Other names : Mentha longifolia, Biblical Mint, Menthe Blanche, Menthe Sylvestre, Wild Mint
Native to Europe, central and western Asia and Southern and Northern Africa, English Horsemint is a peppermint-scented, invasive plant of the spontaneous flora, with many subspecies and hybrids. Due to its lower content of menthol (volatile oil), English Horsemint is less irritating than crop species (Mentha Piperita) and the higher concentration of tannins makes it more suited for enterocolitis.
Similar to Peppermint, the parts growing above the ground have medicinal properties in digestive conditions such as gastritis, acid reflux, dyspepsia, gastrointestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal gas. Yet, English Horsemint consumption should be avoided in chronic constipation, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Traditional folk wisdom used English Horsemint as a natural remedy for insomnia and agitated sleep conditions, prescribing a concentrated infusion as a sedative. Headaches and migraines associated with nausea were also treated with English Horsemint tea, being very effective for people said to have an affinity with the plant. Externally, the essential oil in small quantities has stimulant actions on the sensitive nerve endings of the skin and the mucous membranes, producing a cooling sensation followed by an accentuated heat sensation, alleviating itching and reducing inflammation in allergic eczema and hives. For painful joints and poor circulation, an old recipe for an aromatic, refreshing bath was obtained with equal parts of English Horsemint and Walnut leaves (100 g each) in 3 l of boiled water . After the mixture cooled down a little, 100 g of acacia honey was added in the blend and painful limbs were placed in the warm liquid for 30 minutes.
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