Although mint is well-known for freshening your breath, many people do not know that the Mentha family includes over 25 species with hundreds of varieties. This herb has been used by people for hundreds of years because of its many medicinal properties. Here are a few of the health benefits of mint that you might not know about.
1. Memory Boost
According to a recent study, mint can help boost your memory retention, alertness, and overall cognitive function. The study focused on people that use chewing gum frequently, which has mint as the active ingredient. Those who chewed more gum had higher mental alertness and better memory retention than those who don’t. So, if you’re feeling a bit forgetful, try popping in a stick of gum.
2. Liver Function Boost
One of the symptoms of a low-functioning liver is a general feeling of sluggishness and malaise. However, mint can come in and boost your liver function and get it back up to working at full capacity so you can go back to feeling great.
3. Weight Loss
If you’re one of many people who are looking for easy ways to help boost your weight loss, consider increasing your mint intake. Mint can help you lose weight by stimulating your digestive tract to make more of the enzymes that absorb nutrients and help convert fat into energy. By adding some mint to your diet, especially before meals, you can help your body turn more of the fat you eat right into energy rather than letting your body store it.
4. Eliminate Acne
The juice of the mint leaves is what will help clear your skin and feel more refreshed. This is because mint is great at fighting infection, soothing your skin, and eliminating acne. There have also been studies that have indicated that mint juice can help reduce wrinkles. So, if you want an easy way to reduce acne and make your skin look younger, try some mint juice.
5. Reduce Pain
If you think about it, you’ll realize that a number of pain balms feature mint extract as one of the active ingredients. This is because mint extract has an immediate cooling effect which helps to numb the area and therefore decrease the pain. To reduce overall aches and pains, you can also inhale mint extract fumes which will help calm your entire body and soothe all of your nerves. This method also has shown to help with headaches and migraines.
6. Asthma and Allergy Prevention
One of the compounds found in mint is rosmarinic acid, a powerful antioxidant that has been found to block the leukotrienes which are responsible for producing allergies. Studies have found that this antioxidant is especially helpful with hay fever, and can also be helpful for people who are suffering from asthma.
7. Reduce Oral Infections
Many of the same reasons that mint is good for your face and skin are the same reasons that mint is great for oral infections. Mint is a natural antibacterial which will help you prevent tooth decay, destroy bad breath, and helps you keep your teeth and tongue cleaner, naturally. The best way to use mint to reduce oral infections is to simply chew on a couple of mint leaves every day.
8. Immune System Boost
Mint also has a ton of nutrients that will all help to boost your immune system. These nutrients include phosphorus, calcium, and vitamins B, C, D, and E. These all work together to boost your immune system by reducing infections and lowering inflammation. By boosting your immune system with mint, you can feel better overall.
9. Avoid Depression and Stress
Mint extract is one of the favorite extracts in aromatherapy to help reduce mental stress as well as depression. The fumes of mint extract help your mind and body to feel relaxed and calm because of the serotonin it causes your brain to release. One of the best ways to incorporate mint extract into your life to help beat depression and stress is to add some leaves to your hot bath or use a vaporizer with mint extract.
10. Breastfeeding
Although many women love being able to feed their children this way, they don’t love the damage it can do to their nipples and breasts. If you are breastfeeding, try mint oil as a way to reduce and heal nipple cracks and the pain that sometimes comes with breastfeeding.
11. Simply Delicious
On top of the many health benefits that mint has, it’s a delicious treat which makes it so easy to add to your daily routine. You can use it as a juice, fresh leaves, or in your food. Mint is easy to grow which makes it incredibly easy to have fresh mint on hand at all times for your taste buds and the rest of your body.
