Altaivita Mint herb, 50 g

Mint is prescribed as a sedative, vasodilator, analgesic and anti-inflammatory. Mint is able to normalize the digestive system and has a choleretic effect.

Today people know about three hundred species of mint, but only about 20-25 species of this plant are widely used. There is no need to name all the species, since peppermint is commonly used in folk medicine. The main difference between peppermint and other plant species is, of course, its aroma. However, the aroma of peppermint is much stronger than that of its congeners.

Pearmint is a perennial plant in the cloverleaf family. The stem of the peppermint is tetrahedral, hollow, about one meter high. The leaves are ovate and elongated with denticles around the edges, and the root is horizontal and woody. Flowering in this plant begins in June and lasts until September.

The most valuable parts of peppermint are the stem and leaves, which should be collected before flowering, as this is when the plant has the most essential oil – menthol. In the chemical composition of peppermint the main element is exactly the menthol. Mint leaves contain about 2.5 % of menthol, while the inflorescences contain 4 to 6 %.

Perfect properties of peppermint

The essential oil, which includes menthol, determines the taste of mint. Useful properties of the plant are also determined by such substances as esters, phellandrene, pinene, jasmon, piperiton, mentofuran, etc. In addition, tannins, flavonoids, bitterness are also found in the composition of mint. It is the menthol contained in peppermint that makes it a bactericidal plant.

Pearmint is particularly valued in medicine in the therapeutic area. It is prescribed as a sedative, vasodilator, analgesic and anti-inflammatory. Mint is able to normalize the digestive system (get rid of heartburn, nausea, increase appetite, help with diarrhea, reduce gas formation in the intestines), has a choleretic effect (used to remove gallstones from the gallbladder and purify the liver).

These beneficial properties of mint are not limited to these, it is used as a diaphoretic and cooling agent in the treatment of fever and sore throat, pharyngitis, runny nose. For the treatment of inflammation of the respiratory and genitourinary systems again use mint. On the circulatory system and heart, mint has a stimulating effect, relieves headaches, lowers blood pressure. It is especially good for treating migraine.

Mint is also quite often used in dentistry as a mouthwash, to prepare solutions, to get rid of pathogenic organisms etc.

We can conclude that mint is both pleasant to the taste and has a therapeutic effect.

Directions for use

Contraindications

Mint is contraindicated to people who are hypersensitive to its components, as well as people with individual intolerance to mint. People with low blood pressure (arterial hypotension) should not use mint either.

It is important to know that peppermint can reduce the tone of the venous vessels, which can easily contribute to the exacerbation of another already existing disease. Varicose veins are often exacerbated under the influence of peppermint. To avoid this, it is better for people with such a disease not to use mint. If you are often bothered by heartburn, it is also better not to use mint, as it can also cause heartburn.

Don’t give peppermint to young children under the age of three years. It is not recommended for men to use mint, because it can reduce the male libido. People who suffer from sleepiness should refuse from mint. In infertility, mint should not be used either. If you already have problems with conception, then from the mint to refuse necessarily, because this plant can only aggravate this problem.