Peppermint as a natural supplement - it's a lot more than something you stick in a mint julep

You often find peppermint as a popular flavoring agent in gum, tea and toothpaste. It has also been a very popular remedy over the years for soothing an upset stomach and for calming the digestive system. Peppermint has been used successfully to treat skin irritations, headaches, depression and anxiety, nausea, diarrhea, problems with periods, and flatulence. It is certainly one of the most versatile of all plants and herbs.

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Peppermint is especially useful in soothing and calming indigestion.  This is due its ability to calm the muscles of the stomach and improve the flow of bile. This action enables the food that we eat to pass through the body in a natural way.  However, while peppermint is useful in treating a wide variety of conditions, you should not use it if you're indigestion could be due to gastoesophageal reflex disease.

There have been a number of studies of peppermint used in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.  Peppermint is also effective when used to relieve painful cramps associated with menstrual periods, because of its ability to relax muscles.  Peppermint oil is particularly effective in breaking down gallstones.  It is also known to have antiviral properties that can help provide protection against a large number of infectious agents.

Peppermint can be used topically to soothe a wide variety of skin irritations.  It can be used to help relieve itching from poison ivy, poison oak and hives.

Peppermint as a natural supplement in popular cold remedies

Many of the most popular flu and cold or remedies have peppermint as one of their main ingredients.  It has been included in many remedies to free up stuffed nasal passages because of its ability to thin out mucus. It also used in many cough remedies, as peppermint has good  cough suppressant properties. 

You can use peppermint to help relieve the pain of headaches, and it is now one of the main ingredients in a popular over-a-counter remedy for headache relief.  The majority of products that contain peppermint are made from the leaves and the flowering top part of the peppermint.  These are the parts that contain the plant’s volatile oil.

Peppermint is available in a wide range of forms, and can be drunk in the form of tea, or applied as a topical cream, a tincture or in capsule form.

Peppermint is considered to be one of the safest forms of herbal remedies but it can produce adverse effects. So use it with care and common sense.

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