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PEPPERMINT
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Botanical Name :
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Mentha piperata
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| Origins |
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The
Egyptians used this aromatic herb in flavoring wine and
food and valued its menthol content. Culpeper recorded
in the seventeenth century that it was the herb most useful
for "complaints of the stomach, such as wind and
vomiting, for which there are few remedies of greater
efficacy" |
| Description |
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The
leaves of peppermint are shorter and broader than spearmint
with larger spikes of purple flowers. A British classic,
it has spread throughout the world. The almost colorless
peppermint oil is distilled from the whole of the partially
dried plant and has a strong refreshing fragrance. |
| Therapeutic
effects |
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Excellent for the digestion, as a decongestant, and for
skin disorders. Use for colds, flu, flatulence, headaches,
indigestion, nausea, toothache and sunburn. |
| Uses |
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Inhalation, baths and massage. Peppermint oil is still
used in gripe water to settle upset stomachs. A few drops
on a handkerchief can alleviate headaches and symptoms
of sea and travel sickness, as it is refreshing and invigorating.
It makes a refreshing skin tonic or bath oil in the summer
because of its cooling properties. Used in a footbath
it can help sweaty, smelly or tired feet, or in a compress
to relieve hot flushes. |
| Blending
note |
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Blends well with benzoin, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender,
lemon, marjoram, sandalwood. |
| Cautionary
note |
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- For skin complaints do not use in a concentration
of more than one per cent as it can cause irritation..
- Do not use during pregnancy.
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PEPPERMINT : BASIL : BAY
: BENZOIN : BERGAMOT
: CEDARWOOD : CHAMOMILE
: CINNAMON : COMFREY
: CYPRESS : EUCALYPTUS
: FENNEL : FRANKINCENSE
: GERANIUM : HYSSOP
: JASMINE : JUNIPER
: LAVENDER : LEMON
: LEMONGRASS : MARJORAM
: MELISSA : MYRRH
: NEROLI : ORANGE
: PARSLEY : PATCHOULI
: PEPPERMINT(pieerata) : PINE
ROSE : ROSEMARY
: SAGE : SANDALWOOD
: TEA TREE : THYME
: YLANG-YLANG :
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