Peppermint: 10 properties and health benefits of this plant

Certainly the best known properties of peppermint are aromatic and gastronomic. However, this plant has a large number of medicinal benefits that have been used for centuries.

In this article you will find several properties of peppermint, as well as some of the main characteristics of this plant.

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What is peppermint?

Peppermint is an aromatic plant of the genus Mentha. In fact, its scientific name is Mentha Spicata, which comes from the Latin "spica" and means "spear." It receives this name from the shape of its leaves, whose stem reaches 30 cm in height.

In the extract of its leaves are different natural chemical compounds that have important effects on our body. It is an easy-to-grow plant of European, Asian and African origin that has been used for several centuries, especially for its medicinal properties.

It is also a plant that can easily be acquired and added to the daily diet. Among the nutrients and minerals it contains are: fiber, vitamin A, magnesium, iron, and folate.

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10 properties of peppermint

Due to the many properties it possesses, mentha spicata has received the name of "peppermint". Among the most popular are its aromatic and gastronomic benefits, however, it also has many medicinal properties. We will see below which are the main ones.

1. Diabetes prevention

One of the properties that has been recently investigated is the activity of menthol in the regulation of lipids that circulate in the bloodstream. In experiments with rats with induced diabetes, the intake of peppermint extract reduced the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, which may indicate an important property of preventing diabetes.

2. Antioxidant activity

It helps regulate the cellular oxidation process, due to the bioactive substances present in mint leaves. This antioxidant action in turn allows prevent inflammation processes and, in a regular intake combined with other healthy lifestyles, it can help prevent chronic degenerative diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases).

3. Antispasmodic and analgesic effects

The intake and also the cutaneous use of peppermint oil has properties as a muscle relaxant. Turn this allows to dampen painful sensations, an issue that is attributed to the action of menthol. For this reason analgesic properties are recognized.

4. Antibacterial property

Peppermint has shown different modes of action in bacteria and eukaryotic cells, exhibiting different bactericidal properties. This may be due to the presence of phenolic components that act as pro-oxidants, which counteract the activity of bacteria. Also, one of the effects of mint leaves has been modulate the activity of the immune system, so it has been associated with an antiparasitic effect.

5. Favors digestion

Peppermint can be effective in relieving an upset stomach and indigestion. The latter are generally caused by the prolonged stay of food in the stomach, during its passage to the digestive tract.

In this sense, the intake of peppermint oil with meals it has been effective in increasing the speed of passage of food; which means that it favors their digestion.

6. Relieve irritable bowel symptoms

Another of the properties related to the previous point is the relief of the characteristic symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, for example stomach pain and excess gas. Menthol helps relax the muscles of the digestive tract, which helps alleviate some of these symptoms.

7. Relaxing properties

As with other natural infusions, peppermint has important properties as a psychological relaxant. This is so since it can cause a noticeable reduction in nervous tension after ingesting it in a hot tea. Likewise, menthol oil, used in the form of an ointment, has relaxing and refreshing properties. For the same reason it is used in important muscular tensions, as in the relief of cramps.

8. Burn relief

Related to the previous point, menthol oil ointment (especially when mixed with other elements such as olive oil) can relieve minor burns. This it is also related to its refreshing properties.

9. Relieve cold symptoms

Peppermint is often thought to have a decongestant property. In fact, several of the over-the-counter pharmaceutical treatments contain menthol, a primary extract of peppermint oil. However, menthol itself does not have a decongestant action. The relief effect is caused by the cooling sensation that peppermint causes when we inhale it.

10. Invigorating effect

Inhalation of peppermint essential oils has recently been linked to brain function, especially short-term information retention. It has also been proposed that improves alertness and reduces fatigue, so it could be considered an invigorating. However, more studies are necessary for these results to be conclusive.

Bibliographic references:

• Cristina, S., Pereira, A., Barbalho, S.M., and Landgraf, É. (2017). Properties of mentha piperita: a brief review. World Journal of Pharmaceutical and medical research, 3 (1): 309-313.
• 8 health benefits of mint. (2018). HealthLine. Retrieved October 12, 2018. Available in https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mint-benefits.