Probably the most famous of the mint family, Peppermint has been used for ages to calm upset stomach, relieve gas, colic, cramps and nausea. It contains menthol, which makes it good for congestion and is among the safest herbs for medicinal use.
It's as easy to use as it is to grow. You can take a fresh sprig and add it directly to your iced or hot tea. Put a spring in your sugar bowl or honey jar to flavor. Make your own extract and add it to your baking and cooking. You can make your own simply dinner mints.
Dried it lasts for some time and is an excellent herb to have on hand for the winter. You can add it to drinking and medicinal teas and can be used to hide the taste of many bitters.
When blending teas use dried peppermint sparingly. Where you might add 1 part each of other herbs a 1/2 part of peppermint will likely do the trick.
Peppermint is often thought of as a winter herb, candy canes and peppermint patties, but it's a cool herb and goes well with a hot summers ice tea.
When harvesting Peppermint for medicinal purposes the whole plant can be used. For cooking and baking, it's best to gather only the smaller leaves because as they get bigger they can become a bit bitter.
When planting Peppermint, many people prefer to grow it in a container since it's likely to jump any boarder you make. but I don't mind at all and when I mow the yard the air is filled with the scents of mints and balms :)
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