How Apple Mint Can Heal

Apple mint, like many other members of this genus, is often used as a domestic herbal remedy, being valued especially for its antiseptic properties and its beneficial effect on digestion. Like other members of the genus, it is best not used by pregnant women because large doses can cause an abortion. A tea made from the leaves of most mint species has traditionally been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, digestive disorders and various minor ailments. The leaves are harvested as the plant comes into flower and can be dried for later use. The essential oil in the leaves is antiseptic, though it is toxic in large doses.

Powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth. Mint tea is a strong diuretic. Mint also aids in digestion, in a way it breaks down the fats. In the recent years, it has been often recommended for treating obesity. It was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains. It is commonly used in the form of tea as a home remedy to help alleviate stomach pains.

A common use is as an antipuritic, especially in insect bite treatments often along with camphor. Mint essential oil is also much used in medicine as a compound of many drugs. The strong, sharp flavor and scent of mint is sometimes used as a mild decongestant for illnesses such as the common cold.

For medicinal purposes, the plant leaves are used. It is gathered in the blossom time, left in the sun for a few hours and dried in a windy, cool place then stored in wooden boxes. The plant also generates ethereal oil with its main component – menthol, which is also used for medicinal purposes. The mint has been known by mankind for a long, long time. During the receptions in Ancient Rome, the reception hall was flavored with mint water. The tables were cleaned with mint flowers. In the medieval time, the mint was thought to stimulate the brain. The students were suggested to wear mint leaves. Avicenna has been widely using mint for headache, melancholia, sight weakness, noise in ears, nose bleeding, bad smell, ulcer, toothache, quinsy, breath problems, asthma, cough, stomach inflammations, pains, vomit and others.

American doctors, too, know mint as a good medicinal plant. Mkhitar Heratsi has used the domestic and wild variety as restorative and anesthetic mean as well as against diarrhea and vomits. Heratsi also mentions the fever reducing quality of apple mint in case of high temperature diseases. Examining the qualities of mint more deeply, Amirdovlat said that mint is good for headache, eliminates garlic and onion scent in the mouth, helps the excessive heart beat, smoothens the stomach function and cures jaundice.