Mint: Benefits, Uses & Dosage

Crush a mint leaf between your fingers and you already know what this herb does. The sharp, cooling aroma of menthol wakes up the senses, clears the head and settles the stomach, which is exactly how Ayurveda uses it: to open congested passages and calm and relax digestion.

Mint is known in India as (Pudina). Ayurvedic herbalism uses several species, mainly peppermint (Mentha piperita) and horsemint or field mint (Mentha arvensis), which is more common in India, along with spearmint. All three share a mild soothing action on the nerves and digestion that helps relax the body and clear the mind and senses.

Mint has an unusual profile. It tastes sweet and pungent, has a potency described as both cooling and heating, and a pungent post-digestive effect (Katu Vipaka), the taste-effect it leaves after digestion. Its qualities are light, dry and penetrating. It calms Pitta and Kapha, though in excess it can aggravate Vata.

One honest note: mint is not mentioned in the early Ayurvedic literature such as the Charaka Samhita. Its place in Ayurveda comes from later herbal tradition and everyday kitchen use.

Mint is a light, aromatic herb that works mostly by moving things: wind in the gut, congestion in the head and chest, and tension in the mind. Ayurvedic tradition is specific that the dose and the way you take it change the effect.

Digestion

Mint kindles the appetite (Deepana) and redirects the flow of Vata downward (Anuloma), the natural direction for digestion and elimination. It is used for nervous digestion, gas and bloating, IBS, ulcers, nausea and indigestion.

Its aromatic oils are said to cool the heat of digestive Pitta (Pachaka Pitta), the form of Pitta that runs digestion, and regulate Samana Vayu, the aspect of Vata that moves food through the gut. That makes it specific for Pitta inflammation and irritation causing gastritis and enteritis. For loss of appetite, see Mint for Anorexia.

Colds, Fever and Sore Throat

Mint is a diaphoretic (Svedana), a herb that promotes sweating, and it is said to purge the orifices of the head. Taken as a hot tea at a high dose, it is commonly used to bring on a sweat in colds and flu, especially where the pores are blocked and need opening.

It is a mild, cooling diaphoretic for fever, and is also listed for sore throat, laryngitis, earache and headache. Where the lungs are congested with catarrh and constricted by spasm, mint is used to help open them.

Nerves and Mind

Mint is a nervine. It is said to normalise the flow of Prana Vayu, the aspect of Vata that governs breath and mind, spreading Vata that has become congested and blocked. Ayurveda credits this upward, outward movement with opening the mind and lifting the heaviness of mental and emotional tension.

It is listed for nervous agitation, which links it to anxiety, though it is a supporting herb rather than a primary one. See Mint for Anxiety.

Skin

Peppermint water used as an external spray is described as cooling and soothing for skin inflammation, hot flushes and allergic itching. Mint is also classed as antipruritic, meaning it relieves itching.

Menstrual Comfort

Mint is often combined in formulas that help the flow of Vata in the lower abdomen and ease menstrual congestion and pain. Horsemint (Mentha arvensis) has the strongest antispasmodic action of the three mints and is used for difficult menstruation.

Mint is taken as an infusion, a powder or a tincture. The key rule from the tradition: infuse it, do not boil it, so the aromatic oils stay intact.

Dose changes the effect

Ayurvedic herbal tradition is unusually specific here:

• Low dose: relaxing, and benefits Vata that is stuck through constriction.
• Medium dose, taken cool: serves Pitta's need for cooling and calming inflammation.
• High dose as a hot drink: clears Kapha, and is the form used to bring on a sweat in colds.

Common combinations

• High Pitta in the intestines: with kutki, Guduchi and Shatavari.
• High Vata, intestinal spasms and gas: with Cardamom, Fennel and Ajwain.
• Colds, to induce sweating: with Pippali, fresh Ginger and Cinnamon.
• The mind and tension: with Brahmi, Gotu Kola and Licorice.

Mint is a familiar kitchen herb and safe for most people in ordinary amounts. As a medicinal herb, though, it has a clear list of exceptions.

When to avoid mint

• Acid reflux and hiatus hernia: mint should be avoided by people with oesophageal reflux, and it may cancel the effect of reflux medication.
• High Vata: its light, dry, penetrating quality can over-disperse an already depleted system.
• Severe chills and nervous exhaustion (neurasthenia).
• Gallstones: the World Health Organization recommends caution, as mint may cause stones to move into the bile duct, where large ones can become stuck.

Medication and special cases

Mint may interact with iron medication. People with epilepsy, and other sensitive individuals, need to keep the dose regulated. If you take any prescription medicine, tell your doctor before using mint as a remedy.

Vata in excess

Mint calms Pitta and Kapha but can aggravate Vata when overused. Dryness, restlessness or feeling ungrounded are signs to cut back.

Mint sits among the everyday kitchen digestives. Here is when to reach for it, and when another herb fits better.

Our sources give limited guidance on mint for specific groups. As a food in normal kitchen amounts it is widely used; the cautions below apply to therapeutic doses.

Pregnancy and Nursing

Ayurvedic herbal tradition notes that mint can help ease morning sickness and vomiting. However, horsemint (Mentha arvensis), the species most common in India, is described as an emmenagogue, a herb that stimulates menstrual flow. For that reason, avoid medicinal doses during pregnancy unless a qualified practitioner advises otherwise, and check with your doctor while nursing.

Children

Our sources give no child-specific dosing for mint. Ask a qualified practitioner before using it as a remedy for a child.

Elderly

Mint's light, dry quality can aggravate Vata, which naturally rises with age. Older adults with dryness, depletion or nervous exhaustion should keep doses low. Gallstones and reflux, both cautions for mint, are also worth ruling out.

Athletes

Our sources hold no data on mint for athletic performance. Its listed actions are digestive, diaphoretic and nervine rather than energising.