By Constadina Zarokostas-Vasiliades
Published on October 26, 2013 at http://menopausemission.com/peppermint-keep-cool-healthy
Peppermint is a quick, healthy and easy way to keep cool, and provide some extra health benefits. Whether it’s a hot summer day and you are trying to stay cool, you’ve just finished a long walk or jog, or are suffering from hot sweats because you are pregnant or menopausal, check out these tips for using peppermint to improve your health.
It’s easy to grow a pot of peppermint outdoors or indoors, but if you don’t have peppermint, spearmint, or sweet mint handy in your home, you can either purchase one of these fresh at your grocery store or as a pure essential oil at your local health food store. Fresh cuttings from a plant is always best.
Spearmint
Just cut a couple of branches off the peppermint/mint/spearmint plant and place in a carafe of water and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least ten minutes. I prefer at least an hour. If there is no fresh clean water around, you can actually chew on fresh leaves to get the same cooling effect.
Pure essential peppermint oil is an easy alternative for fresh peppermint. Some people have been known to put three drops of it in a carafe of water, but if you are not comfortable with that put five drops of peppermint pure essential oil in a 4 ounce spray bottle. Shake it before spraying your neck, chest, forehead, and if you are daring and REALLY hot, go ahead and spray your face with your eyes closed.
You can also make a peppermint tea by putting one to two teaspoons of dried peppermint leaves per eight ounces of water, or one ounce of the herb in a pint of boiling water. Let it cool and place in the refrigerator. Drink when needed to cool off. Fresh lemon slices go quite nicely with it. Peppermint teabags are fine to use as well. Peppermint tea is a diaphoretic tea, which means peppermint promotes perspiration.
If you wet a wash cloth with water and put a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil on it, then place in a zip-lock bag and place it in the refrigerator. Have it ready for those times you get hot and then place on your forehead or neck when needed. You can also soak wash clothes in peppermint tea and place in zip-lock bags in the refrigerator until needed as well.
Other health concerns Peppermint can help relieve: Fevers, Nervous (Tension) Headaches, High blood pressure (Hypertension), Regular Headaches, Intestinal gas, Gallstones, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Morning Sickness, Influenza (LaGrippe), Coughs & Colds, Indigestion and Intestinal Colic.
Mineral benefits of Peppermint: Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Sodium & Iron.
NOTE: Spearmint and Sweet mint are not only in the same family as peppermint, but have the same effects on the body.
Photo images taken by: Constadina Zarokostas-Vasiliades at www.healthybalancedworld.com