Peppermint Archives - Amazing Health Benefits

It's a great day to learn about the many health benefits of peppermint. Peppermint is an excellent herb with numerous health benefits. It’s a hybrid mint which is a cross between spearmint and watermint. It’s fairly popular because of peppermint oil and peppermint tea. Here is my collection of some of the health benefits of Peppermint. These are what I’ve read and researched online. 1. Peppermint May Relieve Sinusitis Some believe that simply inhaling the steam from peppermint tea helps reduce many sinus issues by dissolving mucus. Although there is no proof that sniffing peppermint clears nasal passages, it won’t hurt to try. 2. May Aid In Digestive Issues Peppermint oil is used to safely relieve symptoms of IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. You can consume peppermint tea or use peppermint oil to reduce colonic spasms and gas. It can relax your intestinal muscles to allow gas to pass. It also eases your abdominal pain. If you’re having an upset stomach or indigestion, try drinking a cup of peppermint tea. 3. Peppermint May Help Relieve Muscle Pain Peppermint oil is a natural pain reliever and muscle relaxant. When it comes to relieving aching backs and sore muscles, it is beneficial. Additionally, it might make you more awake and even improve your performance. For this reason, some sportsmen use peppermint. 4. May Support The Gallbladder And Liver Drinking peppermint tea may help break down the small gallstones into smaller pieces. It may also stimulate the flow of bile from your gallbladder to your liver. 5. Peppermint May Promote Better Skin Care Because peppermint has relaxing and cooling properties, it can be applied topically to treat rashes, hives, and poison ivy. It can also be worthwhile to incorporate it into your normal beauty routine. Because peppermint has antibacterial and antiseptic characteristics, it can increase moisture, soften dry skin, and function as a cleaner. 6. May Help With Oral Health Using peppermint as mouthwash inhibits the formation of biofilm that is linked to dental cavities. It’s also used to freshen your breath and whiten your teeth. Peppermint has been seen to kill germs that can lead to bad breath. You can add a pinch of peppermint powder to your toothpaste when you brush your teeth to get this effect. Or you can just use toothpaste with peppermint. This is probably why most toothpaste companies have a peppermint version of the product. 7. Peppermint May Provide Better Sleep Since peppermint tea is inherently caffeine-free, it is a great choice before bed. Additionally, peppermint's ability to relax muscles may aid in your ability to unwind before sleeping. There is little scientific evidence to support the claim that peppermint tea promotes sleep. It is, however, a caffeine-free beverage that may help you relax before going to bed. 8. May Have Respiratory Benefits Peppermint seems to have decongestant and expectorant properties that can help clear your respiratory tract. You can either rub the oil on your chest or use a vaporizer to clear your clogged nose and relieve your symptoms of cough and cold. 9. Peppermint May Support Losing Weight Peppermint tea is a calorie-free beverage that can satisfy your sweet desire while also suppressing your appetite. It is therefore a wise decision if you're aiming to lose weight. More research on peppermint and weight loss is nonetheless required. 10. May Help Relieve Headaches Peppermint may have muscle-relaxing and pain-relieving qualities. These qualities can help with certain types of headaches. A study on people with migraines showed that applying peppermint oil on their foreheads reduced the pain after 2 hours. The comparison was compared to another group using a placebo oil. The aroma itself seems to have the ability to relax your muscles and relieve some of your headache pain. However, there are not many supporting scientific studies that prove this. 11. Peppermint May Improve Energy Using peppermint oil can help you with fatigue and daytime sleepiness. In a study conducted with young people taking cognitive tests, those who had peppermint experienced less fatigue. 12. May Assist With Menstrual Cramps There are many helpful benefits that the muscle-relaxing properties of peppermint can do. One of these is menstrual cramps. In a study with women having painful periods, the use of peppermint extract capsules showed the same effect as using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. The intensity and duration of the pain were reduced considerably. 13. Peppermint May Have Antibacterial Properties There are different studies that will tell you that peppermint can fight different types of bacteria that are related to contagious illnesses and food-borne illnesses. This effect was clearly shown in peppermint oil. More studies are needed if the same effect will do well with peppermint tea. There are also studies that say peppermint can reduce several types of bacteria that are commonly found in your mouth. 14. May Improve Concentration Drinking peppermint tea may help you enhance your alertness and memory which consequently improves your concentration. As mentioned earlier, this same study showed positive results where 24 people performed better in cognitive tests after they were given peppermint oil capsules. In another study, they noticed that peppermint oil was seen to have better memory and alertness effects compared to other popular essential oils. 15. Peppermint May Help Boost Immunity There is a study by Gokalp Is canon et al. that noticed menthol in peppermint has antimicrobial qualities that may help inhibit pathogens. Peppermint oil also contains antibacterial properties that may stop the growth of bacteria. Besides the two mentioned above, peppermint is also rich in nutrients that can boost your immune system. It contains B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. These nutrients help fight different kinds of diseases and are needed for your body to work properly. 16. May Lower Cholesterol Levels An animal study showed peppermint extract was able to lower bad or LDL cholesterol levels. Most of the studies similar to this are conducted on animals so more research should still be done it can have the same significant effect on humans. Speaking of lowering cholesterol levels, if you didn’t know, dandelion is a good flowering plant that does this well too. Here is my article about dandelion’s health benefits that you might want to read. 17. Peppermint May Be A Stress Reliever Peppermint leaves contain menthol which can act as a sedative and as a muscle relaxant. Drinking peppermint tea regularly may help you relieve some of that daily stress. 18. May Be A Natural Bug Repellant Peppermint’s scent seems to be irritable to certain bugs like cockroaches and mosquitoes. This makes it a good bug repellant. Conclusion These are just some of the health benefits of peppermint I’ve seen online. There are some more but there were too few details to include on the list. Peppermint is quite common and popular because of the oil, tea, and it, being an ingredient in gums and toothpaste. Its potential to lower the bad cholesterol levels is my health benefit pick for today. Although more studies are needed for this, it’s good to know that drinking regularly peppermint tea may help with my bad cholesterol. What’s your favorite peppermint health benefit on my list? Just like any of my other articles, you should first consult with your doctor or health professional before consuming peppermint for its health benefits or any other reason. If you’re looking for more culinary herbs with health benefits, you can also check my other articles here. I hope you get value from this article as I did. Thank you!