Mint Tea
Wikipedia: Peppermint_tea | Teaviews: mint-teaUpdated: Mar. 23, 2012
About Mint Tea
Mint tea is one of the most popular and widely consumed forms of herbal tea. It is used as tea on its own, in herbal tea blends, and mixed with green or black teas.
Apple Mint (Left)
and Peppermint (Right)
Common varieties of mint used in tea include spearmint, peppermint, apple mint, and orange mint. Some cultivated mints are individual species that occur in the wild—e.g. spearmint is Mentha spicata, whereas others, such as Peppermint, are hybrids of different species. Usually when the term "mint" is used alone, it refers to spearmint. Most of the commercially available mint in the U.S. is either spearmint or peppermint. Apple mint, also called woolly mint or fuzzy mint, is also important in tea culture, as it is traditionally used for blending with green tea in Morocco, and it is also widely grown in gardens for use as an herbal tea.
Mint tea can be made out of fresh or dried leaves. It is typically brewed with boiling water. The amount of leaf used typically varies by the species. Peppermint can have an overwhelmingly strong aroma, requiring less leaf to be used, whereas spearmint and other mints require more leaf. Mint teas make particularly good iced teas, as mint is often described as having a cool or refreshing quality.
Heath effects:
Many mints have numerous health benefits. Spearmint has significant antioxidant properties which have been shown to aid in the preservation of meat.[1] Mint tea has also been shown to enhance iron absorption.[2] Peppermint, spearmint, and Japanese mint have been shown to inhibit and kill a number of strains of harmful bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains such as MSRA.[3] Spearmint has also been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of harmful fungi.[4]While most mints are generally safe for consumption in food or beverages, some species of mint are toxic in large doses. Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium), which has a pleasant minty aroma and makes a delicious tea, can cause liver damage and can even be lethal, and is an ongoing source of poisoning.[5]
References:
1. Sweetie R. Kanatt et. al., Antioxidant potential of mint (Mentha spicata L.) in radiation-processed lamb meat, Food Chemistry, Vol. 100, No. 2, 2007, pp. 451-458.
2. F. Zaida et. al., Iron Availability and Consumption of Tea, Vervain and Mint during Weaning in Morocco, Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2006.
3. H. Imai et. al., Inhibition by the essential oils of peppermint and spearmint of the growth of pathogenic bacteria., Microbios., Vol. 106, Suppl. 1, 2001, pp. 31-9.
4. K. M. Soliman, R. I. Badeaa, Effect of oil extracted from some medicinal plants on different mycotoxigenic fungi, Food and Chemical Toxicology, Vol. 40, No. 11, Nov. 2002, pp. 1669-1675.
5. Ilene B. Anderson et. al., Pennyroyal Toxicity: Measurement of Toxic Metabolite Levels in Two Cases and Review of the Literature, Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 124, No. 8, Apr. 15, 1996, pp. 726-734.
Best Mint Tea
The notion of the "best" Mint Tea is subjective, because different people have different tastes. We present the most often-rated and highest-rated teas in this category, and allow you to draw your own conclusions.
Most Often-Rated Teas: Peppermint Herbal Tea
76 4 Ratings  Mint Magic® Herbal Tea
2 Ratings | Top-Rated Teas:Peppermint Herbal Tea
76 4 Ratings |
