One of the most versatile plants is mint. The medicinal properties and contraindications of this perennial are varied. Mint is stocked before it begins to bloom: the leaves are cut off and dried in the shade, where there is access to fresh air. In no case should you dry it in the sun: many useful substances will evaporate. There is a misconception that lemon balm is mint. The medicinal properties and contraindications of lemon balm are similar, it belongs to the same family, but to a different genus. Melissa contains much less essential oil, it smells like lemon, and mint smells like menthol; lemon balm flowers are collected in false rings, and mint has spike-shaped inflorescences. So what can mint do for you?
Healing properties and contraindications
Mint lowers blood pressure and, when taken in moderation, has beneficial effects on the circulatory system, heart, and digestion. This herb has anesthetic, antispasmodic properties. Peppermint can also help heal a sore throat. The use of sedativesvarieties of this herb has a positive effect on the nervous system. For inflammation or headache, peppermint essential oil is rubbed into the skin; from catarrhal diseases do inhalations. To treat kidney disease, mint juice is squeezed out, it is also useful as a diuretic. With fever, inflammation of the respiratory system and the genitourinary system, mint will also help.
The medicinal properties and contraindications of this plant should be carefully studied before use, as it has a serious effect on the reproductive system. The result of treatment depends only on how appropriate the application was, so mint should be used with caution. If a person feels sick in transport, he should smell and chew on a fresh sprig of mint or breathe into a handkerchief, slightly wetting it with mint essential oil - this is likely to give a positive effect. Tea with this herb has a cooling, diaphoretic, choleretic effect, and is also able to calm or invigorate.
Mint tea that soothes: fresh Russian forest mint leaves are crushed in a cup with a mortar to extract the juice; pour boiling water and insist for 5 minutes; clean the tea through a sieve, add honey, cool. Drink cold or warm.
Invigorating mint tea: Powder the dried peppermint or English mint leaves. Brew without a sieve with boiling water for a minute, stir soon and drink hot along with the sediment.
Scientists have made a discovery: frequent use of menthol reduces the level in the body
testosterone. This means that the use of mint in large quantities is contraindicated for men. It should not be used by people with individual intolerance, as well as those who suffer from arterial hypotension and drowsiness. If consumed in excess, this herb can cause heartburn and varicose veins. Invigorating varieties should not be used by people with increased nervousness. They should not be given to preschool children: they negatively affect the maturation of the reproductive system and cause hyperactivity. A few months before conception, it is best to stop using menthol in any form: it is contraindicated for pregnant women and those who suffer from infertility, because it can cause fetal pathology and impaired reproductive function.
Here is such an ambiguous herb - mint. Its healing properties can turn into dangerous if only careless use is made.
