Mint Plant

mint-plant

FEEL RELIEVED WITH MINT

Hey people, it’s wellnesday.

Today we would be talking about your health and well-being. Since you already know we care about your well-being, take your time to follow through till the end. There might be something for you.

Mint, I’m sure you’ve heard about it either as a sweet, candy, or composition of other products. It is a common material that we use daily but did you that it is gotten from a plant called MINT. It can be planted in your garden and is highly beneficial to your health.

Well, I’m here to make you shed more light on mint plants and their benefits

What is Mint?

Mint belongs to the Lamiaceae family (mentha spp.), they are one of the easiest and most popular herbs to grow. They are hardy perennials (herbaceous) with vigorous growth habits, have a nice scent, tiny purple, pink or white flowers with a fruity aromatic taste, and spreads via rhizomes on their own. That is why they should be planted in a place where they can spread freely and be monitored in order not to cause a nuisance.

Mint is one of the rich sources of potassium, iron, and manganese which improves hemoglobin level and brain function.

Mints can serve as flavorful herbs in the kitchen and as ground covers in the yard. The strong scent keeps the deer from eating them, the leaves are packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients and contain vitamin B-complex, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus. It has anti-bacterial properties; its leaves are low in calories and contain little amount of fat and proteins.

Mint contains 15 to 20 plant species, including peppermint and spearmint. It is a popular herb that can be used fresh or dried in many dishes and infusions. Most manufacturers of gum, toothpaste, candy, and beauty products often use mint oil.

 

VARIETIES OF MINT

There are more than 600 species and cultivars of mint, here are some of the cultivars:

Apple mint (Msuaveolens): Stiff stems that grow 20 to 30 inches high; round, green-gray leaves 1 to 4 inches long are slightly hairy; purplish-white flowers on 3-inch spikes.

Golden apple mint (M.x gracilis): Smooth, deep green leaves variegated with yellow. The plant grows to 2 feet tall, and they are used to flavor foods.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata): Dark green toothed leaves are slightly smaller than those of peppermint with a crinkly look and feel. The plant grows to 2 feet high and is used fresh or dried to flavor food. This is the most popular mint for culinary use.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita): The plant grows to 3 feet high and has strongly scented dark green toothed and pointed leaves to 3 inches long with purple flowers. Leaves give a cooling sensation in the mouth and throat; use to flavor sweets.

Corsican mint (Mrequienii): A small creeping plant that grows about 1-inch-high round leaves are slightly hairy and gray-green, about 1 to 4 inches long; purple-white flowers.

Horsemint (M.longifolia): Oval, hairy leaves; aromatic.

Pennyroyal (Mpulegium): Low grower with downy, oval leaves that are not more than ½ inch long; small, rosy lilac flowers bloom in late summer and fall; leaves can be toxic in large amounts.

Water mint (aquatic): Round to oval leaves; strop peppermint fragrance.

Orange bergamot mint (M. x citrata): Grows to about 2 feet tall and wide and has dark green, 2-inch leaves that are edged with purple. They taste and smell like oranges; flowers are lavender growing in dense spikes.

 

HEALTH BENEFIT OF MINT

Boost Immunity: Mint is full of antioxidants and vitamins to help improve your immunity. The plant-based form of the vitamin helps protect your cells from damage by scavenging free radicals that can cause damage to organ tissue, helping reduce your risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

It helps with asthma and allergies: The leaves contain a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent called rosmarinic acid. This agent blocks allergy-producing compounds, helping people suffering from allergies and asthma.

Anti-inflammatory: It contains phytonutrients with antioxidant-like properties, which may reduce cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. The primary anti-inflammatory compounds of mint may limit the initiation of chronic inflammation.

Mint helps in weight loss: They play an essential role in weight loss as they are low in calories and contain little amounts of fats and proteins. Its leaves promote digestion and also boost metabolism to help in losing weight.

It helps to ease morning sickness and nausea: it is an excellent remedy to treat nausea. It is also effective for treating nausea that happens in morning sickness.

Mints help in breastfeeding pain: Breastfeeding mothers do experience cracked and sore nipples which do make breastfeeding difficult and painful. Studies show that applying mint oil helps to ease pain, heal soreness and cracked nipple.

Improves brain power: It could also help raise your brainpower, it could also increase retention, alertness, and cognitive functions.

Mint is also good for oral health, it helps to give you a cool and long-lasting fresh breath.

You need to be healthy to be productive, so consider taking mint or products made from mint regularly.

Your health is our concern, stay healthy!