Mentha piperita L. is commonly known as peppermint it is an important healing herb known for various health benefits. It is an herb that was awarded as a medicinal plant of the year in 2004. It is among the oldest herbs that are known as medicinal plant species in Eastern as well as in Western traditions.
In biological terms, Mint is known as ‘Mentha’ and commonly known as Pudina or Podina. Mint or so-called peppermint is also an important herb of Ayurveda. It has been familiar and used by the people for more than ages for many common ailments such as headaches, toothaches, asthma skin care, etc.
Mint Plant Description
- Plant : Mint is an herbaceous perennial that grows to a height of about 12 to 65 cm.
- Leaves : The leaves are about 1 to 1.9 cm in width and 2 to 6.3 cm in length. They are simple and sharply toothed, paired in opposites with minute hair on leaves.
- Flower : Its flower is pale, purple or pink and is found in clustered at a stem, and their sizes are about 2 to 4mm in length.
- Native : This plant is native to Europe and Asia and is mostly found in the eastern parts of the Himalayas, western and central Asia. Mint is also popular for its terrific smell and had its own flavor like cherry, grape or lemon.
Health Benefits Of Mint
1. It Prevents Headaches
The refreshing, fresh and strong aromas have properties of menthol, menthene, menthenone; this helps in reducing the headaches quickly. There are abundant of Ayurvedic and herbal remedies that are made up using mint to ward off various disorders.
The products like balms, pain relief creams are also prepared using mint. People use a product made of mint to avoid headaches. Applying a relief cream (balm) on their forehead or neck can get a quick relief.
2. It Cure Pimples and Skin Care
Mint juice has strongest antiseptic properties such as volatile oil, carvone and limonene that are also an excellent skin cleanser. It is successfully known for healing many skin diseases and to calm the skin. Purina! Mint is also used in various cosmetic products like scrubs, face wash cleanser, and lip sticks.
Purina! Mint leaves and juice are also used to apply on the face to avoid pimples. It can be used simply by crushing the Pudina leaves and applying to an affect area.
3. It Prevents Asthma
The properties of menthol, menthene and menthenone in mint help in prevention of Cough and Asthma. Mint additionally helps in the cooling and soothing of throat and aids in the breakdown of cough. It is moreover, advantageous for asthma patients who use mint in the daily diet. It is a main indigents used in manufacture of inhalers and other medicines.
4. It cure Stomach Ache & digestion
Mint has a powerful antioxidant property that can help in the digestion of food. This antioxidants present in mint are also capable of ceasing the reactions by destroying free radical intermediates in a stomach. Mint vitalizes the enzymes that are associated with digestion.
It also helps the digestive system to fasten the process of digestion. Mint is also an appetizer so it can be a very good for digestion process, and most of the people prefer to have the mint after eating a meal. It is used in large scale in cooking varieties of food items.
People in Indian family mostly use Pudina! Mint when they have a stomach ache. During the trip, many people advice and prefer to keep a mint with them to avoid vomiting and sickness.
5. It Helps in Weight Loss
Mint is known for many health benefits among many benefits it is also beneficial to your attempts in losing weight in a healthy and natural way. Mint is a energizer that help to stimulate the digestive enzymes. It helps to absorb the nutrients from the food, including fat and turn it into usable energy.
So adding mint to your daily diet can help you to increase the amount of fat that is being consumed. Mint as energizer uses the fat rather than storing and thus contribute to weight gain.
6. It Improves Memory
It is revealed that persons that frequently use chewing gum, which include mint as the major active agent have higher degrees of memory retention and quick-thinking capacity than ordinary persons. The recent study surveyed the effects that mint has on retention, cognitive function and alertness; it was found that eating mint has a positive effect on it.
The stimulating characteristics of mint have once again given the reasons to pop that stick of gum in your mouth or chew some leaves when you’re feeling than intelligent.
7. It Heals Depression and Fatigue
Mint is a natural stimulant; it has an aroma that has properties that can impose your cells to get your brain function at a high level. If you feel anxious, lazy, distressed or simply exhausted mint and its essential oils can be a benefit in this condition.
Mint can be used in many ways like applying on the affected parts, ingested or inhaled as a vapor all these methods can improve your condition. There is also a traditional way to get good results from mint oil.
Simply put a few drops of mint essential oil or menthol oil on your pillow at night and let the body work for it while you sleep. This technique is mostly applied for small babies or children.
8. It soothes insect bites
Besides many uses and benefits mint is also useful in insect bites. According to the report by “Medical News Today” When mint oil, lotion or ointment applied on affected parts it gives cooling and relaxing effect on the skin which is affected by a rash, insect bites or other reactions.
It is also used as a main ingredient in a number of beauty products like toners, balms, cleansers. As an anti- inflammatory and anti-bacterial property, it is also good for acne-prone skin.
You can use fresh peppermint leaves over mosquito bites or dabs on a couple of drops of peppermint or essential oil to get comfort. The natural cooling properties in oil can temporarily overkill nerves to stop pain and itchiness.
9. It Relieves Menstrual Cramps
The mint leaves have anti-spasmodic properties that help to purify blood and to relieve the muscles and relieve pain. Drinking a small hot cup of mint tea during menstruation can give you some relief from cramps. Medically menstrual cramps are known as dysmenorrhea in which a woman can feel differing degrees of menstrual cramps.
These cramps generally occur in the lower abdomen, and occasionally the pain can be felt in the thigh or lower back part. Drinking mint or peppermint flavored tea throughout the day is studied to calm the discomfort caused.
10. It Relieves Toothaches
Mint can be beneficial in toothaches similar to clove oil. The Peppermint has a same natural numbing property that can deliver comfort to an aching tooth. There are many products made from mint such as creams, pain-relieving sprays or gels, it is one of the nature’s most effective natural analgesic and painkillers.
The other easiest way to deal with toothaches is to use peppermint tea in a bag form. Place a peppermint tea bag in the freezer or refrigerator until it’s cold, apply the tea bag directly onto the affected area for about 20 minutes, and you will find relief.
Repeat this frequently as the pain tends lessens. The menthol contains in Peppermint works an effective pain blocker, desensitizing an area through the cold menthol sensory receptor.