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Mentha, Mint, Bo He 薄荷Bo He (TCM)
Pudina (Unani) |
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Ortus Sanitatis, Meydenbach, 1491
Garden Mint
New Kreuterbuch, Matthiolus, 1563
New Kreuterbuch, Matthiolus, 1563
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'Greater' (left) and 'Lesser' (right) Mints
Della Materia Medicinale, Andrea Valuassori, 1562
Della Materia Medicinale, Andrea Valuassori, 1562
M. piperita
Atlas der Officinellen Pflanzen, Berg & Schmidt, Leipzig, 1893
Atlas der Officinellen Pflanzen, Berg & Schmidt, Leipzig, 1893
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M. piperita
Koehler's Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887 |
M. viridis
Koehler's Medizinal Pflanzen, 1887 |
Botanical name:
Mentha spp.
Various types are used:
The Curled Mint with red stalks was accounted best by the Europeans.
TCM uses the Field Mint (M. haplocalyx), and Unani use Marsh Mint (M. arvensis) which are stronger than regular Peppermint.
Parts used:
Herb
Temperature & Taste:
Cool (Warm in the West), dry. Pungent, aromatic
Classifications:
2I. ANTISPASMODICS. 2K. RESOLVENT. 2Z. CICATRIZING
3A. SUDORIFICS & DIAPHORETICS. 3B. FEBRIFUGE & ANTIPYRETIC. 3D. CORDIALS & CARDIACS. 3H. LACTAGOGUE
4c. CARDIAC. 4e. STOMACHIC. 4f. SPLENETIC
TCM
A. Clear Exterior Wind-Heat
Mentha spp.
Various types are used:
- Peppermint–M x piperita, M. arvensis var. piperacsens
- Crisp or Curled–M. crispa
- Cornmint, Field or Marsh Mint–M. arvensis, M. haplocalyx
- Saracen's Mint; Wild Mint, Horsemint, 'Mentastrum'–M. sylvestris
- Water Mint 'Sisymbrium'–M. aquatica, M. hirsut
- Spearmint–M. viridis
The Curled Mint with red stalks was accounted best by the Europeans.
TCM uses the Field Mint (M. haplocalyx), and Unani use Marsh Mint (M. arvensis) which are stronger than regular Peppermint.
Parts used:
Herb
Temperature & Taste:
Cool (Warm in the West), dry. Pungent, aromatic
Classifications:
2I. ANTISPASMODICS. 2K. RESOLVENT. 2Z. CICATRIZING
3A. SUDORIFICS & DIAPHORETICS. 3B. FEBRIFUGE & ANTIPYRETIC. 3D. CORDIALS & CARDIACS. 3H. LACTAGOGUE
4c. CARDIAC. 4e. STOMACHIC. 4f. SPLENETIC
TCM
A. Clear Exterior Wind-Heat
Uses:
1. Clears Wind-Heat, Promotes Sweat:
-Fever, Headache
-beginning stages of Cold, Flu
-acute Wind-Heat conditions of the Head: loss of voice, mouth, teeth and throat problems
2. Promotes Expression of Rashes:
-Measles and other spotted Fevers to encourage full expression of Rash and facilitate quicker recovery.
3. Clears Liver Heat, Settles Wind:
-Liver Headache, Migraine, sore and red Eyes, Toothache
-‘It is good against watering eyes and all manner of breakings out in the head'. (Gerard)
-obstruction of the Liver: distention or pain of the Hypochondria
-Nervousness, insomnia, Hypertension, Tinnitus, Childhood Spasms
4. Moves Qi, Clears Heat, Benefits the Stomach:
-chiefly for weak Stomachs, Crudities, Hiccups, Vomiting, Wind, burning Heat or pain of the Guts
5. Externally:
-externally for weakness of the Stomach, pains of the Colic
-hardness of the Breasts
-curdling of Milk; poultice for Swollen Breasts in nursing mothers
-Scald head, Itchiness and other skin diseases.
-Neuralgia (Menthol or Peppermint oil)
-Mints are mixed with Parched Barley meal as an application to hard Tumors and swellings.
-‘And if a man have botches or other runnings or swellings in his head, take this herb and stamp it, and lay it to the sore, and it will heal it. Also if a mans tooth ache or stink: take this herb and seethe it in white wine and in Vinegar, and take that liquor and wash his mouth therewith’ (Wyer's Herbal, 1535)
-Stings of Bees and Wasps.
NOTE:
Smaller doses release constrained Qi and open Obstructions. Full doses clear Heat and promote Sweat.
DOSE:
In Decoction: 3–6 grams; in Powder: 500mg–2 grams
CORRECTIVES:
Honey; Violet; Rose Conserve
SUBSTITUTES:
Various types of Mint have been used similarly.
Smaller doses release constrained Qi and open Obstructions. Full doses clear Heat and promote Sweat.
DOSE:
In Decoction: 3–6 grams; in Powder: 500mg–2 grams
CORRECTIVES:
Honey; Violet; Rose Conserve
SUBSTITUTES:
Various types of Mint have been used similarly.
Main Combinations:
Acute Diseases:
1. Cold and Flu:
i. Mint with Elder flower
ii. with Headache, Sore Throat, Mint with Chrysanthemum Ju Hua
iii. dry throat with cough, Mint with Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi)
iv. Mint with fresh Ginger, Long Pepper (Ayurveda)
2. Promote the Expression of Measles and other Spotted Fevers, Mint with Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi) (TCM)
3. Acute Sore Throat:
i. Mint with Sage and Licorice
ii. Mint with Platycodon Jie Geng, Licorice
4. To prevent infection during epidemics, Mint with Calamus, Cinnamon, Lavender, Rue, Sage, Wormwood, Rosemary, Clove, Nutmeg, Garlic, Camphor (as in Four Thieves Vinegar)
5. To protect from Rabies after being bitten, Mint with Rue, Vervain, Plantain, Sage, Polypody, Wormwood, Mugwort, Balm, Betony, Centaury, St. John's Wort (as in Powder Against Rabies)
Clear Liver Heat
6. Cholecystitis, Mint with Camomile, Balm, Centaury, Caraway
7. Liver Heat:
i. Peppermint with Chrysanthemum
ii. Mint, Balm,. Camomile
iii. Liver Heat, Sore and Red Eyes, Scrofula, Mint with Self Heal (Xia Ku Cao) (TCM)
iv. Peppermint, Centaury, Agrimony
Liver Qi Stagnation:
8. Liver Qi Stagnation:
i. Mint with Paeonia Bai Shao, Bupleurum Chai Hu. (TCM)
ii. Sadness, Worry from Qi constraint Mint with Balm, St. Johns wort
iii. Mint with Basil seed, Bugloss, Pearl, Red Earth, Indian Spikenard, Chebulic Myrobalan, Dodder, Cinnamon, Frankincense (as in Electuary for Sadness and Worry)
iv. mental tension, Mint with Centella, Licorice (Ayurveda)
Calm the Liver, Settle Wind:
9. Childhood Spasms, Mint with Camomile, Red Poppy flower (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)
10. Hypertension, Mint with Camomile, Yarrow, Aniseed, Fennel seed
11. Tinnitus, Wild Mint with Marjoram, Rue, Stoechas, Camomile (as in Tincture for Tinnitus)
Stomach & Digestion:
12. Species Aromatica: Peppermint, Oregano, Thyme, Lavender, Cloves (Russian Pharmacopeia, 1910)
13 For the Stomach, Indigestion:
i. Mint with Fennel seed, Caraway, Wormwood
ii. Mint with Galangal, Nutmeg, Cinnamon (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)
iii. Mint with Wormwood, Sweet Basil, Pennyroyal, Rosemary, Lavender, Cinnamon, Clove, Coriander (distil a liquor). (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)
14. Loss of Appetite, Mint with Cinnamon, Aniseed, Celery, Cyperus, Calamint, Zedoary, Clove, Sesame (as in Powder for Loss of Appetite Greater of Nicholas)
15. Nausea and Vomiting, Mint with Wormwood, Rose, Galangal, Clove, Nutmeg, Quince (as in Decoction Against Vomiting)
16. Hiccups and Vomiting, Mint is taken with Pomegranate juice (Dioscorides)
Gynecology:
17. Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea:
i. Mint, Pennyroyal, Calamint
ii. Mint with Oregano, Mugwort, Camomile (as in Infusion for Painful Menstruation)
iii. Mint with Madder, Cyperus, Asparagus root, Balm, Valerian, Pennyroyal, Licorice (as in Emmenagogue Syrup)
18. Infertility, Mint with Madder, Mugwort, Wormwood, Fennel root, Marjoram, Balm, Cyperus, Mastic (as in Electuary to Promote Fertility)
Externally:
19. Abscesses, apply a plaster of Mint and Barley (Dioscorides)
20. Mint Juice in Hydromel for earache (Dioscorides)
Major Formulas:
Infusion for Painful Menstruation
Decoction Against Vomiting
Powder of Aloeswood (Mesue)
Powder of Galangal Compound (Diagalanga) (Mesue)
Powder for Gonorrhea
Powder for Loss of Appetite Greater (Nicholas)
Powder for Paralysis and Vertigo (Nicholas)
Four Thieves Vinegar
Electuary to Promote Fertility (Wirtzung)
Electuary of Bayberries (Electuarium de Baccis Lauri)
Electuary for Sadness and Worry
Ointment for Congealed Blood
Fang Feng Tong Sheng San
Yin Qian San
Xiao Yao San
Jia Wei Xiao Yao San
Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San
Di Huang Yin Zi
Gua Lu Xiao Du Dan
Liang Ge San
Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin
Ren Shen Bai Du San
Sang Ju Yin
Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang
Cautions:
1. Not used for excess sweating
2. ‘It is an enemy to generation, by overthickening the seed’ (Gerard)
3. Culpeper said of Wild Mint: ‘They are extream bad for wounded people and they say a wounded man that eats Mints his Wound will never be cured, and that's a long day’.
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water, Syrup of the Juice, Compound Syrup, Conserve of the Leaves, Distilled Oil, Infused Oil, Salt of the Ashes
1. Conserve of Mint:
i. Fresh leaves of Mint (1 part), White Sugar (2 parts). Beat together.
2. Syrup of Mint:
i. Fresh leaves of Mint (2 oz.), Water (2 pounds). Infuse, strain, add White Sugar (4 pounds). Make a syrup, strain.
ii. Dried Mint (½ pound), Water (5 pounds). Macerate 12 hours; distil four ounces, and dissolve in Sugar (8 ounces). To the expressed and strained residue add White Sugar (2 pounds, 4 ounces). Boil to the desired consistency and add the other Syrup. (Pharmacopoeia Amstelodamensis, 1792)
iii. Juice of Mint clarified by repose, White Sugar (of each 3 pounds). Boil together. (Dispensatorium medico pharmaceuticum Palatinatus, 1764)
3. Tincture of Peppermint:
i. Peppermint (1 part), Alcohol 20% (8 parts). Digest 3 days, filter. (Pharmacopoeia Manualis, Antwerp, 1812)
ii. Flowering tops of Peppermint (4 oz.), Rectified Spirit of Wine (2 pounds). Digest, express, and add more Peppermint (2 oz.). Digest again, express and filter. (Dispensatorium Pharmaceuticum, 1777)
iii. Oil of Peppermint (2 drams), Alcohol (1 pound). Mix. Dose: 1–2 drams.
4. Troches of Peppermint:
i. Mint Water, White Sugar (2 oz. each). Boil to the consistency of a soft electuary and add to it an oleosaccharum made of White Sugar (4 oz.) and Essential Oil of Mint (½ dram). Pour by drops onto a marble slab, and when solidified, expose them, placed on a sieve, to a moderate heat for several hours. (Pharmacopoeia Gallica, 1818)
5. Distilled Water of Mint:
i. Mint (1 ½ pounds), Water (sufficient to prevent burning. Distil one gallon. (London)
6. Spirit of Mint:
i. Oil of Mint (6 ½ scruples), Proof Spirit (4 ½ pints), Water (sufficient to prevent burning). Mix the spirit with the oil, add the water, and slowly distil one gallon. (London)
1. Not used for excess sweating
2. ‘It is an enemy to generation, by overthickening the seed’ (Gerard)
3. Culpeper said of Wild Mint: ‘They are extream bad for wounded people and they say a wounded man that eats Mints his Wound will never be cured, and that's a long day’.
Main Preparations used:
Distilled Water, Syrup of the Juice, Compound Syrup, Conserve of the Leaves, Distilled Oil, Infused Oil, Salt of the Ashes
1. Conserve of Mint:
i. Fresh leaves of Mint (1 part), White Sugar (2 parts). Beat together.
2. Syrup of Mint:
i. Fresh leaves of Mint (2 oz.), Water (2 pounds). Infuse, strain, add White Sugar (4 pounds). Make a syrup, strain.
ii. Dried Mint (½ pound), Water (5 pounds). Macerate 12 hours; distil four ounces, and dissolve in Sugar (8 ounces). To the expressed and strained residue add White Sugar (2 pounds, 4 ounces). Boil to the desired consistency and add the other Syrup. (Pharmacopoeia Amstelodamensis, 1792)
iii. Juice of Mint clarified by repose, White Sugar (of each 3 pounds). Boil together. (Dispensatorium medico pharmaceuticum Palatinatus, 1764)
3. Tincture of Peppermint:
i. Peppermint (1 part), Alcohol 20% (8 parts). Digest 3 days, filter. (Pharmacopoeia Manualis, Antwerp, 1812)
ii. Flowering tops of Peppermint (4 oz.), Rectified Spirit of Wine (2 pounds). Digest, express, and add more Peppermint (2 oz.). Digest again, express and filter. (Dispensatorium Pharmaceuticum, 1777)
iii. Oil of Peppermint (2 drams), Alcohol (1 pound). Mix. Dose: 1–2 drams.
4. Troches of Peppermint:
i. Mint Water, White Sugar (2 oz. each). Boil to the consistency of a soft electuary and add to it an oleosaccharum made of White Sugar (4 oz.) and Essential Oil of Mint (½ dram). Pour by drops onto a marble slab, and when solidified, expose them, placed on a sieve, to a moderate heat for several hours. (Pharmacopoeia Gallica, 1818)
5. Distilled Water of Mint:
i. Mint (1 ½ pounds), Water (sufficient to prevent burning. Distil one gallon. (London)
6. Spirit of Mint:
i. Oil of Mint (6 ½ scruples), Proof Spirit (4 ½ pints), Water (sufficient to prevent burning). Mix the spirit with the oil, add the water, and slowly distil one gallon. (London)