Peppermint

Mentha piperita

I LOVE peppermint. I use it for nearly every tea I make. Not only does it have many great properties, it also tastes so refreshing. Peppermint is very easy to grow. Some find it invasive. I actually put it in places that I don’t mind it taking over a bit. It’s fragrance alone makes it worth growing.

Let’s start with how to identify peppermint. Peppermint grows from 1-3 feet tall. Peppermint has opposite leaves and a square stem. The leaves have course margins, and a pointed tip. In mid to late summer purple flowers bloom. It’s easy to identify by it’s smell.

Peppermint has a warming, stimulating action. One of my favorite uses for peppermint is to calm an upset stomach, nausea. I have a daughter that gets a stomach bug several times a year. I will add water and fresh leaves to a blender, strain, and add crushed ice. If you can’t get fresh leaves, it works just as well as a warm tea (or add ice if it’s better tolerated). It’s also great to relieve congestion in the lungs. As previously mentioned, I add it to nearly EVERY blend. Not only does it make the blends taste good, it’s also a good catalyst herb.

It’s very easy to grow and harvest peppermint. It will grow by runners and self-seeding. If you’d like to keep it contained, plant it in a large patio pot. Harvest in the morning for the best essential oil content. Using a knife or scissors, cut the stem several inches and below a set of leaves. The young upper leaves are the most flavorful.. You can harvest multiple times in the season.