Happy 5th of July! I hope everyone survived the wild night of the 4th. If any of my readers are like me and enjoyed one too many mojitos this independence day, I have good news! No, I can’t give you advice as to what you can do about your headache or the strange phone number of a guy named Ted you have written on the back of your hand BUT I can tell you about interesting health properties of mint and thereby justify your mojito indulgence!
Mint, or Mentha, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which include other plants such as basil, lavender and thyme to name a few. Mint has been used as an age-old medicine to treat digestive issues and is currently seen as promising for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It has been suggested that the most important component pharmacologically is menthol. Menthol blocks calcium channels in cells, which then causes smooth muscle of the intestine to relax. However, this could prove to be a problem if one suffers from gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn. Because menthol relaxes smooth muscle, it also relaxes the cardiac sphincter of the stomach. The cardiac sphincter is responsible for keeping ingested food and gastric juices from re-entering the esophagus and causing heartburn. If one suffers from heartburn, ingesting menthol may exacerbate this condition.
If you are not familiar with menthol, think back to when you were a child and your mother rubbed that sticky VapoRub on your chest when you had a cold. Menthol is partly responsible for that cooling sensation felt upon application. This occurs by menthol stimulating nerves (or when menthol is ingested via i.e., mint, stimulating receptors in the mouth such as the TRPM8 receptors) that sense cold while interestingly also inhibiting nerves that feel pain. This is why menthol is an active ingredient in many pain relieving lotions and gels. Due to mint’s high polyphenolic content (specifically rosmarinic acid), it has also been seen to be an antioxidant, combat inflammation and may be effective against the Herpes Simplex Virus.
If you are surviving a post-4th of July bash, raise your glass to our grand country and enjoy another Red White & Blue Mojito. This time though, make it a virgin. –A xo
Kalantzis A, Robinson PP, Loescher AR. Effects of capsaicin and menthol on oral thermal sensory thresholds. Science Direct. University of Sheffield, UK. 2006.
Kazaks A. Bioactives: Terpenes and herbs. Bastyr University. 2012.
Robb-Nicholson C. Health Benefits of Peppermint. Harvard HEALTHbeat. Harvard Health Publications. Harvard Medical School. 2007. <www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat>
Mint, or Mentha, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which include other plants such as basil, lavender and thyme to name a few. Mint has been used as an age-old medicine to treat digestive issues and is currently seen as promising for treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It has been suggested that the most important component pharmacologically is menthol. Menthol blocks calcium channels in cells, which then causes smooth muscle of the intestine to relax. However, this could prove to be a problem if one suffers from gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn. Because menthol relaxes smooth muscle, it also relaxes the cardiac sphincter of the stomach. The cardiac sphincter is responsible for keeping ingested food and gastric juices from re-entering the esophagus and causing heartburn. If one suffers from heartburn, ingesting menthol may exacerbate this condition.
If you are not familiar with menthol, think back to when you were a child and your mother rubbed that sticky VapoRub on your chest when you had a cold. Menthol is partly responsible for that cooling sensation felt upon application. This occurs by menthol stimulating nerves (or when menthol is ingested via i.e., mint, stimulating receptors in the mouth such as the TRPM8 receptors) that sense cold while interestingly also inhibiting nerves that feel pain. This is why menthol is an active ingredient in many pain relieving lotions and gels. Due to mint’s high polyphenolic content (specifically rosmarinic acid), it has also been seen to be an antioxidant, combat inflammation and may be effective against the Herpes Simplex Virus.
If you are surviving a post-4th of July bash, raise your glass to our grand country and enjoy another Red White & Blue Mojito. This time though, make it a virgin. –A xo
Kalantzis A, Robinson PP, Loescher AR. Effects of capsaicin and menthol on oral thermal sensory thresholds. Science Direct. University of Sheffield, UK. 2006.
Kazaks A. Bioactives: Terpenes and herbs. Bastyr University. 2012.
Robb-Nicholson C. Health Benefits of Peppermint. Harvard HEALTHbeat. Harvard Health Publications. Harvard Medical School. 2007. <www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat>
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