Health Benefits of Mint

Digestion:

Mint is a great appetizer or palate cleanser, and it promotes digestion. It also soothes stomachs in cases of indigestion or inflammation. When you feel sick to your stomach, drinking a cup of mint tea can give you relief. Also, if you are someone who travels long distances via plane or boat, thementhol oil derived from mintcan be very soothing for nausea and related motion sickness.

The aroma of mint activates thesalivary glandsin our mouth as well as glands which secrete digestive enzymes, thereby facilitating digestion. These attributes are why mint is extensively used in the culinary arts. Much of the western world includes mint as a part of appetizers or as an element of palate cleansers, to be eaten before the main course so the food will digest comfortably.

Nausea & Headache:

Again, the strong and refreshing aroma of mint is a quick and effective remedy for nausea. Even just the smell of mint oil or freshly crushed mint leaves or the use of any product with mint flavor, and your stomach issues will be alleviated. In fact, many people keep menthol oil or mint-flavored products with them at all time to avoid nausea. Balms with a mint base or basic mint oil, when rubbed on the forehead and nose, gives quick reliefin case of headache. Mint is a naturally soothing substance, so it can alleviate the inflammation and temperature rise that is often associated with headaches and migraines.

Respiratory Disorders and Coughs :

The strong aroma of mint is very effective in clearing up congestion of the nose, throat, bronchi and lungs, which gives relief for respiratory disorders that often result from asthma and the common cold. As mint cools and soothes the throat, nose and other respiratory channels, it relieves the irritation which causes chronic coughing. This is the main reason why so many balms are based on mint. Unlike the inhalers that are based on aerosols, those with mint as the fundamental component tend to be more effective and eco-friendly as well.

Asthma:

Regular use of mint is very beneficial for asthma patients, as it is a good relaxant and relieves congestion. That being said, using too much mint in this way can also irritate the nose and throat.

Breast Feeding:

For many women, breastfeeding is a beautiful part of raising a child, but it can seriously damage your breasts and nipples.Studies have shownthat mint oil can reduce the nipple cracks and nipple pain that so often accompany breastfeeding.

Depression and Fatigue:

Mint is anatural stimulant, and the smell alone can be enough to charge your batteries and get your brain functioning on a high level again. If you are feeling sluggish, anxious, depressed, or simply exhausted, mint and its derivative essential oils can help. It can be ingested, applied topically in a salve form, or inhaled as a vapor, and all of those techniques can give you a much-needed boost! A popular way to get good results in an easy manner is to put a few drops of mint essential oil or menthol oil on your pillow at night and let it work on your body and mind while you sleep.

Skin Care and Pimples:

While mint oil is a good antiseptic and anti-pruritic material, mint juice is an excellent skin cleanser. It soothes skin, and helps to cure infections and itchiness, as well as being a good way to reduce pimples, and it can even relieve some of the symptoms of acne. Its anti-pruritic properties can be used for treating insect bites like those of mosquitoes, honeybees, hornets, wasps, and gnats. The cooling sensation will relieve you of the irritating sensation to scratch, and the anti-inflammatory nature of mint will bring down swelling! In that same vein, mint oil is often a basic component ofbug repellentproducts like citronella candles, because the strong aroma is unappealing to most insects.

Memory Loss:

A recent studyexplored the effects that mint has on alertness, retention, and cognitive function. It found that people who frequently use chewing gum, whose major active ingredient is mint, had higher levels of memory retention and mental alertness than those who did not. The stimulant qualities of mint, once again, have shown yet another reason to pop that stick of gum in your mouth, or chew some leaves when youre feeling less than brilliant!

Female Sterility:

There are mixed opinions regarding the role of mint in treating this condition. Some argue that prolonged use of menthol may cause sterility, reducing a womans ability to conceive by interfering with the production of ova and killing these gametes. This is due to the germicidal and insecticidal properties of mint, which are beneficial for so many other health concerns. Other research has claimed that men who smoke menthol cigarettes are more likely to suffer from impotency than those who smoke normal cigarettes. It is not certain whether this is due to the tobacco alone or if the mentholated aspect has anything do with it. Another group or researchers suggest that mint may actually be used to treat sterility in females. Suffice to say, a great deal of further research must be done on the effects of mint in both male impotency and female sterility.

Oral Care

Improving the health of a persons mouth is a well known benefit of mint. Since it has germicidal qualities and quickly freshens breath, it adds to oral health by inhibiting harmful bacterial growth inside the mouth and by cleaning the tongue and teeth. This is why mint used to be rubbed directly on the teeth and gums to refresh the mouth and eliminate dangerous forms of growth. In modern times, for the same reason, mint is one of the most common elements in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other dental hygiene products. Of course, the easiest way to get these results is to simply chew on the leaves.

Allergies and Hay Fever:

Season allergies and hay fever (also known as rhinitis) affect millions of people around the world at certain times of the year. Extracts from mint leaves have been shown to inhibit therelease of histamines, which often spur on the severe nasal symptoms that are associated with hay fever and seasonal allergies.

Cancer: Current research shows that certain enzymes that can be found in mint may help prevent and treat cancer.

Other Benefits: Besides its wide industrial use in foods like ice-cream and chocolates, as well as in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cosmetics, medicines, inhalers and breath fresheners, it is also used as a condiment and a decorative item in culinary preparation around the world. Drinks and foods containing mint cool you off in the summer, and it is often included in summer cocktails for a refreshing burst of flavor. It is also a good relaxant.

One peculiar property of mint that seems quite contrary to its traditional cooling and soothing effects is that it induces sweating if consumed during fever, thereby breaking the fever and speeding the rate of recovery. Mint juice can also be applied to heal and soothe burns. It is also beneficial in the treatment of rheumatism. Furthermore, mint is also said to improve the activity of the brain, although legitimate and consistent research on its neurological impact has yet to be completed.

Source: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html

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Very interesting.

Very Interesting Thanks For Sharing This Article With Us!

Great thread! Thank you!

Mint is also an arachnid repellent, so if you're having spider problems, just put a mint plant in your window or outside of your window and it should help!

Oh,dear! Spiders again! Well, spiders do not like mint, but they will only stay away from the mint! Outdoor spiders,ie garden spiders will not come into the house; and house spiders will not go out. I would never kill a spider; they eat flies! A far more dangerous creature, although many people are afraid of spiders.

That's right!
But spiders also useful in the nature, I do not hope to exterminate them! And yes, mint is only a repellent, not a spider killer haha

I have a very severe case of arachnophobia, therefore mint is my favorite herb to have by the window at all times!

SilverFox, make friends with them. They wont hurt you. And they are fascinating creatures. They are fantastic mothers to their young. And who amongst us could weave a silken web like a spider can! If you have a hedge near you, go out just before dawn and see the magic of the thousands of spider webs, with a million jewels of dew drops glistening. And then tell me that you were not stunned by the wonderment and magic of spiders.

And yes, I know that my comments have nothing to do with this thread!

I don't mean to be the nay sayer here, but what type of mint are you speaking of? Do you realize that "mint" is an entire family of plants? In fact, just like the aster family, a sunflower, marigold, and mum is all an "aster" technically, but they're not the same medicinally. The mint family is huge and has thousands of varieties, many of which are in your kitchen cabinet as cooking herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, and lavendar. They are all "mints". Mint is not the same as spearmint or peppermint. Just because food items in grocery stores may just mention their flavor as "mint" doesn't make it correct in the context of herbalism, which is, as a natural medicine, very specific!

Absolutely correct, It is the common spearmint that spiders will avoid. But again, a bunch will not really bother spiders, they will just avoid the mint!