Mint is an herb familiar to all of us. Despite its wide culinary use, it remains first and foremost an herb with tremendous health benefits, often used in folk and traditional medicine. And with good reason.
Mint leaves are most often used to make tea, which can successfully replace a morning coffee and activate brain functions. During the summer season, they are a wonderful addition to any refreshing drink.
It is often found as a spice in foods with a clearly distinct taste, such as lamb, seafood, chocolate desserts, fruits. No matter how we choose to take it though - it only brings us benefits.
Actually, the benefits of mint were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans and even to the peoples before them. They used it as a tool for strengthening the mind, as well as for scenting their feast and celebration halls.
Throughout the years, it began to be massively used in numerous everyday recipes due to the amazing flavor and taste that it granted dishes. Once its benefits were proven around 250 years ago, it began to be massively cultivated.
The levels of beneficial essential oils in mint leaves depend on the variety and climatic conditions, but they are always present. The most high-quality mint oils contain up to 50-60% menthol. It causes a reflexive expansion of the coronary blood vessels in angina.
It has an anodyne and antiseptic effect for all types of inflammatory processes in the upper airways. Because of these properties, mint is used in different medications for cardiovascular diseases and pain gels.
There are other components found in essential oils as well, such as the ketone jasmone, menthofuran, isomenthol, neomenthol, pulegone, piperiton, pinene, limonene, cineol, tannins, bitter substances, flavonoids, nicotinic acid and its amide, carotenoids and others.
All of these provide the essential oils of mint potent energizing properties. It is used against fatigue and muscle pains. Essential oils from mint are also used against spasms of the digestive tract, pains and nausea.
Mint is used for colitis, constipation and gastrointestinal disorders. Tea made from the leaves is good for flu, stuffy nose and sore throat. It soothes headaches and insomnia. Fresh mint leaves, when added to summer cocktails, tone and refresh.
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