as a spice for many dishes and salads.

It is often used in the preparation of desserts, as its unique and refreshing taste adds a nice touch to fruit cakes. The use of mint syrup, prepared from the fresh plant, is very popular and is an excellent complement to refreshing drinks during hot summer days. Fresh mint leaves, poured with mineral water, with the addition of cucumber cut into slices and lemon wedges, are an excellent means of rehydration* during summer heat.

Peppermint is most often used in the form of a hot tea drink, and has beneficial effects on the body.

What does peppermint do?

The active ingredients in mint have a mild anesthetic effect on the gastric mucosa, so this tea is traditionally used as a remedy for nausea and vomiting. Its antiseptic properties work to prevent improper fermentation caused by pathogenic bacteria in the digestive system, and it also acts as an antispasmodic and facilitates the elimination of gases.

Peppermint tea is a proven, traditional remedy for regulating bile secretion and alleviating problems with gallstones, liver, and pancreatic diseases. It is also a common ingredient in tea blends to relieve heart problems resulting from bloating and indigestion, as in Recipe 1.0.

In addition to its beneficial effect on alleviating the feeling of palpitations, mint is also considered a remedy for eliminating nervousness and mental restlessness, so it is also used in herbal mixtures for calming. Recipe 2.0 therefore contains 10% peppermint. Peppermint is also used as a refreshing agent for mental fatigue as it contributes to the activation of intellectual activities.

Due to menthol's anesthetic effect, the use of peppermint is recommended for pain relief, whether it is pain due to inflammation, rheumatic joint or muscle pain, or headache.

Inhalations with tea or peppermint essential oil have a beneficial effect on alleviating symptoms of blocked sinuses and sore throats, and rinsing the mouth with tea helps relieve inflammation of the gum mucosa.

Peppermint essential oil shows a specific effect on cold receptors:

when massaged into the skin, a sensation of cold first occurs, which is soon replaced by a slight burning sensation, and then an anesthetic effect occurs, so products based on peppermint essential oil are often used for massage, to relieve pain due to injuries, rheumatic pain, insect bites, neuralgia and headaches.

In laboratory experiments, the antibacterial effect of peppermint essential oil against many pathogenic bacteria has been proven. Research has also confirmed the justification for using mint extracts as an analgesic and the anesthetic effect of its essential oil, given that the antispasmodic and analgesic effects of menthol and menthone in diseases of the respiratory and digestive organs have been proven.

Iced Peppermint Tea

Summer heat and increased sweating require increased fluid intake, where mint drinks are an excellent choice due to the refreshing and cooling effects of menthol.

In addition to its refreshing taste, iced tea made from peppermint and thyme has a beneficial effect on the respiratory system, stimulates liver function, initiates detoxification processes and relieves bloating, and you can prepare it as follows:

1. Pour a full tablespoon of peppermint leaves with ½ litre of boiling water, cover, steep for 5-10 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of thyme herb, cover and steep for another 5 minutes, then strain, cool and serve with ice cubes.

Iced tea with mild mint and lemon balm is a good choice during an afternoon break as it removes feelings of fatigue and tension, and you can prepare it as follows:

2. Pour a full tablespoon of lemon balm leaf tea with ½ litre of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of mint leaf tea, cover and steep for another 5 minutes, then strain, cool and serve with ice cubes.

Enjoy the summer!

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