If you’ve ever chewed on freshly plucked mint leaves, then you probably realize that there aren’t many flavors quite as bold and refreshing as mint. God gave us so many little plants to enjoy — and what’s even better is that they can improve our lives health-wise.
Science research has uncovered previously unknown facts about how mint leaves can help improve our health, so today I’ll share some of the top health benefits of mint leaves…
1. Mint Helps Limit Allergic Reactions
Unfortunately, many people are affected by allergic reactions. Many of these reactions are caused by sensitivity to pet wastes, dander, extremely small organisms like dust mites, and the list goes on.
When ingested, mint leaves have the ability to reduce some of the symptoms of allergy by reducing inflammation in the areas associated with the reaction. Once the inflammation goes down, you will experience some relief.
This benefit also makes mint leaves great for coughs and other issues that can be aggravated by harsh, sudden contractions of the muscles in the surrounding area.
2. Mint Helps Arrest Spastic Muscles
When your throat is red and irritated, the muscles around the neck and chest can become sore from the act of coughing that’s been brought on by initial irritations and inflammation along the esophagus. You’ve probably noticed that your throat and chest become very tired and sore after an entire day of coughing, so this is how mint leaves came into beneficial usage.
Hundreds of years ago, people discovered that mint leaves have the ability to reduce inflammation, as well as the ability to calm spastic activity in muscles. This in turn will help prevent the resulting inflammation that further exacerbates the problem. Today, herbs like mint are tied very closely with hot drinks like tea.
3. Mint Helps Fight the Effects of Colds
When you catch a typical cold, there are so many individual effects that influence how sick you feel. Irritations, soreness, difficulties breathing, and overactive mucus production are just a few of the immensely inconvenient symptoms that you could experience, but the introduction of mint leaves can help soothe away a major portion of most annoying effects caused by illness.
When the mint leaves work to reduce swelling, you will be more comfortable and able to rest. This will lead to decreased disturbances in your chest and throat. The activity that is involved in coughing uncontrollably is a major waste of energy, and places a huge strain on your system, which makes you more susceptible to sinking further into illness. Of course, the last thing you want would be to have trouble resting and getting a good night of sleep.
4. Mint Keeps Your Mouth Healthy
The human mouth contains a vast array of bacteria that’s used to help digest food and send signals to various systems in your digestive tract. Sometimes the type of bacteria that resides in the mouth can become imbalanced, making the mouth a breeding ground for bad bacteria that can cause illness.
A really good way to combat these types of situations would be to find a more natural means of limiting the growth of harmful bacteria, and introducing something that can assist the helpful bacteria increase in population.
Mint leaves are an excellent way to achieve oral health balance because they can naturally clean and help protect your mouth. Adding mint leaves to your drinks and keeping fresh sprigs around to chew on can help change the pH of your mouth and make it more hospitable to the helpful bacteria as well.
The natural scent of mint leaves can help instantly freshen your breath without adding harsh acidic sugars to the mix. Chewing mint leaves also help provide an easy environment in which the mouth can make repairs.
5. Mint Improves Labored Breathing
When you’re sick with a severe cold, one of the very worst consequences is when your breathing passages get blocked off by swelling and inflammation of different types. This can make daily activities and even sleep a terrible ordeal.
This cyclic issue will compound the issue because you’re likely to get even more unhealthy in your weakened state, but a great way to combat the breathing issues is to ingest or chew a large portion of mint.
Due to the anti-inflammatory nature of mint leaves, the reddened and swollen areas inside your respiratory system are likely to be soothed within a very short time of ingesting some fresh mint.
One great way to get these benefits would be to add some fresh mint to your tea. The hot liquid and vapor can be extremely penetrating and effective.
6. Mint Has Essential Vitamins and Minerals
Herbs are amazing plants on multiple levels. Not only do mint leaves add massive amounts of flavor to favorite dishes of the world and grant fresh breath to those who eat it, they also give people some of the very important trace minerals that aid in the development of the human body.
>> Phosphorus, iron, calcium are among the most well-known, along with vitamins C and A, which are ultra-important for the repair and growth of skin cells.
These vitamins and minerals also make up some parts of the cell walls in your circulatory system, which is absolutely important for living. Fresh mint is more popular than ever, and consuming it means having a healthier body, so find foods that complement the flavor of mint to gain maximum benefits.
7. Mint Can Improve Digestion
Do you ever get stomach aches after dinner? Some people have suffered from a sensitive stomach all of their lives, and this can be very difficult for those who are planning to gather at family functions or special dinners for their job.
If you are a person who suffers from a digestive disorder, then you know the careful planning that has to come into play
around those types of events because a careless dining experience could possibly end your enjoyable night and leave you wishing that you had just stayed home.
Mint leaves contain a few different agents that can help soothe the stomach and digestive tract in very effective ways. This can help prevent the bloating and painful reaction that can sometimes occur due to various intolerances that have arisen over time. This is especially true for people who suffer from the types of gastrointestinal changes that take
place later in life.
8. Mint Can Help with Weight Loss
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, then you know how challenging that it can be. One way to help set yourself up for a successful weight loss would be to make sure that you’re drinking plenty of teas. One great tea for weight loss is mint tea, and it leaves you smelling fresh.
The usefulness of tea has been well documented by science, so you can be assured that adding a cup of tea each day will definitely help you to get where you want to go in your health goals.
Another strategy would be to pair mint with other foods that are known for improving health such as lemons. You can try making an infused water with lemon wedges and mint. This is a classic way to get the body ready for a new healthy course and make it easier for you to lose weight in a healthy, natural way.
Tip! I’ve been successful losing and maintaining weight though using Trim Healthy Mama
9. Mint Can Help Improve Memory
Have you forgotten anything today? The human mind is a complex network of stored experiences and emotions that make up who we are. Massive amounts of research on memory and how it can be influenced has been collected over the last few years, and science has discovered that mint leaves have the ability to help increase recall, and improve the way that memories are stored.
If you’ve been having trouble remembering things, then you could try keeping some mint plants around with some fresh cuts to chew on. Maybe that will give you the extra needed boost to keep your mind more focused, help you pass a test, or keep important things on your mind.
10. Mint Can Boost Liver Support
When you’re feeling tired all of the time, and you don’t have the energy to do your normal everyday tasks, it could mean that you are having some serious issues with your metabolic functions. The liver is the center of many of these processes that help you feel energized, so taking good care of your liver is essential.
Mint leaves contain several important vitamins and minerals that allow your body to be able to properly repair itself. When your liver is working better, you’ll be feeling a lot better. Ingesting fresh mint is good way to boost repairs, allowing your liver to function better.
11. Mint Repels Some Flying Insects
Flying insects like mosquitoes and other pests can be a big nuisance and make you feel miserable. Some flying insects can even carry terrible diseases that lead to lifelong illnesses. It would make sense then, that you would do everything in your power to protect both you and your family from what could potentially be a life-threatening situation.
Even without considering the harmful diseases, who wants to be bitten every time they walk out their door? It turns out that mint is a plant that gives off a smell that is unpleasant to mosquitoes. The only catch is that in order for it to have maximum potency, you have to get it in the form of an essential oil. The next best thing would be to cut it and rub it’s
juices directly onto the surface of your skin.
12. Mint May Help You Cope with Depression
Depression is a very difficult issue for people all over the world. It affects a large portion of both adults and children. Every experience of each person is completely their own, so treating the difficulties of depression are very tough due to the extremely personal nature of each person who is suffering with this issue.
Some of those things that stimulated cheerfulness in our ancestors are still good for us today. Mint is one of the few plants that gives off a scent that deploys a connection in the brain and can produce positive feelings. Studies have suggested that keeping mint around can improve your moods by a noticeable degree.
13. Mint Can Help Alleviate Gas and Bloating
Most people have had an embarrassing experience involving flatulence (my discreet word). Some foods can cause a person to become swollen with gas. This can lead to the sudden and uncontrolled expulsion of these gases, which can be very unpleasant for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught nearby.
If you’ve ever hoped to find a natural alternative to help avoid these situations, then mint might be your answer. Consuming mint can help prevent the production of methane gas because it stimulates the production of gastric juices. Eating an actual sprig of mint will most likely be productive for reducing gas and unsightly bloating. Simply pluck a healthy part of the plant and chew it up and swallow.
14. Mint Can Help With Pain Management
Have you even had a small cut that just makes you want to cry? In ancient times, people who had access to mint frequently used it on small cuts and scrapes for pain relief.
Mint also has some antibacterial agents that help prevent some small infections. Studies have also shown that mint can actually limit pain response. They’ve even discovered that ingesting it has some pain relieving effects as well.
What else can you think of that can be done with mint? Do you have a favorite recipe that you make with mint? Please share with us. 🙂
