Mint Leaves 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Mint Leaves – 100 g ($9.99), 50 g ($6.99), 25 g ($4.99)

Benefits:
Nutrients
While not typically consumed in large quantities, mint contains a fair amount of nutrients. 2 tablespoons (11.4 grams) of mint contains:
Calories: 5
Fiber: 0.8 grams
Vitamin A: 3% of the Daily Value (DV)
Iron: 8% of the DV
Manganese: 6% of the DV
Folate: 3% of the DV

Because of its dynamic flavor, mint is often added to recipes in small amounts, so consuming even 2 tablespoons may be difficult. However, it’s possible you may come close to this amount in some salad recipes that include mint among the other ingredients.

Mint is a particularly good source of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is critical for eye health and night vision. It is also a potent source of antioxidants, especially when compared to other herbs and spices. Antioxidants help protect your body from oxidative stress, a type of damage to cells caused by free radicals.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common digestive tract disorder. It is characterized by digestive symptoms like stomach pain, gas, bloating and changes in bowel habits. Although treatment for IBS often includes dietary changes and taking medications, research shows that taking peppermint oil as an herbal remedy might also be helpful.

Peppermint oil contains a compound called menthol, which is thought to help alleviate IBS symptoms through its relaxing effects on the muscles of the digestive tract. A 2014 review of nine studies including over 700 patients with IBS found that taking peppermint oil capsules improved IBS symptoms significantly more than placebo capsules. Notably, nearly all research showing IBS symptom relief used oil capsules rather than raw mint leaves.

Indigestion
Mint may also be effective at relieving other digestive problems such as upset stomach and indigestion. Indigestion may occur when food sits in the stomach for too long before passing into the rest of the digestive tract. Multiple studies have shown that food passes through the stomach quicker when people take mint with meals, which could relieve symptoms from this type of indigestion. Similar to IBS, studies highlighting mint’s ability to relieve indigestion used mint oil rather than fresh or dried leaves.

Brain Function
In addition to ingesting mint, there are claims that inhaling the aroma of essential oils from the plant could provide health benefits, including improved brain function. A 2022 animal study demonstrated that smelling the aroma of peppermint essential oil produced significant improvements in learning and memory, as well as protecting neurons and reducing damage from brain tissue oxidation. Another study in 2015 found that smelling these oils while driving increased alertness and decreased levels of frustration, anxiety and fatigue.

A study was conducted by Dr. A. P. Allen and Dr. A. P. Smith from Cardiff University, on the effect of chewing gum on stress, alertness, and cognition. It found that people who frequently used chewing gum, in which the major active ingredient is mint, had higher levels of memory retention, mental alertness and improved cognition.

The Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics mentions that rubbing mint on the forehead and nose can give quick relief from a headache. Mint is a naturally soothing substance, so it might alleviate inflammation that is often associated with headaches and migraines.

Relieve Stress, Improve Mood
Mint can be a natural stimulant and the smell alone can be enough to uplift your mood. Research done in 2014 states that including it in your diet can be a great option if you are feeling sluggish, anxious, depressed, or simply exhausted, the herbal leaves and their essential oil can help. It can be ingested, applied topically in a salve form, or inhaled as a vapor, and all of these techniques can give you a much-needed boost. Inhaling while you sleep is a popular method.

Breastfeeding Pain
Breastfeeding mothers commonly experience sore and cracked nipples, which can make breastfeeding painful and difficult. Studies have shown that applying mint to the skin can help relieve pain associated with breastfeeding. In these studies, breastfeeding mothers applied various forms of mint to the area around the nipple after each feeding. Typically, they used an essential oil on its own or mixed with gel or water.

One study showed that only 3.8% of mothers who applied a peppermint gel experienced nipple cracks, compared to 6.9% of those who used lanolin and 22.6% of those who used a placebo. Furthermore, an additional study showed that both the pain and severity of nipple cracks decreased in mothers who applied menthol essential oil after each feeding. A a 2022 study found expressed breast milk to be more effective than peppermint water in relieving cracked nipples, so further research is needed.

Cold Symptoms
Many over-the-counter cold and flu treatments contain menthol, a primary compound in peppermint oil. Many people believe menthol is an effective nasal decongestant that can get rid of congestion and improve airflow and breathing. Although menthol in itself has no decongestant function, it can subjectively improve nasal breathing.

Bad Breath
Mint-flavored chewing gum and breath mints are some of the first things people reach for when trying to prevent or get rid of bad breath. According to an older source, most of these products can mask foul-smelling breath for a few hours. However, they only cover up bad breath and don’t reduce the bacteria or other compounds causing bad breath in the first place. On the other hand, drinking mint tea and consuming leaves may be able to both mask bad breath and kill bacteria, as test-tube studies have highlighted the antibacterial effects of peppermint oil.

Botanical Name: Mentha
English: European Mint
Also, known as:
Habitat: Native to Europe
Origin: India
Harvested: Cultivated
Parts used: Leaves

General Information:

 

 

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.