Every day, I teach the importance of the thoughts that we feed our mind and the effects they can have on the body. And while nourishing our minds is one side of the coin, what we actually put into our body by way of food and drink is vital, of course!
I have been curious about understanding how different herbs and spices can be used in a holistic way to support our health and to help lower inflammation in the body. While I’d say my husband is the cook in our household, I do enjoy my food, and having read The Secret of Spice written by my dear friend Tonia Buxton, I’ve discovered so many new ways to incorporate powerful herbs and spices into my daily diet. Here, I would like to share with you what I learned from this book about the healing and calming powers of a little leaf many of us are familiar with and probably have in the kitchen already – it’s our humble friend, mint.
I, for one, have regularly drunk mint tea for its digestive benefits and to also energise me – little did I know about its actual calming and soothing benefits, making it ideal to aid better sleep. The ritual of making fresh mint tea feels super-nurturing and grounding too – picking the freshest and most vibrant of those delicate leaves (which you can easily grow at home) and steeping them in just-boiled water in a pretty china cup is always so heavenly. In fact, this entire – and very simple – process can become a powerful pre-sleep ritual to ease you into blissful slumber every night.
Just as mint is wonderful for its calming effects, as I mentioned before, I also use it to raise my energy levels. I always carry peppermint aromatherapy oil around with me and apply some whenever I need to concentrate or focus quickly – it really helps me to get in the zone simply by breathing in the uplifting scent!
Here are a few more ways that mint can support your body and mind:
- Chewing fresh mint leaves can cleanse the mouth of harmful bacteria (it makes a great palate cleanser too)
- It can soothe the stomach, reduce inflammation and eliminate indigestion and flatulence
- It can promote healthy digestion in the gut by helping food to pass through the stomach more quickly
- It can support weight loss as it promotes the breakdown of food and fats by increasing the number of digestive enzymes released during meals
- It can calm the stomach to ease nausea and motion sickness
- It can be used to relieve pain from migraines and headaches
- Its cooling effect is great for helping to lower a temperature
- The scent of mint is considered to be calming for the mind
If you enjoyed reading this, you can learn more about the holistic benefits of herbs and spices in The Secret of Spice by Tonia Buxton.
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