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What would a festive season be without mint tea? Indeed, there’s nothing more satisfying that a cup of fresh, minty and sweet iced tea – even when it’s cold outside.
Potential Benefits of Drinking
Peppermint tea is a herbal tea made from dried or fresh peppermint leaves. It contains zero caffeine, which makes it great for any time of the day or night. Peppermint is a type of mint with a high menthol content. Menthol may provide many health benefits. Compared to spearmint, another type of mint, peppermint has a sharper, fresher flavor and scent.
Some of the most important benefits of peppermint are:
1. Aiding digestion
Peppermint tea may be one of the best tea for digestion. It’s often recommended as a homemade remedy for flatulence. Peppermint may help soothe the irritable bowl syndrome symptoms too[1].
2. Help with bad breath
Menthol from peppermint may help with bad breath. That’s why peppermint is a common ingredient in many toothpastes, chewing gums and breathe fresheners. But it’s not only that peppermint hides the bad breath, it also has antibacterial properties[2] and may help fight the bacteria causing it.
1. Help with nausea
Peppermint may help with nausea and vomiting and it’s one of the teas that are safe even in pregnancy[3].
2. Reducing stress
Peppermint may help with stress, anxiety and fatigue. It’s one of the best teas for boosting energy without the caffeine.
3. Help relieve the symptoms of common cold
Peppermint tea may help relieve the symptoms of common cold, such as nasal congestion. IT may help to breathe more easily as it may help loosen up mucus from the lungs[4]. It has antioxidant properties and may help boost the immune system too.
How to Make Iced Peppermint Tea
Iced Peppermint tea is one of the easiest teas to make. You can use either fresh or dried mint leaves. Fresh mint will have a more refreshing, sharp flavor. If you prefer to use dried leaves, try to rub the inside of a glass with fresh mint leaves before adding ice. Another great option is to sugar rim a glass before adding ice for a delicious festive looking and tasting peppermint drink.
Ingredients:
- ½ to 1 spoon of dried mint leaves or a handful of fresh mint leaves (2-3 small branches, washed)
- 1 cup of boiling water
- 1 teaspoon of honey (optional)
- A few juniper berries
- Ice
- Fresh mint leaves for decoration
Always use fresh spring water for making tea, especially if you are using fresh ingredients. Water quality will have a lot of impact on the final flavor, especially if you don’t want to add any sweeteners into your drinks.
Directions:
- Bring fresh spring water to a boil. Let it cool down for a minute.
- Steep mint leaves for 5 minutes. Fresh mint leaves will give a brighter tea, unlike dried mint leaves. Pay attention to steeping time and strain the leaves before the color gets too dark. Steep for 10 minutes it you are using fresh mint leaves. However, keep the steeping time up to 5 minutes for dried leaves. Over-steeped dried mint leaves may give a bitter cup.
- Add honey and stir.
- Add a few juniper berries.
- Pour the tea into a glass filled with ice.
Want to add a lemon note to this drink? Steep the leaves with slices of fresh lemon or use Lemon Mint Tea. If you are not in a rush and want a more delicate flavor, you can cold brew mint in the fridge overnight. Put the mint leaves (fresh or dried) into a larger glass teapot or a pitcher and let it steep for at least 8 hours. Drink within one day. Cold-brewed tea will always have a lighter flavor with less bitterness. You can try adding some sencha green tea leaves too, but in that case your tea will contain caffeine too.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It’s not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every person is different and may react to different herbs and teas differently. Never use teas or herbs to treat serious medical conditions on your own. Always seek professional medical advice before choosing home remedies.
References:
[1] https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/pdfs/ibd-and-irritable-bowel.pdf
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878535211000232
