Welcome to week 2 of our weekly herbal education series. Peppermint is a perennial herb in the mint family, characterized by its square stem and its strong, distinctive minty aroma. The leaves of the peppermint plant are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. It is native to Europe and has been naturalized in many other regions around the world. The plant can grow up to three feet tall and produces small, purple or white flowers. Peppermint is commonly used as a flavoring for food and drinks, as well as in toothpaste, mouthwash, and other personal care products. It is also used in aromatherapy for its refreshing scent and is believed to have several health benefits, such as relieving symptoms of indigestion and reducing headaches.
Peppermint, also known as mentha piperita, will thrive in zones 3-11 in some part of the year or another outside and has beautiful rich green leaves with a pungent smell. Peppermint plants also come in a lot of different ‘flavors’ at farmers markets such as orange peppermint, strawberry peppermint, and even chocolate peppermint, to name just a few!
Peppermint Medicinal Uses
Peppermint is a very popular herb to use medicinally because not only is it easy to grow and maintain, it’s easy to find and use in a variety of different ways. Peppermint in tea form is popular and effective for heartburn, stomach aches, and nausea. It is generally regarded as safe for most people on most medications (but as always, before taking any herb consult your naturopath on the method and dosage right for your body). In my house, peppermint tea is a tummy calmer and used during colds and other respiratory illnesses. I also enjoy using peppermint tea for a fever reducer, especially over ice with a bit of plant milk or honey (or both!) It’s also a great way to keep you cool in the summer when the sun is blazing outside.
Fun fact: you can also give crushed up peppermint leaves alone, in water, or in ice cubes to your chickens to help keep them cool in the hot summer, as a tasty treat.
How to Take Peppermint
There are several ways to take peppermint. Earlier I mentioned it as a tea but there are other fantastic modalities for taking peppermint. It can be used in essential oil form for body products such as body and lip scrubs, or even in your cleaning solutions. They are wonderful paired with orange and fir essential oil for a winter/holiday vibe in your candles and wax melts. It can also be tinctured and extracted to use on the go and for longevity. If you are partial to honey, many people like to put fun mints such as chocolate or orange mint into their honey as a way to flavor their honey for tea! Peppermint is an anti-inflammatory herb and can even be used as a tonic for irritated and inflamed skin, especially one that is warm to the touch. It can even be beneficial for those pesky headaches that like to pop up out of no where. The ways you can take peppermint really are endless!
As with most herbs, it is not suggested to take it every single day on a medicinal usage level. While I use it nightly after dinner as I have a very sensitive stomach and it is a huge help, using it in higher medicinal concentrations such as with an extract or tincture should be reserved for treating ailments as they come, not as a preventative treatment. Again, always follow the advise of your naturopath!
Growing Peppermint
Peppermint can be grown from small starts or propagated from another peppermint plant. It does enjoy yearly fertilizer to help with the growth and health of the plant. It grows throughout the year in varying zones, with reaching maturity in about 90 days. In spring it is best in zones 3-7, in spring through summer it is best in zones 8-10a, and in the spring through fall season it does well in zone 10a, and in zone 11 it will grow year round outside. It is a very hardy plant! They take easily to being transplanted and do as well in the hot, west facing sun as the cooler, shady parts of your yard. Peppermint will grow up to 2 feet tall if you keep up on watering and fertilizing it and is a wonderful pollinator plant.
The more you clip the leaves and stems back, the more it will grow. Once you see it growing in your container or garden bed, you can begin to harvest often. I find it only takes 4-7 days before it’s ready to harvest again. If you do grow it in the ground or the garden beds, be sure to harvest often as it can become invasive and take over your garden bed. In addition to being a helpful plant for pollinators, it is also a great companion plant for your vegetable garden. Peppermint will deter mice, deer, and rabbits from getting into your garden. You can even plant them at the base of fruit trees to discourage deer from stealing your fruit.
In order to have peppermint year round, you can harvest often and then dry out the leaves completely using a basket in the sun or a dehydrator on 95 degrees for 12 hours or so. You can then crush or save whole in a mason jar with a lid and it will be at your disposal all year long!
Recipe
Last week I posted Rosemary Gladstar’s Echinacea Spray for Sore Throats here that you can also use peppermint in but I will give you an additional peppermint recipe I enjoy. This one is for healthy teeth and gums!
Peppermint Tooth Powder by The Homesteader’s Herbal Companion
1 cup baking soda
4-5 tbsp bentonite clay (or calcium carbonate)
1 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt (or regular sea salt)
1 tbsp diatomaceous earth
15 drops peppermint essential oil
METHOD:
1. In a glass jar, combine baking soda, diatomaceous earth, bentonite clay (or calcium carbonate), and salt. Mix well.
2. Add essential oils and mix until completely combined.
3. Cap, label, and store in your bathroom until ready for the next batch.
4. To use,, simply dip your wet toothbrush into the mixture and brush as usual. There wont’ be any bubbles, but your mouth will naturally create a paste. Rinse mouth out well.