Benefits Of Peppermint Tea: 11+Benefits And 12 Incredible Facts

Peppermint is long known as a natural source of menthol, a clear crystalline¹ and waxy substance extracted from peppermint oil². Since times bygone, Peppermint extract has been savored as a drink, and the benefits of peppermint tea are equally astonishing.

Let’s hunt through this member of the mint family and see how peppermint acts as a friend for our physical and emotional form.

1. The Mint Family

Mint is Known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic³, analgesic, and antibacterial properties.

Various mints are available, like spearmint, water mint, field mint, and peppermint.

2. What is Peppermint?

Peppermint(“Mentha piperita” of the Lamiaceae family) is an ancient herb. The Peppermint plant is a fusion of spearmint(“Mentha spicata“) and water mint(“Mentha aquatica“).

2.1. Peppermint Products

Breath mints (candies with a minty taste), bubble Gums (filled with peppermint gel), cigarettes, soaps, toothpaste, and peppermint oil (one of the essential oils used for its therapeutic properties) are some of the peppermint products.

3. What is Peppermint Tea?

3.1. Origin

Ancient Egyptians, back in 1000 BC, found dried peppermint leaves in various pyramids and boiled them in water. They were the first known peppermint tea guzzlers.

Ancient Greeks and Romans also used peppermint tea as soother against stomach upsets.

3.2. In History

Although peppermint was native to the Middle East and Europe, it is now cultivated around the globe.

Various records from Ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome show how peppermint has been used medicinally for centuries. Egyptians extracted oil from peppermint; they may have invented essential oils.

4. The Benefits of Peppermint Tea

Drinking peppermint tea has multiple benefits for your health. Let’s look at what this magical potion does to boost your health.

4.1. Act as a Breath Freshener

Peppermint tea’s cooling properties, when sipped, not only give a cooling sensation, but its antibacterial properties also remove foul odor from the mouth. Peppermint tea specifically freshens breathing as it contains menthol.

So, isn’t it an excellent and healthy way to freshen your mouth?

4.2. Boost Memory and Attention Span

Naturally, caffeine-free peppermint tea has both short-term and long-term memory-boosting benefits. This herbal tea is known to relieve tension headaches.

Within less than 20 minutes, a cuppa can boost alertness too. Make sure to accompany a cup or two during your exams or hectic official engagements to boost your performance.

4.3. Recovers Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Many pieces of research on peppermint oil highlight its promising effect on IBS⁴ symptoms. It mitigates abdominal pain in diarrhea.

Peppermint tea relaxes the ache and eases the upset stomach. It helps in reducing bloating and facilitates digestion.

4.4. Eases Menstrual Cramps

It even subdues the menstrual cramps if taken regularly a few days before menstruation.

4.5. Reduces High Blood Pressure

Peppermint has a lowering effect on heart rate and systolic blood pressure⁵ rates. Smelling might not be favorable, but regular intake can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

If you are prone to low blood pressure, you shouldn’t indulge in ingesting peppermint products as it may further drop your blood pressure levels.

For further information, click on the Benefits of peppermint tea on high blood pressure.

4.6. Combats Headache

Peppermint oil has been used to ease muscle tension due to its cooling effect. But other than the oral application, drinking peppermint tea and smelling its menthol aroma helps reduce headaches and combat migraines.

4.7. Helps Restoring Good Sleep

If you are suffering from irregular sleep patterns or insomnia, this tea can help you sleep better.

For a peaceful and restful sleep, sip a lightly flavoured mint tea. You are sure to experience solace and feel recharged after waking up. Moreover, it aids dreaming patterns, and it is found that dreams are more bright when you help yourself with this tea.

4.8. Helps Fight Common Cold and Flu

This mint tea protects you from seasonal changes like any other herbal tea on the immune system. It also helps in speeding up recovery from fever and touches of flu.

You can first inhale the fumes from the hot cup of peppermint tea to get the maximum benefits of peppermint tea.

4.9. Clears Mucus Congestion⁶

It is well-researched that essential oils like peppermint oil have a soothing effect on sore throat. A hot cup of peppermint brew kills respiratory tract pathogens and can cure nasal congestion.

Inhaling the steam of brewed peppermint breaks phlegm and removes mucus congestion.

4.10. Treats Nausea

The anti-spasmodic properties of peppermint can treat the vomiting sensation or nausea. The scent of this mint hampers the ill feeling and soothes stomach muscles that provoke vomiting.

Next time, try it before boarding an airplane, boat, or other travel sickness issues.

4.11. Multitude Health Benefits of Peppermint Tea

1. The cooling properties of peppermint act as an immunizer for the digestive tract and digestive system.
2. Regularly drinking peppermint tea helps control chronic diseases like diabetes and stroke.
3. Adding peppermint tea to your diet uplifts the immune system to fight the winter season.
4. Peppermint tea may revive your gloomy day and uplift the dejected you.
5. It may reduce hunger pangs, yet one of the other benefits of peppermint tea.

After reading the above benefits of peppermint tea, I anticipate you relishing a cup of peppermint tea.

5. How to Make

Making peppermint tea is a child’s play. Here are a few methods at your dispense:

1. Use readily available peppermint tea bags and dip them in hot water.
2. If you don’t belong to the tea bag culture, boil the water, add a teaspoon of loose-leaf tea, and let it steep in hot water. Strain and sip the benefits of peppermint tea.
3. Fresh leaves from your herb garden are best for aromatic cravings. Bring water to simmer and add fresh mint leaves but crush a little; allow it to steep longer if you wish to drink more robust flavours.
4. Ingesting peppermint oil is equally beneficial. Add 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil in black or green tea and enjoy the mixed flavors.

If you are looking for the benefits of peppermint tea and satiating your taste buds, follow the link:  Peppermint tea with milk recipe. 

6. Side Effects of Peppermint Tea

Rightly said, excess of everything is terrible. Here are a few side effects of peppermint tea on your health if you plan to gulp it down more to have quick results:

1. The menthol in peppermint leaves might scale down the mucous membrane in your throat, resulting in a sore throat.
2. Excessive intake of menthol may trigger headaches.
3. If you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, maintain your distance from peppermint products as it aggregates the irritation.
4. If you are on cyclosporine, a drug given to organ transplant patients, peppermint may reduce the effect of the medication.
5. You should not drink peppermint tea if you have kidney stones.
6. Ingesting peppermint oil in some may lead to allergic reactions.
7. If pregnant, avoid peppermint consumption and consult your doctor before sipping peppermint tea.

So friends, avoid peppermint tea as per the points mentioned above; else, the benefits of peppermint tea may be harmful to you.

7. Peppermint Tea- Where to Procure It From

After reading about the benefits of peppermint tea, I understand your impatience to get yourself a cup of peppermint tea. Here is the list of how to get the peppermint tea:

1. Get dried peppermint leaves from the grocery stores near you.
2. Peppermint tea bags are also readily available online or at nearby grocery stores.
3. Buy edible peppermint oils, steep a few drops in hot water, and enjoy peppermint tea.
4. Peppermint shrubs can be grown in your herb garden for fresh peppermint leaves.
5. Fresh peppermint leaves can be dried and stored in an airtight container for future usage.

8. Interesting Must-Know Facts About Peppermint Tea

After unfolding the benefits of peppermint tea, here is an array of exciting facts about peppermint tea:

1. Feel the effect of refreshing peppermint tea within an hour after you sipped the last drop.
2. Peppermint tea can be relaxing and invigorating too.
3. Although tea, peppermint tea is caffeine-free, one of the most significant benefits of peppermint tea.
4. To get its authentic taste, it is best to use organic dried peppermint leaves or fresh peppermint leaves.
5. Consuming too much peppermint tea can adversely affect your health.
6. Switching to varied herbal teas rather than a regular cup of peppermint tea has more potential health benefits.
7. Peppermint tea tastes best when brewed without additional ingredients like ginger, anise, etc.
8. The natural sweet smell of peppermint makes your drink sugar-free.
9. Post-dinner health benefits of peppermint tea are many folding.
10. Peppermint tea may be consumed as hot tea or iced tea.
11. Healthcare professional often recommends peppermint tea as peppermint is a good source of Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Folate.
12. Though significantly less research on peppermint tea is carried on, an immense-scale study on peppermint oil underlines the health benefits of peppermint tea.

9. Benefits of Peppermint Tea – Conclusion

Today in the fast-living world, we all are looking for health-promoting techniques that are less time-consuming. However, taking care of your diet and exercising will provide long-term results besides consuming peppermint tea. If you are looking for a quick exercise option, do follow this link:

Incredible Benefits of Surya Namaskar.

To sum up, the strong antioxidant properties, a muscle relaxant, and benefits of peppermint tea on the immune system have increased the popularity of this drink.

Enjoy this calorie-free, minty and punchy drink at any time of the day.

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4. Camilleri, Michael. “Diagnosis and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a review.” Jama 325.9 (2021): 865-877. ↩︎
5. Qureshi, Adnan I., et al. “Outcomes of intensive systolic blood pressure reduction in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and excessively high initial systolic blood pressure: post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial.” JAMA neurology 77.11 (2020): 1355-1365. ↩︎
6. Yagci, Tarik, Riza Dundar, and Nuray Bayar Muluk. “Newborn Nasal Congestion.” Breastfeeding and Metabolic Programming. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. 483-490. ↩︎

Last Updated on March 17, 2024 by Sanjana