Health Benefits of Spearmint Tea: Main Diseases Treated and Side-Effects

mint

Spearmint (Mentha Spicata), also known as garden mint, is a commonly cultivated herb, native to Europe and Asia.

Mint is an herb that has a relaxant effect and provides with a soothing scent.

It’s even mentioned in St. Matthew’s Gospel as a tithe plant, which means it has been cultivated for at least two thousand years

Spearmint is used in many products as a flavoring, such as toothpaste, chewing gum, and various candies. It is also used as an ingredient in a high number of food dishes, such as mint sauce.

Spearmint is sometimes used to flavor sweet iced tea, a traditional drink in the Southern States. It is also used in Moroccan mint tea (also known as “Tuareg tea”), together with green tea.

However, a spearmint “herbal tea” could be made without using any actual tea at all, in which case it’s caffeine-free. Commercial “mint teas” can contain either peppermint or spearmint.

Sometimes they contain real tea; sometimes they don’t, so look carefully at the list of ingredients. The combination of herbal teas, such as chamomile and spearmint, are also commercially available.

It has a scented and aromatic, soothing smell, and its flavor resembles a very soft and sweet mint.

It is an herb that has been used since antiquity, combines well with other herbs and is widely used in the kitchen to prepare and prepare stews, desserts, and drinks.

Its active components (or essential oils) are 70% free and combined menthol, menthone, phellandrene, lemon.

Like all the plants in the mentha family, this is rich in menthol, and saturated alcohol found in its oils and which is highly valued for its antispasmodic, antiseptic, analgesic properties and many more.

Spearmint tea can be made with either the leaves or flowers of the plant or with both.

The chopped leaves of the herb should remain in boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Some health benefits have been associated with spearmint tea.

Reducing Abnormal Hair Growth in Women (Hirsutism)

Some women grow hair on their face, breasts, and stomach, due to excess levels of “masculine” hormones (androgens).

Turkish scientists found that drinking spearmint tea could decrease the level of free testosterone (an androgen hormone) while increasing the level of the female hormone estradiol.

Further work is needed to see whether the changes in hormone levels give a real reduction in the amount of hair.

Acne

Drinking spearmint tea can mitigate the symptoms of acne. It is usually found to be most successful with adolescent girls and young women.

The anti-androgen properties of spearmint tea probably cause the decrease in acne symptoms. Spearmint tea may also decrease the oiliness of the skin in adolescent girls and young women.

We should recall the soothing and emollient benefits. Spearmint serves as an anti-irritant on the skin redness, are caused by scratches, stings or small strokes.

But you must know how to prepare it to avoid side effects. Your doctor can help you with this.

Indigestion

Spearmint has been used as a remedy for indigestion. Nicolas Culpeper, writing in the 17th century, stated that spearmint was “useful in disorders of the stomach.”

Spearmint tea has been recommended to deal with bloating, flatulence, and general indigestion.

It is a mild remedy, suitable for children as well as adults. Many commercial indigestion treatments contain spearmint.

Nervous problems

Spearmint tea is calming and can help relieve stress, headaches, and fatigue. People who drink too much coffee can find the caffeine gives them headaches or makes them irritable.

Switching to spearmint tea (choose a brand that contains no green tea) will relieve these symptoms.

Arthritis

A recent study showed that spearmint tea could relieve the symptoms of knee arthritis.

Tea from a particular variety of spearmint that was high in rosmarinic acid was more effective than ordinary spearmint tea.

Colds

Spearmint tea is a soothing drink, which can help alleviate the symptoms of colds.

The fresh feeling that promotes menthol makes the mucosa more fluid, which helps to reduce nasal congestion.

Hence, preparing a good peppermint tea could be used for the discomfort of a cold. There are those who claim to possess properties to reduce throat irritation.

Minerals, Vitamins, and Antioxidants

Spearmint tea is rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. All of these are essential minerals.

Spearmint is an excellent source of vitamins, although some may be partially destroyed during the tea-making process.

Spearmint tea contains a variety of antioxidant compounds, which contribute to general good health.

To lose weight

Menthol combined with camphor is mixed to formulate cosmetics for cryotherapy, reducing gels, or anti-cellulite cold cream. The purpose is to eliminate the excess of fatty acids that are in the adipocytes.

For headaches

Some doctors claim that peppermint tea can be an excellent natural remedy to alleviate headaches.

However, you can reduce the tension that these pains entail by applying peppermint oil through gentle, circular massages.

On the other hand, you can inhale the essence of menthol to feel the instant freshness. We remember that they are palliative remedies, in no case curative.

For Halitosis

Antimicrobial products can combat bad breath and provide with freshness in the mouth. Menthol is used for this purpose, and as it is the primary active principle present in peppermint, you can chew some clean leaves or use some rinse that contains it. An infusion might help you. Also, this protects the teeth and gums against microbial infections.

Side-Effects

Side-effects of drinking spearmint tea are rare. A few people notice stomach aches or diarrhea, in which case it’s best not to take the tea anymore.

Calming but invigorating, Spearmint is one of many varieties of the well-known mint family.

Although the peppermint was used more in the early times of the Greeks and Romans, it became famous throughout the eighteenth century as a use for the aid of the stomach and, prior to that, during the Middle Ages, was used to refresh the breath and bleach teeth.

While you can use this aromatic plant in a high amount of delicious recipes, you will maximize the virtues of spearmint if you consume it in infusion.