The Effects and Functions of Mint
Mint has a pungent taste and a cooling nature. It belongs to the lung and liver meridians. It has the effects of dispelling wind and heat, clearing the head, benefiting the throat, promoting rashes, and relieving depression. It is mainly used to treat wind-heat exterior disorders, headache and dizziness, red and swollen eyes, sore throat and hoarseness, nasal congestion, toothache, measles that do not come out, hidden rashes and itching, liver depression causing pain and distention in the hypochondrium, and scrofula and tuberculosis.
Mint usage guide:
1. Mint can be brewed as a tea, but avoid boiling it for too long.
2. For wind-heat exterior disorders with fever, slight aversion to wind and cold, no sweat or slight sweating, and headache, it can be combined with honeysuckle, forsythia, or mulberry leaves, chrysanthemum, platycodon, etc. to achieve the effects of dispersing wind and clearing the exterior.
3. For wind-heat headache, dizziness, and chest stuffiness, it can be combined with chrysanthemum, angelica, gypsum, and ligusticum to dispel wind-heat and clear the head.
4. For wind-heat stagnation, with both exterior and interior heat, and measles that don't come out smoothly, it can be combined with gypsum, cicada slough, forsythia, etc. to dispel wind, clear heat, and promote rashes.
5. For liver qi stagnation with pain and distention in the sides, discomfort in the epigastric region, or breast distention, and irregular menstruation, it can be combined with bupleurum, angelica, and white peony.
6. Mint has the ability to promote the eruption of measles, and can be used together with platycodon, arctium fruit, and cicada slough. Culinary uses: It is used as a cooking ingredient and seasoning. Traditionally, it is used to prepare lamb dishes and can also be used as a flavor enhancer in dishes such as mint soup and mint porridge. It is also used as a flavoring agent in candies, pastries, and beverages.
