Peppermint

Fresh or dried peppermint leaves are often used alone in peppermint tea or with other herbs in herbal teas (tisanes, infusions). Peppermint is used for flavouring ice cream, candy, fruit preserves, alcoholic beverages, chewing gum, toothpaste, and some shampoos, soaps, and skin care products.

 

Peppermint oil is under preliminary research for its potential as a short-term treatment for irritable bowel syndrome, and has supposed uses in traditional medicine for minor ailments.  Peppermint oil and leaves have a cooling effect when used topically for muscle pain, nerve pain, relief from itching, or as a fragrance.  High oral doses of peppermint oil (500 mg) can cause mucosal irritation and mimic heartburn.

 

Peppermint roots bioaccumulate radium, so the plant may be effective for phytoremediation of radioactively contaminated soil.

 

Peppermint has a high menthol content. The essential oil also contains menthone and carboxyl esters, particularly menthyl acetate. Peppermint oil also contains small amounts of many additional compounds, including limonene, pulegone, caryophyllene, and pinene.

 

Peppermint contains terpenoids and flavonoids such as eriocitrin, hesperidin, and kaempferol 7-O-rutinoside.

Typically, mint tea is made from peppermint leaves. Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a hybrid, or a blend, of the spearmint plant and the water mint plant. The perennial peppermint plant has bright green leaves and can easily be grown in a variety of low light spaces (including an apartment) so it has become a popular plant to cultivate for food and beverages. It can also be mixed with eucalyptus for flu and cold prevention.

Mint tea can be made solely with peppermint leaves, but you can also combine peppermint with spearmint leaves to make double mint tea. Some people even combine peppermint with other herbal ingredients to create unique blends.

As with all herbs, only consume in  small quantities as an additive,  heartburn, nausea, abdominal pain, and dry mouth.

Culinary herb, herbal, menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate, limonene, pinene, terpenoids, flavonoids.