Plant history

Peppermint is thought to have originated in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. In the Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical text dating to 1550 BC, mint is listed as calming to stomach pains. Mint was so valued in Egypt that it was used as a form of currency.

The name peppermint is from the species name piperita meaning “peppery,” which distinguishes peppermint from other forms of mint.

 Plant Identification

• Origin: Northern Africa and the Mediterranean
• Growth: Peppermint plants can grow up to three feet tall and two feet wide at maturity.
• Plant family: Lamiaceae
• Scent: A powerful, minty-fresh, cool, and distinctive fragrance.
• Colour: Stems are reddish-green, leaves are green.
• Harvesting: From late spring and mid-autumn, before the shoots die back over winter. Pick regularly to keep plants compact and ensure they produce lots of fresh new growth. The leaves are best used fresh, but you can also freeze them for use in winter.
  
• Endangered: Not endangered.

Benefits 

Spiritual

Peppermint rises our spirit to a fuller understanding and appreciation of life, it helps us to stay in a moment of now, clean our thoughts, increase awareness, enhance receptivity, aid creativity and get us more in touch with our higher selves. When used in moderation it can help us to keep the alertness during the sleep time which can help us to receive the wisdom of other realms from our dreams.

It also acts upon our ego and helps to overcome the sense of pride, inferiority and supports the ethical living in our path. Peppermint is associated with Solar Plexus, Heart and Throat chakras. With its ability to clear the mind, staying in the present moment, increasing awareness and receptivity it makes peppermint a great oil for practicing mindfulness, connecting with the Fifth Plane where angelic being and spirit guides resides. It can be used for channelling angelic messages and connecting with our spirit guides as well as connecting with our higher self.

• Peppermint is connected to the element of Earth and carries feminine energy

Medicinal

Peppermint has many wonderful attributes for medicinal purposes. 

Peppermint is a popular traditional remedy for a number of conditions. It is believed to have calming effects. It is used to treat flatulence, menstrual pains, diarrhoea, nausea, depression-related anxiety, muscle and nerve pain, the common cold, indigestion, and IBS.

Peppermint tea has long been viewed as an excellent way to ease an upset stomach, calming the digestive tract and alleviating indigestion, gas, and cramps.