Peppermint is no newly discovered herbal remedy. In fact, peppermint tea benefits have been explored and exploited for over a thousand years.
A cross between watermint and spearmint, peppermint is easy to grow and relatively hardy. Best of all, it’s readily accessible in your garden or at your local farmer’s market.
We’re all familiar with the sweet aroma of mint, but you may be surprised at just how much power this potent little herb packs. It’s become so commonplace, it’s often overlooked as a powerful herbal tea.
Let’s put an end to all that here and now. Today, you’ll get the opportunity to take advantage of all peppermint tea’s health benefits. You can also learn more about how to use herbs as medicine here.
A Quick Summary of Peppermint Tea Benefits
This article is about peppermint tea’s unexpected benefits, but we think it’s important to recap the health benefits of this natural herbal benefits that you know and love.
The Lover’s Herb
For starters, it’s an amazing breath freshener. It’s no surprise that its active oil, menthol, is used in everything from mouthwash to chewing gum. Mint is in a large variety of breath-freshening products, and that’s not just due to tradition.
In fact, peppermint’s essential oils are antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial. Before the advent of dentist recommended toothpastes, or dentists at all, our European and Asian ancestors would chew peppermint to help fight bad-breath causing bacteria.
Instead of chewing a sugary stick of gum next time you go in for a kiss, chew fresh mint, or drink peppermint tea instead. Sugar only feeds the bacteria that causes plaque buildup and halitosis (bad breath). Fresh peppermint actually fights bacteria without leaving your mouth sticky.
Gastro-Intestinal De-Stress
Along with its nausea fighting cousin ginger, peppermint is renowned for its ability to relax the muscles in the stomach that cause nausea, bloating, excess gas, and diarrhea. This little leafy green has been shown to be an antispasmodic, easing the knots in your stomach.
If you didn’t already know, now you do. Carry fresh peppermint or peppermint tea with you to reduce nausea caused by motion sickness, the flu, or a bad date.
Now, 7 Unexpected Peppermint Tea Benefits
Now that we’ve covered the uses you’re familiar with, let’s take a look at some of the more surprising benefits of peppermint tea.
A note on the sources: peppermint tea has not been studied nearly as well as its extract. Menthol oil in particular has received much more attention than peppermint tea itself. However, as long as you steep your tea long enough, you should be able to get the same amazing peppermint tea benefits as are listed in this article.
Peppermint Tea Benefits Your Energy
An energy boost isn’t just due to the aromatic flare of peppermint. While it’s bright and intense, peppermint tea actually contains energy-boosting compounds.
A study using peppermint’s essential oil showed that the sweet aroma of peppermint tea reduced daytime fatigue.
We recommend drinking peppermint tea around two or three for an all-natural, totally safe pick-me-up.
It May Improve Your Focus
Peppermint tea doesn’t just keep you awake, it can actually improve your focus. It may cause synapses in the brain to fire more rapidly, improving cognition and focus.
A study of young, healthy adults showed improvement on a cognitive test after consuming peppermint oil capsules.
It’s an amazing, prescription-free way to increase the focus, especially for people who struggle handling details at work or school.
We believe in the power of peppermint tea so much that we’ve included it in our own blend of tea, Meditative State of Mind. Using a combination of stimulating yet calming peppermint, lavender, moringa, and chamomile, this herbal tea is meant to deepen internal connection and increase relaxation.
It’s Great For A Cold
Think about Vick’s vapor rub. If your mom used this on your chest as a child, you’re more than familiar with that nostril-clearing scent. It’s peppermint!
Next time you’re suffering from a sinus-clogging head cold, brew yourself a big, warm cup of peppermint tea. Not only will the minty-scent help clear your sinus, the warmth of the tea will help that frustrating mucus drain.
Moreover, remember that peppermint has antiviral and antibacterial properties. On top of that, it has antioxidants and small amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamin C, iron and vitamin A. Consuming this herbal remedy will alleviate your symptoms and may help boost your immune system while you’re at it.
Menstrual Cramps No More
Thanks to its antispasmodic abilities, peppermint tea benefits women who suffer from menstrual cramps. Compounds found in peppermint extract have been shown to reduce the intensity and duration of menstrual cramps.
This extract is present in peppermint tea, but perhaps in a smaller capacity. That’s why we recommend sipping a cup or two (or even three) of peppermint tea per day during your period. The side-effects are nil, especially when compared to anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, which can negatively impact your liver. The benefits are well worth it, too.
Upset Stomachs, Begone!
OK, so we touched on this above, but it’s certainly worth repeating. Peppermint does simply down wonders for tummy aches.
If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a painful disorder characterized by constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and excess gas, try drinking a couple cups of peppermint tea daily. While the cause of IBS is unknown, it appears that irregular contraction of the bowels is culprit of the pain.
Peppermint tea can calm and soothe the smooth muscles in your bowels, reducing some of the painful contractions.
In fact, in a study of 72 people with IBS, peppermint oil capsules reduced symptoms in 40% of people, compared to 24% of those who took a placebo oil.
And in a review of studies involving 2,000 children suffering from abdominal pain, peppermint oil was found to reduce the length and frequency of symptoms.
Because peppermint tea has such minimal side effects, it’s certainly worth trying to see how your stomach reacts.
Peppermint Tea Benefits Headaches
Migraine sufferers are always looking for something to help break the pain, of course. We understand how incredibly painful migraines can be.
We suggest trying peppermint tea because it has extremely minimal side effects (if any) and has been shown to reduce headaches. Even if you get stress and tension headaches, peppermint tea benefits headaches of all kinds.
The sweet aroma of menthol and the antispasmodic properties of the compounds in the tea leaves may help soothe and calm your throbbing head. By encouraging blood flow, menthol can help ease your pain. You may also want to add peppermint and lavender essential oil to your diffuser as you work through your headache.
Peppermint Tea Benefits for the Insomniac
Peppermint tea gives muscle relaxers a run for their money. Does it sound counterintuitive that peppermint can at once increase energy and yet also promote sleep? This little miracle plant may boost energy by helping reduce stress.
Think about this: stress is a common factor with both insomnia and headaches. Stress both keeps you up at night and makes you feel fatigued during the day. This reciprocal process is the ying to peppermint tea’s yang.
By calming the muscles and the mind, this mild relaxant will help put you to bed at night, may encourage sweet dreams, and having you wake up feeling rested and energized in the morning.
Enjoy Peppermint Tea Benefits: How to Brew
Making the perfect cup of peppermint tea is easy. We recommend making peppermint tea as opposed to only using essential oils as consuming the tea allows you to get the benefits of all the compounds in the leaf.
For people who really struggle with the above symptoms, you may want to try both!
How to Brew Peppermint Tea
- Boil 2 cups of water in a pot or kettle
- Add about 5 grams of dry or fresh peppermint leaves
- Let steep for 5 minutes
- Remove the leaves and let the tea cool to drinking temperature
- Sip slowly
You can drink up to 3 cups of peppermint tea per day safely. Consider starting off the day with a cup, drinking a cup around 3 o’clock for a pep-me-up, and enjoying a nightcap of peppermint tea to encourage relaxation before bed.
Feel free to add a little organic honey for extra sweetness.
