Health Benefits of Mint Leaves

Health Benefits of Mint Leaves

 

There are many wonderful health benefits that mint leaves can provide. The key is to find out what these benefits are and how they can help you feel better and stay healthy. Mint leaves have another advantage as well they do not taste bad when they are consumed. They are found in tea, candy, and many other products on the market today. Mint leaves are a common treatment for many health issues as well. They are well known for their calming on the stomach, mind, and emotions. It is said that the human race has been using mint leaves in varying degrees for 2000 years. There are even claims being made that mint leaves can cure cancer which seems unlikely. Mint leaves are not known to be a treatment for cancer and there is not a lot of clinical support to say they can help to cure cancer. More research needs to be done to confirm that mint leaves can cure cancer. They are good for many health issues though. Let’s look at some of the wonderful benefits they can provide to keep us healthy.

 

Mint Those Muscle Aches Away

 

 

It is said that mint leaves can help to relieve muscle aches. How can mint leaves relieve muscle aches? The mint leaf is supposed to contain antispasmodic properties that loosen tense muscles causing the pain. The mint leaves calm the muscles and helps them to return to a relaxed state and once this happens the muscle ache is relieved. It probably would not help to rub mint leaves on sore muscles it will not relieve the pain through an external application. It must be done by internal consumption.

 

Whoa That Bad Breath

 

 

We have all either been told or have told someone else that their breath is not too pleasant to smell especially when they are in your face and breathing within your personal space. Sometimes it can be so bad it will turn the stomach and make you want to vomit. This is extreme but it has been known to happen. Some people suffer from halitosis (the technical term for bad breath) and they just cannot help it.

 

Other causes of bad breath can be gum or periodontal disease. So what do you do if you fall into this category? Well, mint leaves will become your best friend. Mint leaves are effective deterrents to stopping bad breath. Mint tea can alleviate bad breath as well as just chewing mint in its natural form. Mint leaves are able to kill the bacteria that causes bad breath and it keeps the mouth hydrated and moist which will prevent your mouth from becoming dry. Dry mouth is a major cause of bad breath. So, mint leaves can be your hero for this health problem as well.

 

I Sure Am Hungry

 

 

This is a controversial health benefit, to say the least. If you even want to consider this a health benefit. It is claimed that mint leaves can increase the appetite. Foods that contain mint leaves are supposed to be highly addictive. People have said that they become addicted to foods that contain mint in them. For some reason when food that contains mint leaves in them is eaten it increases the appetite. This may be a fable and there most likely is no scientific support for this health benefit. It is doubtful any studies have been conducted on this subject matter. But how can eating more and gaining weight from too much food consumption be considered a health benefit? If you are underweight or suffer from malnutrition then this health benefit could be very beneficial for you.

 

Burn That Heartburn Away

 

 

Another health benefit of mint leaves, more to the point mint tea, is that it can cure heartburn. The antispasmodic properties in mint tea increase the digestive juices through the digestive tract which in turn flushes the acids through the digestive tract eliminating indigestion. But one health expert says do not drink more than 3 or 4 cups of mint tea a day. If you do you will cause the very problem you are trying to eliminate-heartburn. It is highly advised that you never drink pure mint oil because the after effects on the body will not be pleasant ones.

 

Nasal Congestion Away

 

 

Did you know that mint leaves can help to soothe and eliminate nasal congestion? It can because there is menthol (not menthol cigarettes either) in mint leaves that are put into many flu products. Smelling the mint leaves will clear the congestion right out. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that will clear the nasal congestion. The antibacterial properties of mint leaves can kill any infections as well. Mint leaves are armed with many beneficial health benefits. You can not go wrong including mint leaves in your treatment. It is said that mint leaves will also loosen bronchial constriction which will stop the coughing and help the breathing to be easier for you.

 

The Sick Feeling is Gone

 

 

Mint leaves are great nausea relievers. How? They have anesthetic properties that will neutralize the nauseous feeling in the stomach. It can really calm the stomach down. Two good forms to take mint in are mint tea and/or a mint capsule. They both effectively stop stomach nausea with the best of treatments. It has been cited that mint is used in post-surgery treatments to stop nausea from the antibiotics. It can also relieve menstrual cramps it is claimed.

 

Cool It

 

 

This one may be a stretch but is said that mint can reduce a fever and cool down a burning body. There is not a lot of studies to support this claim but nonetheless, the claim has been made. Mint leaves are supposed to cool the body down bringing certain relief from fever symptoms. The mint leaves are supposed to cool the body down relieving it from the fever. Those whose body’s rise in temperature typically consume mint to bring the temperature back down to normal levels.

 

Fight Mouth Fungus

 

 

It is said that if you chew organic mint leaves right off the plant that it has anti fungal components that will work to kill mouth fungus. It will freshen the teeth, breath, and kill any bacteria that has accumulated on the tongue. There are a lot of mouthwashes and kinds of toothpaste that have mint in them. Products that keep your breath fresh and your teeth healthy, But how much of these facts are true is not known. There are not a lot of studies or scientific sources support these health benefits. It is possible that many can help with mouth issues but to what extent is really not known.

 

Cancer Fighter

 

 

This may be the most controversial health benefit of them all. Mint leaves contain antioxidants that battle free radicals that cause damage by producing diseases in the body such as cancer. So, the logic says that mint leaves can battle cancer and maybe prevent it from developing. This has yet to be proven in the laboratory, in fact, there may not even be any studies looking into mint as being a cure for cancer. Or studying to establish that mint leaves can stop the free radical damage that causes cancer in the body. This just could be wishful thinking at this juncture. There is not enough solid evidence to support either one of these assertions that cancer can be prevented by taking mint leaves or mint leaves can stop cancer once it has been absorbed into the body. Vitamin C is said to play a part in fighting cancer as well. The vitamin C that is naturally contained in mint leaves.

 

Mint Leaves Vanish Stress

 

 

Mint is said to calm people down when they become overly anxious or nervous. It does this by the calming effect it has on the body. It is used in aromatherapy to calm frayed nerves and bring peace to minds in turmoil. This is done because the antioxidants somehow work from the outside to the inside of the body to relieve it and bring calm to the person’s body. This is not explained how this process works. But somehow it is able to calm the muscles and the nerves in the body to bring the mind and body into a peaceful state.

 

Immune Booster

 

 

There is information on the internet that says mint leaves can help to boost the function of the immune system. Mint leaves contain vitamin C which is able to help boost the power of the immune system to fight sickness and disease. Along with exercising and eating the proper foods that contain nutrients the immunity of the body can be boosted. Mint leaves in this way are supposed to help to buffer the functioning of the immune system.

 

An Itchy Throat

 

 

They’re supposed to be ingredients in mint leaves that can soothe and stop an irritated and itchy throat. It is noted that these active ingredients can open up the sinus cavity which stops the nasal drip into the throat cavity. Once the drip is stopped the throat will stop itching and return to a normal, healthy state. It can also help to stop coughing caused by irritation in the throat.

 

Skin Allergies Anyone

 

 

Mint leaves are supposed to be able to treat and stop skin allergies which are hard to believe. Anyway, the mint leaves contain a substance that can stop the skin allergies by killing the bacteria that causes the allergic reaction in the first place. It is suggested that people who suffer from skin allergies put mint leaves on their food before consuming the food. This is supposed to bring the skin allergies under control. It is not exactly explained how the mint leaves can reduce skin allergies. There should be some studies done to collaborate these findings.

 

Clear Vision

 

 

Mint leaves contain vitamin A which helps to keep our eyes healthy. Being nearsighted is one of the most common problems people deal with when their eyesight starts to go bad. And if you have begun to already experience nearsightedness than it is recommended you eat carrots and mint leaves because they are both rich in vitamin A which will help to keep your eyes healthy and free of disease. But to what effect these foods will help to keep the eyes healthy is not defined at this time. It would be nice for some studies to be conducted to determine if vitamin Ain mint leaves will really make a difference in keeping the eyes healthy. There has to be vitamin A in large quantities present in mint leaves to be able to help keep our eyes healthy. It has been maintained for years that carrots on the other hand, may help to keep the eyes healthy.

 

Glowing Skin

 

 

Generally, people, as they grow older, want to maintain a youthful and healthy-looking appearance. This is done by keeping the skin clear and free of anti-aging effects. Mint leaves contain vitamins E and D which are said to help to maintain healthy-looking skin. This is done by these vitamins restoring dead or damaged skin to a healthy state. This plus salicylic acid, which is not in mint leaves, will help to restore skin to its former luster and youthful look. So in a way, it is being said that mint leaves can help the fight against the skin aging prematurely or at all. This may not be true that mint leaves can fight the signs of aging. No scientific support to validate these claims.

 

Acne Power

 

 

In all honesty, this sounds like a home remedy that may not work. There are no scientific elements in this treatment. You get some mint leaves and rosebud water and mix the two together and then rinse your face with the solution several times a day and the acne is supposed to disappear. This method sounds suspect because there are no properties mentioned that would cause the acne to disappear. It is surely not a dermatologist-approved or recommended treatment. There really needs to be a lot of experimentation done to validate this health benefit claim.

 

Weight Loss

 

 

All that is said about this health benefit is that mint leaves can help to digest fat to the point the body will actually lose body fat. But how it is supposed to do this remains a mystery. There is no solid evidence that mint leaves can in anyway help a person to lose fat. Again, some serious clinical research needs to be done to verify this claim. It is highly doubtful that if this was true that anyone could lose a significant amount of weight just by eating mint leaves anyway. You would have to eat healthy foods and get plenty of exercises to lose any kind of noticeable weight.

 

Stop Scalp Itch

 

 

Whatever the cause of scalp itch for scalp irritation mint leaves can come to the rescue it is said. Take a few mint leaves and ground them up. Take that powder and apply it to the scalp because the menthol in mint leaves will refresh the scalp. This will stop the irritation. This sounds like a myth that simply would not work. This is a very unlikely health benefit that mint leaves would provide. his method has never been heard of before. Apparently, it is not a popular home remedy.

 

Heel on Fire

 

 

This health benefit involves curing a heel that hurts or the skin on the heel feels rough. It is claimed that if you soak the heel in a bucket of mint leave water that it will alleviate the rough skin on the heel and return the skin to a normal state. This is the first time this health benefit has been mentioned. Again, this may or may not be true. Sore heels do not seem to be a common problem people suffer from. It may work if you have a sore heel but this does not guarantee that it will remove the rough skin from your heel.

 

Those Annoying Head Lice

 

 

If you or a family member ever get head lice it is said that mint oil can help. It is said if you rub mint oil into the affected areas 3 or 4 times a week it will eliminate the itch and get rid of the lice. This is a little known treatment for lice and it may not work. How the mint oil would kill the lice is not known. Nor is it known what properties in mint oil would eliminate the lice.

 

Conclusion:

 

 

You now have a better idea of some of the health benefits mint leaves may offer. Some of the health benefits are very practical while other suggested health benefits are not so practical. Some of the health benefits listed are just not proven to work. It would be helpful if scientific studies were conducted to prove some of the health benefits that mint leaves are speculated to offer to keep our bodies and minds healthy. You may find a mint leave health benefit that will help you.

 

Mint leaves do offer a lot of awesome properties that may cure some of the illnesses we sometimes suffer from. Other health benefits suggested in the above list do not explain how mint leaves would be able to achieve the desired results from those benefits. These kinds of benefits are questionable because it is not explained how the mint leaves would be able to achieve the healing results and there is no clinical evidence to support these claims.

 

Source:http://www.balancemebeautiful.com/health-benefits-mint-leaves/