Mint is a therapeutic herb, which grows all over Europe and North America. It can be found in the East, as well. Simple mint tea is used as a daily refreshing beverage. In its fluid form, it also helps in different conditions such as: headache, cold, indigestion, stomach sickness, asthmatic spasms and variety of stomach pains. Apart from chamomile, the mint is most famous and most popular therapeutic herb, which has been used in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Mint is a one season plant, growing up to 80 cm in height. Its stems grow in egg-shaped, pointy leaves with strong and characteristic scent. The taste is bit strong, peppery and cooling, which are indeed some of mint's major therapeutic benefits, containing etheric oil, flavonoids and iron.
It blooms from June to August, which is the time of its harvesting. We use leaves, but also young plants with flowers. It is to be stored in a dry, shaded and cold place.
The main ingredient and the active substance in mint is the etheric oil. Leaves contain up to 4% of the oil and its quality mostly depends on the factors such as stand age of the leaves, harvesting time, soil and climate.
Mint acts both as antiseptic and analgesic and small doses, such as tea, chewing gum or a mint candy are generally considered harmless, though mint products containing menthol are almost never prescribed to small kids, pregnant women or persons with allergies.
Mint herb is mostly grown in gardens, while the one, we encounter around us, is known as wild mint (lat. Mentha sylvestris, Mentha arvensis, Mentha crispa) and water mint (Mentha Aquatica), which mostly grows around springs and ponds, with its exquisitely aromatic scent. However many types of mint are used, the most therapeutic is surely the famous pepper mint (Metha piperita). Its oil can be purchased as an ointment or jelly capsules.
While there are numerous mint ointments, oils and tinctures, mainly used in inhalation, massages in rheumatic or muscle pain, headache and other, the widest and most common use of any kind of mint is the famous mint tea.
Water mint has been often recommended for tea, due to its particularly strong scent and test. It is extremely efficient in calming heart thumps, vomiting, various stomach pains, anxiety and insomnia.
However, most mint types found their use as excellent therapeutics.
Not only it is excellent against stomach pain - it is a fabulous anxiety reliever and savior in many similar situations. Many people do not know a cold mint bath is an excellent way of relieving pain from your feet. Simply put your aching feet into a tub filled with 3 liters of lukewarm mint tea and move your legs as if walking. You will feel the great effect after mere three minutes.
Only the scent of mint is sometimes enough to calm down our aching stomach. It is surely not a wonder why everyone is always a hot customer for a cup of this king amongst teas.
Hot mint tea will soothe our stomach after vomiting or nausea of any kind, even better than chamomile, due to its particular scent and refreshing taste.
A compress sodden in hot mint on lower belly in women will remove most of the menstrual pain.
A typical cold can be very boring. Your nose is either clogged or running, eyes swollen and throat is sore. Our grannies' prescription: A bucket of hot mint tea is all you need. Bend your head, cover yourself with a thick towel and just inhale as long as you can. The mint oils will unclog the breathing channels for you and additionally soothe the discomfort in your head and lungs.
Crush some dried mint leaves and put them inside your pillow. You will sleep better and your room will be filled with a refreshing scent, making it easier to get up and start your day!
It is a miracle what a mint tea does for our heart. If consumed regularly, meant tea is proven to act as prevention in everyday anxiety born heart problems, such as uneven pulse and thumping.
Apart from all the above, is one of the most popular and most simple beverages in the world - consumed cold during summer or warm during winter. With addition of some orange skin or slices, it would taste even better.
How do we prepare the most classical mint tea? For half a pint of tea, flush one table spoon of mint leaves with boiling water; cover it and leave for approximately half an hour. Distill and pour into a clean cup or glass. Unsweetened tea is consumed before a meal. After we have eaten, we will drink our milk tea, sweeten with honey.
A precious "minty" remark: Mint again insomnia:
- Stir together 60 grams of hop (Humulus lupus), 20 grams of mint, 20 grams of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis); 3 table spoons of the mixture flush with half a liter of boiling water. Cover and distil after two hours. Drink an hour before you go to bed, preferably without any sweetener, sugar or honey.
- Stir 10 grams of mint and 10 grams of valerian (Valeriana officinalis), flush with half a pint of boiling water. Leave for ten minutes, distill and drink before you go to bed.
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