The medicinal benefits of mint and mint tea

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Posted Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 11:06am EDT

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Mint is a delightfully fresh herb. It is healthy and famous for being the main ingredient in fresh tea. You can use dried and pulverized leaves to make a cup of delicious tea. You will need fewer leaves when you use dried rather than fresh ones to prepare tea. This is because water absorbs the flavoring agents of dried leaves better than of fresh leaves. The liquids in the fresh ones are blocking the absorption of tasteful components. In general, tea made of dried leaves taste stronger than fresh tea. Tea made of one drop of mint essential oil is even stronger. One drop of essential oil tastes as strong as 38 normal fresh cups of tea.

 

The creation of mint

Mint arose from jealousy of a deity. There are more versions of the story. This is a famous one. Pluto was the ruler of the underworld. The Greek goddess Persephone, the wife of the god Pluto, had a girlfriend. Her girlfriend was called Mintha. They were good friends, but Pluto got jealous. He did not wish the two to be together so much. He became very angry at this situation and changed Mintha into a plant. There are many myths about goddesses turning into plants. This used to be an indication for the uses of the plant. The original story is about themes as arrogance, conceit, inferiority complexes. The plant is still used for mental problems like these. In general, it is a relaxing plant.
 

In ancient times

This fresh herb was known to the ancient Egyptians. In the Middle Ages, the mint plant was growing in every herb garden. It was widely seen as a medicinal herb. In older days people approached plants differently. Just the smell of it has an antibacterial effect. Mint controls spasms in the intestinal tract. It contains menthol, which is not only a fresh flavor but was used in past times as healing substance. Menthol has been used against a migraine by applying a menthol pen on your head. This eliminates some forms of a headache. Menthol is also used as oil, peppermint essential oil. Peppermint oil is used to cure itchy skin diseases. Common colds and flu are cured with the inhalation of the etheric or essential oil of this substance. The antibacterial activity makes catarrh disappear. Many traditional, medicinal uses of this plant have been confirmed by modern science.

Against nausea and headaches

Nausea vanishes as soon as you smell this plan or the essential oil. The same is true for some forms of a headache. There are more ways to apply this herb to treat a headache. If you rub mint on your forehead and nose, you may notice that the headache disappears. Many travelers carry a small bottle of essential oil. A traveler far away from doctors can smell the aroma as soon as nausea is coming up. Menthol gives the stomach rest. That also applies to drinking peppermint tea or enjoying a candy based on menthol, but these methods are less effective than using mint essential oil.

Neuroprotector

In 2010 there was a study published which shows that mint has a neuroprotective property. Damaged neurons are protected by substances in mint. Furthermore, the researchers say there is a good indication that mint has an affect on the central nervous system. These findings are maybe the first ones to proof the old ideas that this medicinal herb is good against nausea and headache. Also, it is an indication that mint can be used to relax your body and mind. For this purpose, this plant was used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. 
 

Good for digestion

Mint has more influence on the digestive system than just easing the intestines. It promotes digestion. Every form of the disease which has to do with inadequate digestion can be treated by using this as medicinal herbs of choice. This curing plant also promotes the functioning of the salivary gland. Digestion promoting enzymes are activated. Because of this medicinal property, the symptoms of indigestion, a state which occurs after eating too much and too heavily, are softened when mint is applied. Also, the anti-bacterial activity ensures the mouth to be cleaner. Obviously, the leaves are part of in many recipes for natural mouthwashes. A healthy mouth is important to digest your food in a healthy way. Many enzymes of the salivary gland aid digestion. Therefore, when your mouth is more healthy, the whole digestion process will benefit. Research published in 2005 shows that people with irritable bowel syndrome benefit from the use of mint oil.
 

Sugared mint leaves

This recipe is not so healthy. People use fresh herb leaves for ages to make candy. The recipe goes as follows: First, you pick a stack of leaves and put them in a separate bowl. Subsequently, you break an egg and separate the egg white from the egg yolk. The egg yolk is further used. Put the yolk in a dish with the leaves. In another dish you put powdered sugar. When you want to make this recipe more healthy you can use panela or rapadura, raw, unrefined cane sugar made of dried cane juice. You dip the leaves in the egg. After this, you dip them in the powdered sugar. On a plate, you dry the candy leaves. Dry them apart from each other.
 

Drinking tips

A few leaves of this green herb that you can grow yourself are delicious to give fresh water a subtle mint taste. You can make a jug of water and add a few fresh mint leaves. Also, the combination of lemon and lime is a good choice. Mint is the flavoring leaf in tea mixes. When you need a herb that doesn’t taste particularly well, such as redshank, Spanish hierba pejiguera (Persicaria maculosa) or plantain and in Spanish: siete venas (Plantago lanceolata). You can add the fresh-tasting leaves. Furthermore, fresh leaves give a nice decoration effect inside the tea glass. That is why sometimes you hear a child ask: ¨Why do you have salad in your tea?¨ 
 

Kitchen uses mint

This strong tasting herb is a nice and fresh for a pasta meal or potato meal. It’s a good idea to cut the leaves and mix with your meal while the herb is still fresh. You sprinkle this green herb over your food right before you eat. When you cook food too long with mint, you will find that the taste starts to dominate. Make a culinary, medicinal sauce by boiling water with mint and pour all this tea in a dish of flour and blend it. The sauce is instantly ready! This tastes delicious with vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli. You can also make a sauce by blending it with other green herbs like coriander. The sauce will get more flavor. In Thai cooking, it is used a lot to make soups. Put some mint, coriander, and red pepper into the soup to give it a Thai character. Indian raita is yogurt with mint. When you add walnuts and honey, you’ll get a delicious dessert.

Extra tips

  1. You can use the raw leaves in a salad.
  2. You can grow this plant yourself, even indoors in front of the window.
  3. It is an easy plant to grow outside. In a sea climate, it survives the winter. It spreads itself easily in the garden.
  4. You can grow this healing plant in a pot on your balcony.
  5. When you have a mint plant in the garden, you can dry it so you can drink mint tea in the winter.
  6. There are many varieties of this plant. Take advantage of this.
  7. Young women who are seeking for alternative lipstick found a solution in mint essential oil: when you rub one drop on your lip, it starts burning a little bit and lips become redder. This might sound unhealthy to some people but in fact, it is much more healthy than putting synthetic chemicals on your lip.

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thomas
My field of interest is the healing power of food. Latest scientific research shows that many food has medicinal values. I am researching whether people can get well by eating the right kinds of foods at the right time. What I have found during my research I write down in articles.