Herbs we love: Peppermint
In this month’s herb blog, our Brand Ambassador, Tipper Lewis, shares her knowledge of peppermint and the ways it can support wellbeing all year round.
What is Mint?
Mint is a large family growing all over the world, as part of the lamiaceae family they characteristically have square stems, that combined with the strong minty aroma when you crush the leaves makes it easy to identify.
There’s a lot of folklore about Mint, Greek mythology tells stories of nymphs being turned into mint plants after jealous queens find out about their husbands wandering eyes. On a more substantial level mint has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1000BC, and surprisingly mint was bought to Britain by Roman soldiers on their long marches through Europe.
Mint: combining flavors
Today, I’m talking about one member of this extended family, Peppermint or Mentha piperita. It must be one of the easiest herbs to grow, I have huge pots of it going up the steps into my garden, it’s a lovely daily ritual to wander outside, pick a handful of fresh mint stems, look at what’s new and then steep them in freshly boiled water in my big china teapot. Nothing beats the aroma as you pour it into a cup and inhale the fresh, clean, uplifting aroma, it certainly clears the cobwebs away.
Mint is easy and delicious combined with other herbs, depending on what benefit you want, here are three of my favorite combinations, in summertime these are fresh herbs picked from the garden, but in winter or if you don’t have an outside space dried herbs are brilliant.
Lemon balm, lemon verbena, rosemary and mint is my daily mid-morning blend. It’s light, fresh, crisp, clearing and energizing, perfect for a restorative mind break.
Fennel seed, chamomile, lemon balm and peppermint is a delicious post dinner brew, soothing, calming and naturally supporting our digestion.
Chamomile, lavender, lemon balm and peppermint is a good all-round tea, helping you unwind but also feel revived, I love the way mint balances out the more sedative herbs like chamomile and lavender.
Mint is happy in a partly sunny to shady spot, it’s best grown in a large pot because it sends out runners, which can quickly take over a large area, and as long as you keep picking to prevent it from flowering you’ll have mint all summer long, and if it does flower – well its beautiful and loved by pollinators, sprigs work wonderfully in a bunch of flowers, adding aroma as well as beauty.
Dried mint is always in my tea cupboard because it’s so useful to support wellbeing throughout the seasons. If you’re new to herbal teas or find many taste unappealing peppermint is a good place to start because it tastes great alone and lifts combinations.
The minty taste is due to menthol, in winter this is helpful to clear when we’re bunged up or our head feels stuffy, mint is also classed as a cooling herb, useful when we feel like a cold is on the way and we feel hot and sweaty.
Menthol also helps cool and revive if feeling mental strain, lethargic or have difficulty concentrating on busy days.
In summer mint makes a delicious tea helping cool us down when we’re feeling hot and bothered. When the temperature soars, I turn to iced tea instead, mint, rose and lemon verbena infused, then left to cool and served in glass with plenty of ice is the perfect drink to enjoy in a shady spot.
Mint: our products
If you love the aroma and the way mint makes you feel, why not try our Peppermint essential oil in a diffuser, it’s black Mitcham mint, grown and distilled in Hampshire on a family farm. Or enjoy it in Remedy to Roll Study smoothed on pulse points to help clear the cobwebs away. Spearmint infuses our Garden Mint & Bergamot collection and every time you wash your hands you can enjoy the cool, calm and uplifting aroma - simply gorgeous.
