Mint, the useful properties of which only a child does not know, entered the life of a man many centuries ago. The Assyrians and Egyptians knew it, and the Greeks even laid down a myth about this fragrant plant with a delicate taste. There are many varieties of it, but peppermint, which has a bitter note in taste , occupies a special place. It is also called English mint, since in the 17th century it was in England that wild species of this plant were crossed, and as a result, the most used peppermint today was obtained. In addition to vitamins A and C, the plant is rich in vitamins of group B and PP.
Due to the circumstances of today's life, more and more people are turning to traditional medicine. And here the mint (its useful properties are not in doubt even among inveterate skeptics) takes its rightful place. The simplest use of this plant is to add it when brewing tea, preferably green. In this way, anxiety can be easily alleviated. If you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, mint will also come to the rescue, whose beneficial properties will reduce acidity, improve digestion, and soothe the gastric mucosa. And since menthol is the active substance of this plant, add an antispasmodic and analgesic effect.
And who does not know that mint is a wonderful antiseptic? It was this property of her that ensured her great popularity in another area of our life, we are talking about household chemicals. Toothpastes and pastes, air fresheners and bath foams , various soaps and shampoos, breath freshening sprays for the oral cavity - without all this, today it’s hard to imagine our life, how hard it is to imagine the production of these products without such a component as mint, whose beneficial properties are here are maximally used.
Cooking is another area where peppermint has been appreciated. It is a pleasure to decorate desserts with it, it is added to various salads, increasing their usefulness, professional chefs add it to the composition of sauces, when cooking fish and meat, mutton is especially healthy with mint.
The healing properties of peppermint could not be ignored by pharmacists, who perfectly used its ability to stop nausea attacks. Peppermint tablets appeared, which were recommended to be taken in front of a dear to people who do not tolerate pitching. And mint candies on planes? This is impossible to forget. For people with an asthmatic component, mint is added to inhalers, and it is added to nasal and throat sprays to ease breathing and reduce the painful state of coughing. Her infusion will be useful for colds and flu, bronchitis and pneumonia, tonsillitis and other respiratory diseases.
Peppermint oil (the properties of menthol are undeniable) is also widely applicable in our lives. It was it that was part of the famous Zvezdochka balm, which was in every house in Soviet times. They were relieved of headaches and smeared their nose with a cold. If someone had ARI in the house, the balsam box remained in the patient’s bedroom open all night. So the bactericidal properties of menthol were used.
It would be nice to have peppermint oil with you when you go to the cottage or to the forest: it will perfectly remove the inflammatory process at the site of a mosquito or bee sting. It will also calm the skin itch. It can be used for acne and teenage acne.
But mint, like most plants with a medicinal effect, can not be used thoughtlessly in unlimited quantities. It is advisable not to add it to tea for preschool children; pregnant women should not drink it. It is undesirable to often eat and add mint to drinks for men who have an active sex life. The soothing effect of peppermint can eventually play a trick on the stronger sex.