Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller

[supernova]

I thought we could use a change of pace from the vaccine and flu wars. :-)

A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.

Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Working on mice, a Newcastle University team has proved scientifically that the ancient medicine men were right.

....

The team found that when the mint was given at a dose similar to that prescribed by traditional healers, the medicine was as effective at relieving pain as a synthetic aspirin-style drug called Indometacin.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8373791.stm

[HuckleB]

1. Interesting.

Thanks for sharing. K & R.

On edit, and that mint plant is extremely different from what we're growing at home. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[supernova]

3. It tastes more like sage

the researchers said in the article. But they also said sage is part of the same plant family? I don't know plant classifications. :shrug:

[HuckleB]

5. The Brazil stuff does resemble my sage plants a bit.

I don't know enough either. The mint we grow (two kinds) acts as a ground cover, though we can and do use it to flavor foods.

[LeftishBrit]

2. Interesting; thanks for posting.

[Liberation Angel]

4. cool!

k&r

[semillama]

6. I'd be more interested if they proved mint chocolate chip ice cream was an effective painkiller. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

7. You mean it's not?

[HuckleB]

8. I don't know why it couldn't be!

[hvn_nbr_2]

9. It is effective, if you have the right kind of pain. nt

[JanusAscending]

10. So I'm guessing my regular Mint tea wouldn't do the trick?

I've been told that mint tea, or ginger tea would help my "burning tongue syndrome" I've been drinking the mint/chamomile for a week or so, because I couldn't find the ginger tea in my local market. I've been sipping on ginger ale though, hoping that would help some. Why does everything that could possibly help always have to be so "exotic"??

[salvorhardin]

11. You should make ginger tea yourself with fresh ginger. It's so simple.

No need to buy those expensive tea bags. Whether or not ginger tea as any medicinal benefits or not is totally beside the point. It's absolutely delicious, dead simple to make and 100% calorie free (or nearly so until you add honey). Here's a short video showing you how to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6H4xE_gSjI

Oh, and Su-Mei is right when she says it fills your whole house with a wonderful aroma.

Not to turn this into a cooking thread, but I just discovered fresh ginger myself a few months ago. I have no idea how I lived 42 years and never cooked with it before. It's usually pretty inexpensive too and a little bit of ginger goes a long way.

ETA: Forgot to add one last thing. If making your own ginger tea isn't enough incentive to buy fresh ginger the next time you're at the market, then this fresh ginger cake recipe should do the trick.
http://www.foodinthefort.com/2009/05/20/fresh-ginger-spice-cake

[eShirl]

12. I was told it has to be dried ginger (powdered ginger counts) to be effective

something about the process of drying changes it

[JanusAscending]

13. Thanks for the info.

I look forward to viewing the videos. I have worked with fresh ginger in the past when I worked in a pantry at a Country Club. I hated peeling it(too many bumps), but the smell was delightful. We used to make a special honey, ginger salad dressing. I'll see if my local market has it.

[eShirl]

14. "mint" in the sense that oregano, lavender, and rosemary are mint

all in the mint family






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyptis

Hyptis is a genus of flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family. These plants, known commonly as bushmints, are widespread in the tropics and warmer temperate regions of the Americas. There are 300 to 400 species, which may be annual or perennial, and small herb to large shrub.

Selected species:

* Hyptis alata - clustered bushmint, musky mint
* Hyptis americana - American bushmint
* Hyptis argutifolia
* Hyptis atrorubens - marubio oscuro
* Hyptis brevipes
* Hyptis crenata
* Hyptis capitata - false ironwort, wild hops
* Hyptis diversifolia
* Hyptis emoryi - desert lavender
* Hyptis escobilla - bayamon
* Hyptis florida
* Hyptis goyazensis
* Hyptis hirsuta
* Hyptis hygrobia
* Hyptis lantanifolia - island bushmint
* Hyptis lappacea
* Hyptis lorentziana
* Hyptis martiusii
* Hyptis mutabilis - tropical bushmint
* Hyptis pectinata - comb bushmint
* Hyptis platanifolia
* Hyptis pseudoglauca
* Hyptis recurvata
* Hyptis spicigera - marubio
* Hyptis suaveolens - pignut, also known as chan
* Hyptis velutina
* Hyptis verticillata - John Charles

[misplaced sc]

15. Brazilian Mint Tea

All this is fascinating;I have one BIG question-WHERE can one
find this miracle tea and/or plant? (hyptis crenata)-I've
searched the world (and the 'net) over, and it is nowhere to
be found. Not even my local health food emporiums know
anything about it... help, anyone?

[MineralMan]

16. I've found that most any tea will do the same, as long as

I add two ounces of Bushmill's to it.