12 Surprising Benefits of Drinking Peppermint Tea
Have you ever felt really stressed and realized that you’re in dire need of a cup of tea? Or have you ever struggled with a scratchy throat and wanted something warm to hit your throat and found yourself in the kitchen brewing some good old tea?
I’m sure you have. Along with stress and bad throats, tea also helps with bad migraines and headaches. It also works wonders for when you’re feeling lethargic and a little under the weather.
This article, in particular, is about peppermint tea and how it can help you in several ways when it comes to your health.
Tea is a common beverage in every household and has a lot of health benefits; especially peppermint tea. Peppermint tea is a mixture made from peppermint leaves and is taken as a tea.
It is a great refreshment, and alternative health practitioners have been praising its health benefits for a long time now. It helps to relax the nervous system and can give a restful sleep, as it’s entirely caffeine free.
It can be fantastic for the digestive system, and it also alleviates irritable bowel syndrome (IMS).
It acts as an amazing boost for the immune system, increases mental alertness and helps with bad breath. Now that we know that peppermint tea works wonders for our health, I’m going to talk about 12 surprising health benefits of it.
Health Benefits of Peppermint Tea
1. Reduces fever
Peppermint tea can break a fever and the associated inflammation and uneasiness because it has menthol as essential. Hence, drinking peppermint tea causes external sweating, while the menthol can cool your body down from the inside.
2. Improves Digestion
Peppermint tea and peppermint oil have been used for centuries to help with a variety of digestive and gastrointestinal conditions. Archaeological evidence shows that peppermint has been in use for 10,000 years as a dietary supplement.
It’s said to be carminative as it helps eliminate gas out of the body as it collects, instead of causing bloating, cramping or stomach discomfort. It also induces bile flow to increase the pace and effectiveness of digestion and promotes healthy bowel movements.
It reduces pain from cramping, bloating and indigestion because it’s an analgesic substance. It has a calming effect on the intestines and muscles of the digestive tract.
It brings the entire system to optimum activity levels; hence diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation can be cured with this tea. This is one of those health benefits of peppermint tea that makes it a must for your kitchen.
3. Prevents Nausea & Vomiting
Nausea presents itself every time you get sick, and it’s not at all pretty.
Peppermint tea is an antispasmodic which means it reduces the possibilities of nausea and vomiting, especially nausea caused by motion sickness when you’re on a bus or a boat or a plane. It also reduces stomach ache because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
4. Treats Respiratory Disorders
As an antispasmodic, it can ease the irritating sensation that is responsible for making your cough, hence reducing your respiratory condition.
It also eliminates the symptoms of cold and flu by helping the muscles of the throat and chest loosen up.
5. Boosts Immunity
One of the health benefits of peppermint tea is that it has antibacterial properties against bacteria that are responsible for illnesses like fever and cough.
Not only can this tea help treat these illnesses, but it also works as a great defense mechanism against such bacteria. There are also elements like vitamin B, potassium, antioxidants, and calcium, which helps your body regain nutrients essential to fight off these illnesses.
6. Removes Bad Breath
Peppermint tea is healthy and has menthol flavored, and its antibacterial properties make it perfect to fight off bad breath. It kills the germs that can result in halitosis, and the menthol eliminates the foul smell and leaves you with fresh and minty breath!
7. Weight Loss
The smell of peppermint oil and the number of organic components it possesses can help you control your appetite, which would result in a reduction of overeating, and subsequently, prevent obesity.
8. Reduces Stress Levels
The natural sedative nature of menthol can help you get rid of mental stress. Its anti-inflammatory qualities can help lower your blood pressure and body temperature, which will further let you unwind and relax and let allow your fear to disappear.
This is the reason peppermint oil is so popular with aromatherapy, and the health benefits of peppermint tea are akin.
Also Read: 10+ Health Benefits of Fennel Tea and Potential Side Effects
9. PCOS and Hirsutism
Another health benefit of peppermint tea is the wonders it can perform for hormonal imbalance in women.
It has an anti-androgen effect; hence it can relieve PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) symptoms like acne and stress while also eliminating unwanted, male-pattern hair growth in women—also known as hirsutism.
Research shows that peppermint tea reduces free testosterone and boosts hormones beneficial for hair growth, such as estradiol and luteinizing hormone.
10. Migraines and Headaches
Peppermint tea has excellent healing properties, and it can help ease the pain due to a headache or when a migraine hits.
It can help blood flow smoothly to the constricted vessels, hence reducing pain from a headache. It also relaxes muscles.
11. Calms Troubled Skin
One of the health benefits of peppermint tea that always leaves me stunned is the effect it has on skin.
Hormonal skin trouble like acne can be difficult to treat throughout adulthood. Peppermint tea boosts and that increase can help to balance the hormonal issues and help with acne as a result.
12. Supports the Gallbladder and Liver
Drinking peppermint tea might help with breaking down of gallstones into smaller pieces. If you have a troubled gallbladder, then it can help with the bile flow from the gallbladder to the liver, hence preventing attack spasms and cramping.
Word of caution: Even though peppermint tea has a lot of health benefits, there can still be some side effects of having this tea. The menthol in the beverage can act as an allergen for some people and lead to heartburn in others. Hence, it would be wise to get checked by a doctor for possible allergies.
Read Next:
- Turmeric Ginger Tea: Benefits, Nutrition, and Recipes
- Are Mushrooms Vegetables? Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits Explained
- 15 Jojoba Oil Benefits for Skin, Face, Hair and Overall Health
Sources:
“https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/beverage/peppermint-tea.html”, Organic facts web site, last accessed on May 22, 2018
“https://www.doctorshealthpress.com/general-health-articles/health-benefits-of-peppermint-tea/”, Doctors health press web site, last accessed on May 22, 2018
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