All the beneficial properties of mint

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Mint is a plant that has a rather pleasant aroma, but also a large number of medicinal properties. Like any medicinal plant, mint has contraindications for use, which we will discuss in detail in this article.

Peppermint has a tonic effect and helps prevent certain diseases. It is worth learning more about this plant, as well as with what diseases it helps, and in which case it can harm the body.

The main composition of the plant

The herb contains a large amount of menthol oil, it is thanks to this component that mint is often used in the field of pharmaceuticals. Menthol is extracted from the leaves of the plant, after which drugs are created from it. According to statistics, the leaves contain about five percent menthol oil, and the inflorescences contain six percent of the useful product.

This concentration is quite high, and if the growing conditions of the plant are good, the amount of ether can be much higher.

When used topically, menthol oil is irritating and cooling. The tool has a pronounced bactericidal effect. There is menthol in every part of the plant, but there is more of this substance in the leaves and inflorescences than in the trunk. Healers recommend using peppermint tea for severe menstrual pain, the drink makes it possible to reduce severe attacks and alleviate the condition.

In addition to the fact that mint leaves have bactericidal properties and relieve pain during menstruation, they have a fairly rich and useful composition:

• the leaves contain various vitamins such as C and B vitamins;
• carotene;
• tannins and various bitterness;
• organic acids;
• useful microelements (sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium);
• cellulose;
• proteins and fats;
• resinous compounds;
• carbohydrates;
• Sahara.

The plant has beneficial qualities for the body, so mint helps:

• eliminate bouts of pain;
• have an anti-inflammatory effect;
• expand blood vessels, thereby reducing pressure;
• calm the nervous system;
• restore bowel function and normalize its motility;
• improve the functioning of the entire digestive system;
• stimulate a good outflow of bile;
• improves brain function;
• stimulates the work of the memory department;
• improves attention and helps focus;
• has anti-cancer effects;
• helps in the treatment of herpes;
• actively restores the body in case of tuberculosis;
• used in the treatment of pneumonia;
• removes the acute signs of menopause;
• eliminates PMS symptoms;
• helps in the treatment of gynecological diseases.

Although peppermint has such a list of medicinal properties, it also has a number of contraindications that should not be forgotten. Before starting treatment, it is best to consult a doctor.

Healing properties

It is worth noting that when using such a product, you will have to take into account the possible harm to the body. Tea with the addition of mint is considered especially useful, it has a positive effect on the nervous system of the body, and mint itself has a diuretic effect, therefore it is used for edema.

Main healing properties:

1. It helps to eliminate pain syndromes of various origins, also relieves spasms and expands the vascular network. Thanks to the latter effect, peppermint helps to lower blood pressure, and in addition, improves overall blood circulation in the body.
2. Peppermint is popularly used for the preparation of medicinal nasal drops, they help to cope with a runny nose, even with a severe cold. Many preparations for the stomach are based on the extract of this herb, since the herb has healing and bactericidal properties.
3. The plant has a beneficial effect on the entire digestive system and relieves the gastric tract. In addition, the herb extract is added to bactericidal ointments, which are used for inflammatory processes of various origins.
4. Helps relieve attacks of nausea, and also eliminates puffiness and relieves symptoms of heartburn. You can use herbal tea to relieve stomach pain.
5. Although peppermint has a very pungent aroma, it helps in the treatment of asthmatic attacks, but only if the patient does not have an intolerance to the plant. The herb helps to get rid of increased gas formation, is an excellent tonic, but at the same time it gently soothes before bed.
6. Peppermint is great for fighting infections spreading in the respiratory tract. Most often, infusions and decoctions from the plant are used for bronchitis, colds and pneumonia.
7. The medicinal plant has a positive effect on the work of the heart muscle, as mint helps to improve blood circulation in the body.

Despite such a wide list of medicinal properties of peppermint, the plant has contraindications. For example, mint should not be consumed if you are intolerant, you may also be allergic to menthol in the composition.

Use in traditional medicine

People have used mint since ancient times, many healers used decoctions and infusions of this plant to carry out inhalations for colds. Also, such solutions are used internally to heal diseases of internal organs and relieve the inflammatory process.

Herbal remedies help relieve nervous tension, improve brain function, normalize emotional background and improve nighttime sleep.

Useful recipes:

1. To improve sleep and normalize the emotional state. It is enough to take two mint leaves and add to a glass of green or black tea. Drink this drink right before bedtime. It will be equally useful to take a bath with the addition of mint broth. To prepare the product, just put one spoonful of dried mint in a container and pour one liter of boiling water, boil such a composition for about five minutes and leave to infuse for one night. The finished broth is filtered through a sieve and poured into a bath of water. The therapeutic bath is taken before bed for fifteen minutes.
2. To relieve symptoms of nausea, bowel cramps, heartburn, and belching … In half a liter of boiling water, add two tablespoons of dried mint, in this form, the product is left to infuse for fifteen minutes, and then filtered through a sieve. Take the infusion four times a day, it is enough to use about 50 ml of the product at one time. If heartburn occurs due to increased acidity of the stomach, it is more effective to use an infusion of mint with the addition of potato juice. And although peppermint in this case has medicinal properties, the plant still has contraindications that should be remembered.
3. Convulsions, rheumatic pains, inflammation of the skin, arthric pain and itching … A special infusion helps a lot from all this, it is prepared from 200 ml of boiling water and one spoonful of mint. Insist the product in a thermos for half an hour. Such a remedy additionally helps with diseases of the liver and gallbladder. You should drink a drink every two hours, it is enough to take one spoonful of medicine at a time. You can use the infusion for exacerbation of intestinal colic or for any digestive problems.
4. Diaphoretic and expectorant … This drink is great for fighting colds and also has a positive effect on cough treatment. For such a solution, 300 ml of water and two tablespoons of grass are taken. This amount of mint is poured with boiling water and infused for an hour and a half. Take a drink at least five times a day, just one tablespoon at a time.
5. With pharyngitis, laryngitis and tracheitis. In this case, inhalations based on decoctions of peppermint are excellent, and this remedy also has a positive effect on the patient's condition with angina.
6. With pain in the head. With mild pain, traditional medicine advises to apply mint leaves to the forehead, they must first be kneaded a little. You can also use a special tincture in the form of a compress. To prepare the product, you need to prepare a quarter cup of dried herbs, the same amount of water and three quarters of a glass of vodka. The components are mixed and covered with a lid, after which the medicine is infused for two weeks.
7. With menopause and painful menstruation. To prepare the broth, take two tablespoons of mint and pour half a liter of boiling water, after which the agent is sent to a water bath and left there for five minutes. Take a third of the glass twice a day.
8. For acute toothache … It is enough to slightly knead a mint leaf in your hands, and then apply it to a sore spot, this will ease a severe attack of pain.

And although many of the medicinal properties of peppermint are described here, the patient should remember that any remedy has contraindications for use, and it is worth knowing about them in more detail.

The main contraindications

The medicinal properties of peppermint are quite diverse, and we have already talked about them in detail, but now it is worth describing all possible contraindications, as well as side effects of using the plant.

Contraindications:

1. Low blood pressure. The use of mint at reduced pressure is strictly prohibited, since solutions based on this plant dilate blood vessels and further lower blood pressure. If a person suffers from low blood pressure, then mint can lead to serious health problems.
2. Varicose veins. This disease is a categorical prohibition on the use of mint for medicinal purposes. You should not use tea with the addition of this herb, so as not to aggravate the situation.
3. Allergy. It is worth considering that an allergic reaction can occur not only when the plant is consumed, but also simply from the aroma of the herb. If the patient is aware of an allergy to menthol, it is worth refraining from using mint.
4. For men. According to experts, mint has a positive effect only on the health of women, while men can suffer from this plant. The fact is that the herb has a negative effect on sexual function and reduces libido.
5. Concentration and attention … If a person's work is connected with the accuracy of manipulations and the speed of reactions, then he will have to abandon the use of mint, since the plant relaxes.

It is equally important to observe exactly the dosage of drinks; it is allowed to take no more than a glass of mint infusion per day. If a person's PH level in the stomach is greatly increased, then it is better to refrain from using a medicinal plant so as not to harm yourself.

Mint during pregnancy

Peppermint has certain contraindications during pregnancy, but due to its medicinal properties, it is allowed to be used by expectant mothers in a minimum amount. During pregnancy, a woman should be more careful about her health, for this reason, herbal treatment should not be used without consulting a doctor. In addition, mint can have negative effects on the fruit, which is why it is allowed in very small quantities.

As you know, during pregnancy, the emotional background of women changes, tea with the addition of mint will help to cope with this.

No more than three leaves of a plant are taken per glass. In addition, this tea eliminates bouts of nausea in the first months of pregnancy and improves the overall well-being of the expectant mother. Mint will additionally saturate the body with useful substances and help prevent colds.

It is strictly forbidden to use saturated decoctions and infusions during the period of bearing a baby, this can lead to miscarriage or early childbirth. The substances in the composition can also have a negative effect on the development of the child.

A decoction of peppermint is allowed to be used externally for medicinal purposes to get rid of acne and acne, which often occur during pregnancy. The broth is poured into a container for freezing ice, and then rubbed with cubes on clean skin every morning.