Peppermint


Botanical Name: -Mentha piperata
Origins The Egyptians used this aromatic herb in flavoring wine and food and valued its menthol content. Culpeper recorded in the seventeenth century that it was the herb most useful for "complaints of the stomach, such as wind and vomiting, for which there are few remedies of greater efficacy"
Description The leaves of peppermint are shorter and broader than spearmint with larger spikes of purple flowers. A British classic, it has spread throughout the world. The almost colorless peppermint oil is distilled from the whole of the partially dried plant and has a strong refreshing fragrance.
Therapeutic effects Excellent for the digestion, as a decongestant, and for skin disorders. Use for colds, flu, flatulence, headaches, indigestion, nausea, toothache and sunburn.
Uses Inhalation, baths and massage. Peppermint oil is still used in gripe water to settle upset stomachs. A few drops on a handkerchief can alleviate headaches and symptoms of sea and travel sickness, as it is refreshing and invigorating. It makes a refreshing skin tonic or bath oil in the summer because of its cooling properties. Used in a footbath it can help sweaty, smelly or tired feet, or in a compress to relieve hot flushes.
Blending note Blends well with benzoin, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, marjoram, sandalwood.
Cautionary note - For skin complaints do not use in a concentration of more than one per cent as it can cause irritation..
- Do not use during pregnancy.
* This image is 'eye candy' it does not represent the actual plant.