“These plants are particularly known for the cooling sensation they impart. They can be added to foods in both fresh and dried forms.” – Keith Pearson
People are always trying to find new and inventive ways to improve their health. Sometimes, though, some of the best things for our bodies have been right in front of our faces the entire time. Plants have been used for a long time to help improve our health, and they’re a simple and natural way to heal our bodies. “Mint” doesn’t describe just one type of plant.
In fact, mint is the name of a few different species of plants, though most people know about peppermint plants. Mint isn’t just used to flavor candies or other foods. Science has proven that mint has plenty of health benefits for your body. Like most plants, mint is usually used in different kinds of foods or products. When used, mint can be incredibly beneficial. Here are some of the best ways that you can use mint to help your body stay healthy.
Here Are 5 Impressive Benefits Of Mint For Your Health
1. Relieves indigestion
There’s a reason that things like GasX come in “mint” flavor! Mint has benefits for digestive problems like upset stomach and indigestion. If you have some issues with indigestion, you could try taking peppermint oil with your meals. Studies have shown that people who use peppermint oil to treat indigestion have improvements due to the food passing more quickly through the digestive tract.
According to a group of scientists, “This study showed that peppermint oil enhances gastric emptying, suggesting the potential use of peppermint oil in clinical settings for patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders.”
Next time you have indigestion, try using some peppermint oil to help out.
2. Lessens cold symptoms
Getting the common cold is one of the most annoying illnesses. It’s not particularly serious, but the symptoms can make you feel exhausted and poor for a few days. However, one of the most common cold treatments, menthol, can be found in peppermint oil. It may not make your cold shorter, but it can definitely help lessen the symptoms. Especially for a stuffed-up nose, menthol can make breathing a lot easier.
“Menthol has no effect on objective measures of flow but significantly increases the perception of nasal patency,” states a study on National Center for Biotechnology Information. Next time you have a cold and have trouble breathing, make sure to get some over-the-counter menthol to help you breathe easy.
3. Adds nutrients to your diet
Eating healthy can do wonders for your body. Thankfully, adding some mint to your diet can also have the same effect. Usually, you don’t want to eat mint in large servings. However, when adding small quantities of mint into your recipes, you can get a burst of added nutrients that you wouldn’t get otherwise.
“Mint is a particularly good source of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is critical for eye health and night vision. It is also a potent source of antioxidants, especially when compared to other herbs and spices,” says registered dietician Dr. Keith Pearson.
Tea with mint in it can be a great way to get mint in your body and enjoy those health benefits.
4. Improves brain function
Staying healthy is about more than just our bodies. We need to take care of our brains just as much as we take care of our physical health. While eating and drinking mint is good for our health, so is inhaling mint, especially in the form of peppermint oil. One study showed that inhaling the aroma of peppermint oil is good for memory.
Mint can also help reduce anxiety, which is another part of keeping your brain healthy. The next time you’re thinking of picking up some aromas, try some peppermint oil to help improve your brain function and keep the stress at bay.
5. Improves IBS
IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a pretty common disorder in the digestive tract. It can cause constipation, diarrhea, bloating, indigestion, and stomach cramps. It’s not fun, and most people try their hardest to control it. However, mint has been shown to help improve the symptoms of IBS in some patients.
A group of scientists have concluded that, “A 4 weeks treatment with peppermint oil improves abdominal symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.”
For IBS, change in diet is usually the first thing people turn to in order to manage the symptoms. While mint won’t cure IBS, it has been shown to help relieve the symptoms due to the relaxing of the digestive tract. If you have IBS and suffer from uncomfortable symptoms, try some peppermint tea to see if it will help.
Final thoughts
Science has found that mint is incredibly good for our bodies. It can do so much for our digestive tract, add nutrients to our bodies, and help our brains function at 100%. There are plenty of ways to use mint in your recipes, in your drinks, or just using its aroma to help your body and boost your health.
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