What are the benefits of Mint and mint tea?

The leaf, fresh or dried, is the culinary source of mint. Fresh mint is usually preferred over dried mint when storage of the mint is not a problem. The leaves have a pleasant warm, fresh, aromatic, sweet flavor with a cool aftertaste. Mint leaves are used in teas, beverages, jellies, syrups, candies, and ice creams. In Middle Eastern cuisine mint is used on lamb dishes. In British cuisine, mint sauce is popular with lamb.



Mint is a necessary ingredient in Touareg tea, a popular tea in northern African and Arab countries.



Alcoholic drinks sometimes feature flavor of mint, namely the Mint Julep and the Mojito. Crème de menthe is a mint-flavored liqueur used in drinks such as the grasshopper.



Mint essential oil and menthol are extensively used as flavorings in breath fresheners, drinks, antiseptic mouth rinses, toothpaste, chewing gum, desserts, and candies; see mint (candy) and mint chocolate. The substances that give the mints their characteristic aromas and flavors are menthol (the main aroma of Peppermint, and Japanese Peppermint) and pulegone (in Pennyroyal and Corsican Mint). The compound primarily responsible for the aroma and flavor of spearmint is L-carvone.



Methyl salicylate, commonly called "oil of wintergreen", is often used as a mint flavoring for foods and candies due to its mint-like flavor.



Mints are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Buff Ermine.





[edit] Medicinal and cosmetic

Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains. During the Middle Ages, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth. Mint tea is a strong diuretic. Mint also aids digestion.



Menthol from mint essential oil (40-90%) is an ingredient of many cosmetics and some perfumes. Menthol and mint essential oil are also much used in medicine as a component of many drugs, and are very popular in aromatherapy.



A common use is as an antipruritic, especially in insect bite treatments (often along with camphor).



Menthol is also used in cigarettes as an additive, because it blocks out the bitter taste of tobacco and soothes the throat.[citation needed]



Many people also believe the strong, sharp flavor and scent of Mint can be used as a mild decongestant for illnesses such as the common cold.



In Rome, Pliny recommended that a wreath of mint was a good thing for students to wear since it was thought to "exhilarate their minds". Some modern research suggests that he was right.[citation needed]





[edit] Insecticides

Mint leaves are often used by many campers to repel mosquitoes. It is also said that extracts from mint leaves have a particular mosquito-killing capability.



Mint oil is also used as an environmentally-friendly insecticide for its ability to kill some common pests like wasps, hornets, ants and cockroaches.

What are the benefits of Mint and mint tea?
Mint is a herb and so pure mint tea does'nt contain caffeine.Quite often mint is consumed after meals as the oils stimulate the flow of bile to the stomach and helps relieve gas pains.Mint sweetens the breath and calms the digestive system, plus it helps heartburn, stomach ache and nausea.

Mint contains B vitamins, calcium and potassium.



Mint is known to contain a phytonutrient called perillyl alcohol, which has been shown in studies on animals to prevent the formation of colon, skin and lung cancer.



You have to take care to cover the preparation while mint tea is steeping. This prevents the valuable volatile oils from evaporating.

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