If you’ve overindulged during the festive season you’re probably familiar with one of the main properties of mint. Many of us start the day with a wake-up burst of mint from our toothpaste, too but there’s much more to mint than a breath freshener. Here are a few more interesting facts and tips about one of nature’s most purifying creations.
The mint family, particularly peppermint, is well known for its vibrant, fresh, ‘green’ and refreshing aroma. Thanks to these uplifting and penetrating properties, mint essential oil is well-known as an aid to relieving headaches, upper respiratory congestion and muscle fatigue. In skin care it both increases blood flow and helps to brighten a dull complexion, yet has a calming, cooling and refreshing sensation on the skin. This makes Mint essential oil a key ingredient in our Maca Mask.
Mint’s other great areas of benefit are to the digestive and respiratory systems, where it calms, soothes and relieves spasms and inflammation – think after dinner mints! It not only aids digestion but also relieves nausea, trapped wind and irritable bowel problems. Margaret suggests that for the relief of nausea or motion sickness, 2-3 drops of the pure essential oil can be inhaled directly from a tissue. She advises that as the essential oil should never be taken internally (except in the form of capsules for IBS), the best way to aid digestive troubles is to drink an infusion of chopped fresh or dried mint as a tea.
Spearmint or peppermint can also provide rapid relief from nasal congestion, so 2 or 3 drops of the pure essential oil or a blend like Congest Ease or Breathe Ease for Adults in a vaporiser, inhaled from a small bowl of hot water or just from a tissue will help to relieve congestive headaches, sinusitis and the miseries of colds and flu infections. Peppermint oil also provides relief from stress, restlessness and mental exhaustion. Spearmint is much milder in action and has a softer, sweeter fragrance than peppermint so is better for inhalation during pregnancy (great for nausea) and is often preferred by children.
We use spearmint in our Lemongrass Hand and Body Wash for its refreshing aroma which will rapidly awaken the senses – a great body wash for this time of year especially in the morning when it’s grey and gloomy outside. This is also a great product to have in the kitchen as not only is it anti-septic, but the lemony fragrance with a hint of mint, is great for removing strong odours like onions from your hands.
Our climate is known for producing excellent quality peppermint and our organic English peppermint, mentha piperita, essential oil is an exceptional one. It’s a beautiful intense fresh oil that we purchase direct from the growers who are specialists in producing oils of high therapeutic value.
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