Peppermint for Pain
I just ๐ these littleย @southern_soul_saย salves - we have 6 varieties - Calendula ๐, Breathe Easy (congestion) ๐ค, headache ๐ค, hemp ๐, lady cramp ๐ญ and deep sleep ๐ด. Iโm still slowly making my way through them as they seem to last forever ๐ฐ ~
Both the salves in the picture contain peppermint ๐oil, which is useful for IBS and stomach issues, nausea (Iโve been told to sniff it to relieve the latter), muscle pain, itching and headaches.
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What is peppermint? ๐ฑ Mentha Piperita (Latin) is a hybrid between watermint and spearmint, and indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, but now cultivated in most parts of the world. Strange fact - c90% of the worldโs peppermint comes from Morocco (?!) ๐ฒ๐ฆ
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Peppermint to relieve pain: a few studies have shown effectiveness of peppermint oil as a treatment for migraines and chest pain. The reason it seems to work is that menthol provides a cooling sensation (as we have probably all experienced!), which alleviates discomfort. In short, the menthol tricks our TRPM8 receptors into feeling โcoldโ ๐ฅถ (similar to chillis making us feel heat) ๐ฅ
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More strange facts:
- the Ancient Greeks believed peppermint could cure hiccips
- they also brought us the word mint in the first place - it comes from Minthe in Ancient Greek. Minthe was a water nymph from southern Greece loved by the god Hades, god of the underworld. She claimed to be superior to his wife Persephone, who got angry ๐ก and turned her into a mint plant (so that she would be trampled by passersby). Hades could not undo the transformation but managed to give her a beautiful fragrance that would appear if she was stepped on ๐...
- the ancient Greeks also used mint in funerary rituals, together with other aromatic herbs, likely for practical (fragrant) reasons
- the ancient Romans used mint for their baths and to clean their teeth. We have some mint bath salts if you want to copy them! ๐
- In Europe, mint was used by cheese makers ๐ง as it seemed to discourage rats and mice ๐
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Finally, donโt forget our 10% off deal ends tomorrow - we have lots of little salves and lotion bars that make such cute presents for the special people in your lives ๐ค