Peppermint is for so much more than just toothpaste
Peppermint, Mentha x piperita officinalis, is one of the most important remedial members of the Mentha genus, although it is actually a hybrid, which explains its vigorous growth, although even true species in this group tend to be invasive. Grow it in a big pot sunk into the ground, unless you want to be battling against its attempted takeover of your garden! If you would rather just grow it in a container, make sure you keep it well watered, as otherwise it will dry out and your plant will end up looking quite scraggy. There is the benefit that it’s easier to bring the plant indoors if your winters are very cold.
In most parts, peppermint will survive the winter perfectly well, just don’t be tempted to take more than a few leaves at a time when snow is on the ground. The minty taste is strong, and can be used for peppermint tea and for flavoring sweets and other confectionery. If you don’t have any other type of mint, you could also use it for mint sauce, although spearmint is the type generally used for this.
You may be surprised to learn that this common herb can sometimes cause an allergic reaction, and it is therefore considered not suitable for children when used as a herbal remedy.
Use the whole plant (including roots, if possible), chopped fairly finely, to make a standard infusion. Allow 3-4 teaspoons of fresh or 1-2 teaspoons dried herb to 1 cup of boiling water, leave to stand for about 10 minutes and strain. A dose of 1 or 2 cups a day (no more) can be used to treat colds and flu, digestive disorders such as indigestion, intestinal cramping, gastroenteritis and gastric ulcer, and to help relieve irritable bowel syndrome. It’s also useful to treat nausea, including morning sickness. The same infusion can be used (after it has cooled) as a lotion for itching skin and burns, and as an insect repellent.
Put a handful of chopped fresh herb (or about a tablespoonful of dried) into a large bowl of boiling water for use as a steam inhalation to help relieve catarrh, sinusitis and asthma. To use this you lean over the bowl, covering your head and the bowl with a towel to keep the steam inside, and inhaling the steam.
You can make a compress with chopped leaves mixed into a little hot water, wrapped in gauze. Use this to treat neuralgia and rheumatism by putting it onto the affected area and holding it in place until the herbs have cooled. Refresh by dipping it into hot water, squeezing out the excess, and replace. Do this several times, until you feel that enough benefit has been obtained from it.
It’s important that any herb used for herbal medicine is grown organically, so that you don’t end up giving yourself a huge dose of some chemical best left outside the body! For more information on other uses for this herb and how to grow organic peppermint, visit the Gardenzone.
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November 3rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
[...] least because once it has taken hold, it tends to spread as far as you let it. Like its cousin, the Peppermint, it’s best grown in a sunken pot or other container, making sure not to let it get too dry if [...]