How mint affects pressure

The taste of mint is familiar to every person from childhood. Menthol oil contained in the leaves and inflorescences of the plant, used in the confectionery, food and perfume industry, it is used in the manufacture of cosmetics and pharmacological preparations. In everyday life, fresh mint leaves are added to the dishes as a seasoning, in tea and soft drinks, they prepare on its basis means that increase the tone of the skin, take mint baths.

Everyone knows that mint is a medicinal plant, and menthol oil is in many preparations: drops, tablets, ointments, tinctures. But not everyone knows, lowers the pressure of mint or raises.

Composition of

The properties of any medicinal plant are due to its composition. The main substance, thanks to which mint has a refreshing and cooling effect, is an essential oil consisting of more than half of menthol. Especially a lot of oil is contained in the inflorescences( up to 6%) and leaves( 2.5-2.7%) and very little in stems( about 0.3%).In addition, the leaves of the plant have such components:

• organic acids;
• flavonoids;
• tanning agents;
• microelements.

Pharmacological properties of

Due to the content of menthol, mint has a variety of valuable qualities. She has such actions:

• soothing,
• analgesic,
• antispasmodic,
• topical irritant,
• antiseptic,
• astringent,
• warming,
• choleretic,
• vasodilator.

In addition, peppermint improves blood circulation, increases appetite, stimulates digestion, normalizes palpitations, stabilizes intestinal microflora. As for whether it lowers the pressure or increases, it can be said that the hypotensive effect is present, but it is so insignificant that it has no practical value.

Lowers or increases pressure?

As mentioned above, mint dilates blood vessels and eliminates their spasms, soothes nerves. In this regard, the pressure may decrease slightly. But for people with stable arterial hypertension, this action is not enough. Therefore, there can be no question of treating hypertension with mint.

Folk remedies against pressure with mint

Folk healers believe that it is useful for hypertensive people to drink tea with mint. To make it, you just need to fill two or three leaves of the grass with a glass of boiling water and let it steep under the lid for about ten minutes. It is recommended to drink in small sips in the morning and evening in half a glass. In the tea, add cinnamon, a lemon slice, a spoonful of honey or ginger. In summer you can drink chilled mint tea.

Traditional medicine offers antihypertensive medications that include mint:

1. Take one part of peppermint, the same amount of chamomile and ½ part of valerian. Pour the mixture with boiling water( a table spoon into one glass of water) and let it brew. Take one month for a third cup 1 time per day.
2. Pour boiling water mixture of mint, adonis, oregano, scallop and astragalus. Two glasses of water will require two tables.spoon mixture. Infuse in a thermos and drink half a glass an hour before eating.
3. Pour boiled mint with boiling water( 20 grams - a glass of water) and leave for about 30 minutes. When infused, strain, gruel put on a piece of cloth or gauze, wipe the face and neck. After that, without wiping, do massage of the earlobes, neck, collar zone. The duration of the massage is about five minutes. Strain the infusion in two. This remedy helps lower blood pressure.

Contraindications

Peppermint is spread all over the place, many like its taste and the feeling of coolness it gives. But we must remember that the plant contains bioactive substances, which are not tolerated by all.

• It can cause allergies, so for making tea with mint it will be enough to have one small leaf.
• It is not recommended to give it in any form to children under three years of age.
• You should not take people with diseased kidneys and liver.
• Contraindicated in women during lactation.
• Too large doses can have a negative effect on people with bradycardia, as well as with bronchial asthma, because menthol inhibits the work of the respiratory center.

Conclusion

Pepper relieves stress and soothes nerves, thus affecting BP, that is, a person relaxes and pressure decreases. However, with persistent hypertension, the plant can not be used as an antihypertensive agent.