Summer heat - that drives the sweat out of all pores. In hot weather, it helps to drink peppermint tea in small portions throughout the day. Swollen feet can be cooled with a cold foot bath and peppermint essential oil. Here we explain about the medicinal plant peppermint and give tips on how to easily make your own peppermint tea.
Peppermint as a medicinal plant for health
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) gets its name from the pungent taste of its leaves, which is reminiscent of pepper. One of the typical properties of peppermint is its cooling, analgesic and antispasmodic effect. This means that peppermint helps with many minor or major ailments. True peppermint can be recognised by its reddish stems and dark green leaves, which are also reddish at the base. Underneath the leaves are scents rich in the essential oil menthol. Even when lightly rubbing the leaves, the fresh peppermint scent escapes, cooling the skin. This feeling of coldness is caused by menthol, which activates cold receptors in the skin and promotes blood circulation.
Cooling effect of peppermint
An infusion of peppermint tea is common almost everywhere in the world. In Europe, however, it is usually reduced to its healing properties for digestive problems or the common cold. In Arab countries, peppermint tea is even part of the national drink and is drunk throughout the day because of its cooling effect. Drunk in small portions throughout the day, it dilates the blood vessels, making heat more bearable. Interestingly, the higher the summer temperatures, the better peppermint tea cools.
Cooled peppermint tea or Mint Hydrolat helps against headaches. Rub it on your temples and forehead. Alternatively, a handy roll-on with peppermint essential oil is recommended. Peppermint is also particularly popular for cooling swollen feet, e.g. in foot lotions or as a bath additive in the form of essential oils, as the extracts have a cooling effect and smell fresh.
Make your own peppermint tea
Peppermint tea tastes particularly good when brewed from fresh peppermint leaves. For a pot of peppermint tea made from loose leaves, you need about five to seven fresh leaves, or about seven to ten dried leaves. Brew the leaves with boiling water and let them steep for about ten minutes. Would you rather buy peppermint tea? Then you should definitely look for tea from fair trade and in organic quality. This way you can ensure that your tea is not contaminated by pesticides.
If you have any further questions about the cooling effect of peppermint, please do not hesitate to contact our pharmacists at Saint Charles Apotheke Wien or Berlin. We will be happy to help you.
