Pennyroyal mint: properties and benefits of this infusion

There is nothing more satisfying than having a cup of hot tea after a busy day or in search of a moment of disconnection, either in the morning, in the afternoon or at night, hot infusions have that power to relax us that it is simply impossible to escape.

Can you imagine the scene? You come home in search of peace, you look for the ingredients that you enjoy the most, you heat water and let it rest in it, then you sit on your couch - and you can even bring some cookies - to enjoy!

The best thing is that all infusions provide us with great benefits to our health, from protecting the immune system to filling our body with nutrients and minerals. So, in addition to having a hypnotic aroma and delicious taste, the infusions become a natural medicine that is not to consume more every day, since it becomes a great ally to the maintenance and reinforcement of the functions of the organism.

Many herbal teas are popular with home or natural recipes, but in this case we will talk about pennyroyal mint, its properties and benefits that it can bring to your health. Do you dare to meet them?

What is pennyroyal?

Also known as pennyroyal, mentha pulegium or simply pennyroyal, it is one of the best known species of the genus of herbs. Menthas, have serrated-edged leaves, rhizomatous roots and small lilac flowers that grow between the leaves and the stem. It is one of the oldest plants used to alleviate various ailmentsmost commonly, gastrointestinal complaints and respiratory problems; It was even so popular that it was highly recommended by the Emperor Charlemagne.

Another of its best known uses is as a natural repellent for mosquitoes and insects, making it ideal for planting next to a garden or orchard. Although we must make a clarification at this point and it is about the use of pennyroyal essential oil, which is recommended as an antiseptic, anti-scar and anti-inflammatory, but with which you must be careful in its use, since it has a toxic ingredient (pulegone) and that can cause damage.

Pennyroyal peppermint: properties and benefits for your health

But then, how does the infusion of pennyroyal benefit us? Well then you will know all its uses.

1. Improves digestion

As we have already mentioned before, one of the greatest benefits that pennyroyal is known for is by improving the function of the digestive system. This is because, thanks to its phytochemical components, it enhances the segregation of bile substances, favoring the digestion of food and that there are no toxic remains that can damage our organ and lead to other major problems of the stomach.

So drinking a pennyroyal infusion on a regular basis will help you have a more effective digestion and therefore a healthier stomach.

• It may interest you: "10 foods rich in fiber (to combat constipation)"

2. Reduce gases

Another benefit of pennyroyal, which derives from improving digestion, is the ability to reduce gas accumulated in it. Since its assets have antispasmodic effects and thus, it is possible to reduce any type of stomach upset. What prevents the abdominal area from suffering from swelling, pain or discomfort.

3. Promotes intestinal transit

Another benefit in the gastrointestinal system is the great help that this plant has on intestinal transit, due to that increases and facilitates the expulsion of bile, which is essential for proper digestion and therefore, an evacuation without problems. Why is it necessary to have a proper evacuation?

Because, if there is not a good evacuation of the remains of the processed food, these can get trapped in the walls of the intestine and with the passage of the time and interaction with the bacteria of the intestines, they are transformed into dangerous toxins that generate diseases and disorders in the system gastrointestinal.

4. Helps breathing

Another of the most common benefits of pennyroyal for a long time is that it improves the problems related to respiration, due to two important conditions of its menthol active: expectorant and decongestant effects. So it is ideal to take an infusion of this during an episode of flu, since it helps to expel the mucus trapped in the lungs, while cleaning the airways to be able to breathe better.

5. Contributes to relaxation

But not only pennyroyal is ideal for treating respiratory or gastrointestinal problems, but it also has relaxing effects for our body and our mind. Why? Because it has mild doses of sedatives that help reduce brain activity and muscle tension. Therefore, it is highly recommended to reduce stress, anxiety, nervousness and to combat insomnia problems, guaranteeing instead a restful sleep.

6. Increases appetite

Would you think that an herb that helps eliminate the rest of digested food and relaxes the body could also increase the appetite? Well, this is another of the properties of pennyroyal, which can help people who have problems eating because it seems that their appetite is asleep.

Many people in times of stress and depression tend to lose their appetite because they feel that their throat closes or that their stomach is not able to store large amounts of food. That is why by taking pennyroyal infusions to reduce anxiety, people can relax their body to the point that they wake up the appetite again.

7. Increase sweating

How does sweating a lot benefit us? Many underestimate the power of activating sweating or exudation in the human body, when it actually has more benefits than cons. When we sweat, the body eliminates toxins and dead cells, helps eliminate fat, as well as regulates the natural temperature of the body and even helps reduce fever.

8. Prevents infections

Pennyroyal also has antiseptic properties and therefore can be used to clean and disinfect small or shallow wounds, to prevent them from becoming infected and becoming a major problem. In the same way, it prevents internal infections from being generated in the body as a result of some disease. since it has the ability to fight bacteria, fungi and parasites.

9. Fight fungi

As well as having properties that prevent infections in the body, it also has antifungal and antifungal active ingredients. parasiticides, which reduces the appearance of skin, vaginal and internal fungi, as well as its fight against remove them. So you can take infusions or soak a cotton ball to place it on fungi to eliminate them and improve the regeneration process.

10. Helps regulate the menstrual cycle

Does it also help with menstrual period? That's right, do you remember that we mentioned earlier that pennyroyal has antispasmodic effects? Well, this effect not only benefits us in the reduction of stomach discomfort product of the gases, but favors the reduction of muscle spasms caused by colic menstrual. Likewise, it helps to relax the muscles of the belly and reduce pain.

However, we can also emphasize that pennyroyal benefits with the regulation of blood flow during menstruation, which is why it favors both women who suffer from heavy flows, and those who have periods irregular.

11. Promotes blood circulation

There are people who have problems with the blood circulation of their body, either because they have some type of obstruction such as by the swelling of the veins, which causes fatigue, muscle aches and the development of varicose veins or diseases cardiovascular One of the benefits of this herb is that it improves blood flow, since it has anticoagulant effects, which helps to better dilute the substances present in it.

12. Helps with headaches

This is due both to its relaxing properties and to the increase in blood circulation, relieving headaches and preventing migraines. This is because one of the reasons that headaches are generated is due to the tension in the blood flow and the pressure generated in the muscle.

13. Improve breath

There are those who claim that chewing pennyroyal leaves helps improve mouth breath, especially those who suffer from halitosis (bad breath caused by bacteria).

14. Contains vitamins and minerals

The greatest benefit that we can find in natural herbs is that they have an amazing amount of nutrients that They help improve our own immune system, provide us with energy and increase our own sources of nutrients. So we can have a more resistant skin, better cell regeneration, prevent diseases and maintain more strength to avoid fatigue in general from day to day.

More specifically, in the case of pennyroyal, it has vitamins of group B and vitamin A and C, so we can have a very complete set of vitamin protection for our body.