Mint is used for flavoring fruit gravies, frozen drinks, jellies, sauces, for flavoring vinegar, tea mixtures, bread kvass, confectionery, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, fish products, for pickling cucumbers. When salting cabbage heads, mint provides long-term storage and gives cabbage excellent taste.

Adding mint to milk prevents sourness and increases shelf life. For flavor, mint is added to tomato juice and various fruit and vegetable salads. Fresh mint leaves improve the taste of roasted lamb, chicken, liver, lamb. It is added to stewed cabbage, carrots, leeks, peas.

In Europe, wines on mint were periodically insisted. And in Russia with mint they prepared a hot drink sbiten on honey. In the East - sherbets, refreshing drinks with ice, to which mint was also added. And in Europe, mint drinks grew thicker and finally became liqueurs, for example, the sugary emerald Cremedementhe. Summer cocktails with the addition of mint are also good, for example, the favorite by many "Mojito".

Fresh mint leaves are often used in cooking to decorate dishes, including sweet ones. In the culinary arts, mint is also used as a food coloring. Since fresh mint greens wilt very quickly, they need to be kept cool, preferably in the refrigerator. As a result of heat treatment, mint loses its freshness, so it should be added to hot dishes just before serving.

There are quite a few types of mint, but only a few of them are widely used in cooking. The use of each of them has its own nuances.

Peppermint

Has a refreshing bitter taste. In cooking, it is used as a spice mainly only in the alcoholic beverage and confectionery industries, where they usually use not mint itself, but mint oil or mint essence.

At home, use peppermint in confectionery products should be extremely careful, because if overheated or if the dose is exceeded, it can ruin the whole business, imparting a bitter taste to the product. It is introduced into cookies, gingerbread, buns, compotes, jelly, fruit drinks, liqueurs, and kvass. Not suitable for making tea because of its bitter taste.

Lemon mint (lemon balm)

Popular in European and Arabic cuisines. Finely chopped leaves added to summer salads make them healthier, more aromatic, and tastier. Dried herbs are added to vegetable, meat and fish salads in winter. Lemon balm goes well with game, veal, pork, lamb, fish. Vegetable, mushroom, dairy and egg dishes, as well as fruit, pea and potato soups flavored with lemon balm acquire a delicate aroma.

The spice is used for canning cucumbers, to which it gives a pleasant smell and strength. In Moldovan cuisine, lemon balm is used in fresh filling or for pie.

Curly mint

Has no cooling taste, but has a wonderful refreshing aroma. It is widely used in home cooking, fresh and dried. Fresh mint leaves are added to salads, soups, especially vegetables. In the cuisine of some peoples, they are put as a seasoning in milk soups. Dried mint leaves are great for flavoring meats, pastries and baked goods, and sauces. In Ukrainian cuisine, it is added to fish and mushroom dishes. It is especially widely used in home canning of apples and vegetables (cucumbers, cabbage, carrots). Like some other types of mint, curly mint gives a wonderful aroma and taste to tea.

Apple mint

It has an extremely delicate aroma and taste that is not accompanied by cooling. It does not give bitterness at all when heated and increased in quantity, which radically differs from most other types of mint. Apple mint is used mainly in the cooking of the peoples of Transcaucasia and Central Asia. In Georgia, it is used to make sauces, in Armenia it is added to some varieties of cheese, in Central Asian countries it is used to improve the smell and taste of lamb dishes. It is also added to sweet dishes: compotes, jelly, jelly, preserves, apple pie fillings, and various confectionery.

Spicy mint (Elsgolzia)

Dried buds and flowers collected at the very beginning of flowering are used as a spice. It has a subtle pleasant aroma reminiscent of lemon balm, but more spicy. Spicy mint is added mainly to minced meat, pates from offal, homemade sausages, used when stewing lumpy meat, as well as for flavoring, snacks, sandwiches and soups. The dosage when added to minced meat can be quite significant, since elsholtia gives almost no bitterness when heated. Like marjoram, spicy mint has an ennobling effect on the texture of the meat.

Mint is a medicinal plant that has been known to people since ancient times. Different varieties of mint can be found on every household plot, it is very popular all over the world. Unfortunately, the summer season, when fresh mint can be consumed, is not so long. For this reason, the leaves of this fragrant plant are harvested for future use. A fruit and vegetable dryer can help you with this.

Dried mint history

An ancient Greek legend says that the nymph Mint, whom Hades fell in love with, was turned into a plant by his wife Persephone. Hades, in memory of her beloved, gave this plant a delicate pleasant aroma, and in honor of Mint, the plant was called mint. In ancient times, mint was revered for its medicinal properties.

It is known that in ancient Rome, mint was widely used as a natural flavoring agent. Tables were rubbed with mint water, dried mint was hung in banquet halls to cheer up, and many famous military leaders believed that the scent of mint helped to concentrate.

In ancient Greece, a drink made from dried mint was considered an aphrodisiac. And dried bunches of mint found in the tombs of the pharaohs prove that the plant was used as an incense. The ancient Greeks loved to eat mint.

Peppermint was also revered in Russia. Mint tea is one of the drinks that have come down to our days since antiquity. And on Trinity Day, young girls and boys put mint under the pillow to see their betrothed in a dream. Subsequently, this sprig of mint was dried and kept at home.

How to choose the right mint for drying?

Dried mint can be stored all winter without losing its fresh aroma and healing properties. The main thing is to know how to properly prepare it. Dried mint in a pharmacy is usually sold in crushed form, so it is not clear what exactly is included in the raw material - stems or leaves. But when harvesting mint, this point is important to consider.

If you want to prepare mint stems, then wait for the plant to bloom. This happens towards the middle of summer. Flowering time is the most favorable for drying mint stems.

It doesn't matter what kind of mint you are going to prepare for the winter - the Isidri dryer will help you preserve the maximum of nutrients and the natural color of the mint. Fragrant dried mint will be an excellent seasoning for any dish. Its refreshing taste will remind you of summer, and the beneficial properties of this medicinal plant will help keep you healthy.

Dry, enjoy!

In the article, we discuss peppermint - medicinal properties and contraindications to its use. You will learn the chemical composition of the plant, and how it is useful for women's and men's health. We will show you how to use mint in the treatment of gastritis, pressure, runny nose and burns. Following our advice, you will learn how to prepare decoctions, infusions, oil and drops from the plant.

A little about mint - it is a herbaceous plant of the Lamiaceae family. The Latin name is Mentha piperita. Other names: motherboard, bib.

Appearance (photo) of mint

The genus Mint (lat. Mentha) unites 42 species of plants. Peppermint is a hybrid of aquatic (lat.Mentha aquatica) and garden (lat.Mentha spicata) varieties.

Growing mint is possible in gardens, in personal plots and at home. You will learn more about home growing from. It is grown on an industrial scale in the Voronezh region and the Krasnodar Territory.

This is an unpretentious plant that can be grown even on a windowsill. It prefers moist, loose soil. Mint is propagated by layering, cuttings and rhizome division.

The plant has a fibrous horizontal rhizome. Erect stem reaches a height of 100 cm. Branched shoots, densely covered with leaves.

Leaves are opposite, pointed, oblong-ovoid. The edges of the leaf plate are sharp-serrated.

Small light purple flowers are collected in half-whorls and form spike-shaped inflorescences. Mint blooms in June-September.

The fruit consists of four nuts. The plant bears fruit very rarely.

Chemical composition of mint

What is included in the herb:

• menthol;
• essential oil;
• rutin;
• saponins;
• fatty oil;
• resin;
• phytosterols;
• tannins;
• ascorbic acid;
• caffeic acid;
• oleic acid;
• chlorogenic acid;
• ursolic acid;
• carotene;
• arginine;
• glucose.

Due to its rich composition, the plant has a whole range of healing properties..

Nutritional value and calorie content

100 g of mint contains 3.8 g of protein, 0.9 g of fat, 14.9 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of dietary fiber, and 78.6 g of water.

Calorie content per 100 grams - 70 kcal.

How to procure and store

Harvest mint in June - July, cut off only fully flowered plants. Collect during the day in dry weather, when there are no dew drops on the leaves.

It is better to carefully cut the plant, and not to tear it with your hands. You can harvest both whole bushes and individual leaves. Put the cut mint in the shade, in the sun it will lose most of its essential oils, which means its beneficial properties.

Rinse immediately after collection under cold running water, dry thoroughly on paper or plain towels for several hours. Then spread the mint in one layer on paper, dry in a shaded and well-ventilated place for 3-5 days.

Store in glass jars or linen bags. Shelf life is no more than 2 years.

How to choose a spice

When buying a spice in a store, pay attention to the packaging, it should be:

• airtight, check it is not damaged or opened;
• opaque to keep out the sun's rays.

Also, do not forget to check the expiration date and note if the spice is stored in a dry place in the store, out of direct sunlight.

Beneficial features

The healing properties and contraindications of the plant are in its composition. The main component is menthol, which normalizes the work of the cardiovascular, nervous, digestive and genitourinary systems.

Mint is used to treat diseases of the digestive system... It removes heaviness in the stomach, flatulence and has a choleretic effect. Effectively relieves attacks of nausea, has a calming effect on the gastric mucosa.

Also good for the liver and gallbladder. It is used to cleanse these organs of toxins and toxins, it helps to remove stones.

Mint decoctions, infusions and teas are used for bronchopulmonary diseases. The plant eliminates inflammation in the bronchi and promotes the excretion of phlegm from them. Peppermint relieves cold symptoms and has a diaphoretic effect.

It is also used in dentistry. The plant disinfects the oral cavity. It is useful for stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease.

Mint for women

The health benefits of peppermint for women include its beneficial effects on skin and hair. The plant has nourishing, strengthening and protective properties.

Peppermint is used in gynecology to treat inflammatory diseases. A decoction of the plant is added to sitz baths. Such procedures have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Mint for men

Medicines based on the plant increase potency and normalize blood circulation in the pelvic organs. Mint has a negative effect on men's health only with regular overdose. The herb is useful in moderation - 1-2 glasses of mint tea per week.

A decoction of the herb is used externally for washing the feet. This procedure helps to eliminate unpleasant odors and reduces sweating.

Cooking applications

Fresh and dried mint leaves are used in cooking. Spice is added to sauces, salads, drinks. The herb is paired with lamb, poultry, cheeses, fruits and vegetables.

Peppermint oil is used in the confectionery industry. It is added to baked goods, creams, desserts.

Application in cosmetology

Essential oil of mint is used in cosmetology

Peppermint extract is used in the cosmetic industry. It is added to creams, lip balms, masks and hair shampoos.

Peppermint regulates sebum production, tightens pores and cleanses the skin. Plant-based cosmetics are used to care for oily and combination skin.

Mint is suitable for all hair types. Mint shampoos and balms nourish dry hair, reduce scalp oiliness and improve the appearance of curls.

Mask for the face

Mint nourishes and tones the skin. A decoction of the plant is used to wipe the face in the morning and evening. Peppermint oil is combined with other ingredients and masks are prepared on their basis. These products are suitable for problematic and oily skin.

Ingredients:

1. Yellow clay - 1 tablespoon.
2. Peppermint essential oil - 2 drops.
3. Almond oil - 2 teaspoons.
4. Lemon oil - 1 drop
5. Water - 1 tablespoon.

How to cook: Dilute clay with water, stir until smooth. Add oils and stir.

How to use: Wash, blot excess liquid with dry tissue and apply mask. Rinse off with warm water after 15 minutes, when the clay is dry. After the procedure, moisturize your skin with a cream.

Result: Mask enhances skin blood supply, eliminates inflammation and reduces epidermis oiliness.

Hair Mask

A decoction of the plant is used to rinse the curls after shampooing. Mint extract is added to ready-made hair care products or homemade masks are made on its basis. They are suitable for oily hair.

Ingredients:

1. Peppermint oil - 2 drops.
2. Jojoba oil - 20 ml.

How to cook: Heat jojoba oil in a water bath to 36-37 degrees, add mint oil, stir. The amount indicated in the recipe is for medium-length hair.

How to use: Massage the resulting oil mixture into the scalp. Comb your hair with a fine-toothed comb to distribute the mask over the entire length of your hair. Wrap your head in plastic, warm with a towel and keep the product for 2 hours. The mask can be left on overnight. Then rinse your hair with water and lemon juice (1 teaspoon of juice for 1 glass of water) and rinse with shampoo.

Result: Mask prevents hair loss, accelerates hair growth and improves appearance.

Application in traditional medicine

In home medicine, decoctions, infusions, drops and oil are made from mint.

In folk medicine, mint leaves are used as medicinal raw materials. Raw materials are harvested during the flowering period of the plant. For the therapeutic use of a medicinal herb, infusions, decoctions, oil are prepared on its basis.

Like any other medicinal plant, mint has its own consumption rate, exceeding which leads to negative consequences. The daily norm of fresh mint leaves is up to 15 g, mint drinks - no more than 2 glasses.

You have learned about the uses and contraindications of peppermint. Let's take a closer look at the recipes for preparing medicines based on a plant.

Decoction for gastritis

A decoction of medicinal herbs normalizes the digestive tract, cleanses the body of decay products and increases appetite. The drink is used to prevent and treat gastritis and other stomach disorders.

Ingredients:

1. Plant leaves - 1 tablespoon.
2. Water - 500 ml.

How to cook: Pour boiling water over the mint leaves, put in a water bath and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, warm with a towel and leave for at least 15 minutes.

How to use: Take ½ cup 3 times a day.

Result: The drink reduces the acidity of gastric juice, eliminates inflammation and pain.

Infusion from pressure

Ingredients:

1. Dried herb - 1 teaspoon.
2. Water - 200 ml.
3. Honey - 1 teaspoon.

How to cook: Chop the leaves, pour boiling water over, cover and let it brew for 20 minutes. Dissolve a spoonful of honey in your drink.

How to use: Take 1 tablespoon of the drink 3 times a day.

Result: Infusion lowers blood pressure, calms the nervous system and normalizes sleep.

Oil for burns

This oil is used as an antiseptic for the treatment of skin diseases and the restoration of the epidermis after burns. The product eliminates inflammation and accelerates skin healing.

Ingredients:

1. Dried mint - 100 gr.
2. Vegetable oil - 200 ml.

How to cook: Cut the raw materials, put them on the bottom of a glass container, fill with oil heated to 37 degrees and close tightly with a lid. Insist the remedy for 8 weeks. Shake the oil periodically. Strain the finished product through cheesecloth and store in the refrigerator.

How to use: Apply oil to damaged skin and leave until completely absorbed.

Result: The product accelerates regeneration, softens the skin and prevents scarring.

Cold drops

Mint drops are used to treat the common cold and relieve inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. They effectively eliminate hoarseness of the voice. Menthol is used in pharmaceuticals for the treatment of the common cold.

Ingredients:

1. Plant leaves - 10 gr.
2. Water - 300 ml.

How to cook: Grind mint leaves, pour boiling water over them, cover and leave for half an hour. Strain the finished product through a double layer of gauze. Store in the refrigerator.

How to use: Put 2 drops in each nostril.

Result: Drops make breathing easier, relieve sinus inflammation and swelling.

For more information on mint, see the video:

Slimming application

Peppermint is used for weight loss. Tea is brewed and added to food during preparation. The smell of mint reduces appetite, and the chemicals in its composition calm the nervous system. By removing the overexcitation of the central nervous system, the feeling of hunger is also dulled. The very process of losing weight becomes less disturbing.

Peppermint cleanses the body of toxins. And if you add a piece of ginger to your tea, the drink will help speed up your metabolism.

To prepare tea, a few leaves of mint are brewed in a glass of boiling water or green tea, they are drunk 1-3 cups a day. Do not overdo it if you have low blood pressure or bradycardia.

Contraindications and side effects

Before starting treatment with mint-based products, you should consult with a specialist. The doctor will prescribe a suitable dosage and course of administration. An overdose of peppermint leads to drowsiness.

Contraindications to the use of herbal medicines:

• low blood pressure;
• During pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• children under 6 years of age;
• individual intolerance.

You have learned about the benefits of mint medicines and the contraindications to their use. Let's summarize.

What to remember

1. Peppermint is widely used in cooking, cosmetology and home medicine, and is also used for weight loss.
2. The beneficial properties of mint and contraindications to its use are in the composition of the plant.
3. Means based on the plant have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects.
4. Before using mint as a medicine, you should consult with a specialist, especially during pregnancy.

Various herbs and condiments can be used not only to add a special flavor to tea or food, for many of them there are many more applications. Some of them, you may not even have guessed. Today we'll talk about mint. Not only does this herb have an excellent fresh scent, but it can help you out in so many situations.

Relief of abdominal cramps

Peppermint helps to relax the muscles of the digestive tract and relieve cramps. Therefore, if you suddenly have a twisted stomach due to nervousness, drink hot tea with mint or just warm water with mint and lemon.

Prevention of infectious diseases

Peppermint has strong antibacterial properties. Regular inclusion of it in your diet will help your body to more easily transfer or even ward off infectious and fungal diseases.

Fighting mice

If you plant some mint in the country or in the yard of your private house, be sure that mice and rats will bypass your site!

Soothing foot scrub

The refreshing properties of mint are associated with the menthol content, which will very well soothe tired feet during the day. Combine finely chopped mint leaves with sea salt and olive oil, rub your feet with this mixture and rinse with water.

Headache relief

Headache is often associated with vasospasm. Just like with stomach pain, warm mint tea or just mint water will help.

Against nasal congestion

Can't breathe? Steep the mint with hot water (or tea again) and inhale with some menthol vapor. The effect will be almost the same as from nasal drops, but this method is natural and cheaper.

Relieve stress

Peppermint is a wonderful light and natural soothing that can help you reduce stress and relieve anxiety.

Cancer prevention

Research is currently underway on the influence of peppermint on the formation of cancer cells. It is believed that it significantly slows down their development, especially for skin, lung and colon cancer. Currently, there is no sufficiently reliable evidence, but still there is a chance that soon we will have another weapon against the deadly disease.

Salad dressing

Want to add some variety to your vegetable salad? Add a few mint leaves to it. Your taste buds will simply sing with pleasure.

Add mint to your makeup

Making homemade soap or shampoo is, in principle, not so difficult. And with mint, homemade cosmetics will acquire an amazing aroma. Peppermint essential oil can be found in a specialty store or simply at a pharmacy. By the way, a drop of oil can also be added to factory-made creams and shampoos.

Mint ice

Feeling that mint needs to be used urgently as it starts to deteriorate? Make ice with mint leaves. Then these cubes can be put into water, lemonade or iced tea, thus adding a fresh note to the drink.

Refreshing face toner

Pour cold water into a large bowl and crumble the mint leaves. Refrigerate for an hour. Then submerge your face in this mint water. You will feel incredible cheerfulness!

Freshen up the carpet

Sprinkle a mixture of dried mint and baking soda on the carpet, let it sit for an hour, and then vacuum it. The room will smell clean and delightfully fresh.

Make an air freshener

To do this, just mix the mint with some other flowers or petals and place these fragrant mixtures around the room.

Freshen up your breath

Mix peppermint oil with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to create a homemade toothpaste that will both whiten your teeth and freshen your breath. However, do not get carried away, this mixture can be used no more than once a week (or better less often), as it eats away at the tooth enamel.

How do you use mint? Is there some way that we didn't mention in the article? Share it in the comments.

Mint is widely used in cooking around the world; it is one of the most widespread and popular spices. Dried and fresh mint leaves are added to desserts, meat dishes, and baked goods. Perhaps, few spicy plants can "boast" of such versatility.

In cooking fresh and dried mint leaves and flower buds are used. Most often, dried mint is sold in powder form, but if you harvest the mint yourself, it is advisable to leave the leaves intact - this way the mint flavor is better preserved. You can grind just before adding.

Fresh mint leaves added to sandwiches and summer vegetable, fruit salads both as a spice and for decoration. Ice cream, various desserts, cocktails are often served with a leaf or a sprig of fresh mint. It is an excellent flavoring addition to vegetable soups; in some national cuisines, mint is an indispensable ingredient in milk soups. Fresh mint is often added to savory meat dishes, especially lamb, fish and poultry. Fresh mint is used for canning tomatoes, added to soaked apples, sauerkraut.

But the greatest application in cooking has received dried mint... In many recipes for making homemade sausages, minced meat from various types of meat, pates - especially from the liver, dried mint is mentioned. It helps to improve the taste of the finished dish, and in some cases muffle the specific aroma of any semi-finished product. The mint sauce goes well with any meat or poultry dish.
Pies and pies, tortillas, gingerbread - mint is no less popular in baking. It is added to flavor the dough; in some countries, a mint broth is made on which the dough is kneaded.

From time immemorial to the present day, mint is an irreplaceable ingredient in the preparation of soft drinks... Tea with mint is especially popular, which is not only very tasty and aromatic, but also very healthy. Mint is added to kvass and fruit drinks, compotes, jelly, punch, syrups. But not all types of mint are suitable for making drinks. Peppermint gives drinks a slight bitterness, especially when heated and if mint tea is infused for a long time. Other types of mint have no obvious bitterness.