Saturday, July 12, 2008

Peppermint

PEPPERMINT Botanical: Mentha piperita

Peppermint is more stimulating to the circulation than spearmint and a stronger remedy for alleviating flatulence, dyspepsia, and indigestion.

While most Americans cool off with cold beverages, the Chinese refresh themselves with hot peppermint tea. In addition to aiding digestion, drinking a mild infusion of peppermint teas leaves you feeling comfortably cooler. This is because it brings more blood to the skin, where evaporation then wicks away body heat. A strong infusion of the herb will produce copious perspiration, and one of peppermint's traditional uses has been in breaking fevers.

Peppermint contains menthol, thymol, and other volatile oils that give the herb a variety of therapeutic properties. Any herb that contains significant amounts of menthol, as peppermint does, has a slight antiseptic quality.

Peppermint tea has been used as a gargle for sore throats and to wash wounds. A simple infusion of this wonderfully aromatic herb is a classic headache remedy, and it has also been used to relieve tension, insomnia, nervousness, and trembling. A strong cup of peppermint tea, taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, may help ward it off. If the bug does bite,peppermint tea is a soothing treatment for dry cough, fever, and other cold related symptoms.
Peppermint has been, and still is, one of the most widely used herbs in the world.

Commercially; peppermint is among the most important world herb crops. It is grown on a large scale in many European countries, as well as in the United States. Tons of peppermint, distilled into oil, finds its way into toothpaste, soap, bath oil, candies, syrups, gums, and many medicinal preparations.

Peppermint is mainly used for: Nausea, indigestion, weak digestion
Dosage: People from many cultures drink peppermint tea daily to keep their digestive tracts in good shape. To treat nausea or indigestion, take when needed. You should feel better within 30 minutes. To improve digestive function, take one dose three times a day before meals. To improve digestion in general, use for a month.


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