Organic Tea of Peppermint, 30 g

Our teas are made of organic herbs, grown by our company or gathered from natural habitats. After careful sorting the herbs are then dried at the company’s dryer. Dried material is separated from the stems, crushed and sieved right before packing in order to keep our herbal teas fresh and fragrant as long as possible. This careful process, which involves a lot of handwork, is done only by our company’s employees, making sure that our customers enjoy only the highest quality products.
All herbs naturally growing in their habitats or farms accumulate various bioactive substances and thus have been used for treatment purposes since the old days.

The mint family consists of about thirty species. 11 of them naturally grow in Lithuania.
This herb was mentioned even in the Gospel of Matthew. In fact, there is not a single bad thought about peppermint. It seems that everyone is cooled down by its scent. In the ancient days people believed that peppermint helps to drive away evil spirits, so having dried peppermint was a must for every careful housekeeper.
Peppermint is a perennial, especially fragrant and melliferous herb plant. The leaves for medicinal purposes are harvested right before blooming or at the beginning of blooming. Dried herbs are characterised by a nice smell and strong, cooling taste. Dried leaves are dark green, fragrant and have a pleasantly cooling flavour. The amount of essential oil in mint, depending on the kind, varies from 1.89 to 3.44 % and includes 32.4-60.9 % of menthol.
Dried leaves must be dark green, fragrant and have a pleasantly cooling flavour. Dried mints should contain no more than 14 % moist, at last 1 % of essential oil, no more than 5 % of stems, truss or very small particles, no more than 1 % of organic and mineral additives, while upon burning it must produce no more than 12 % ash.
Depending on the kind, the amount of essential oil in mint cultivated in Lithuania varies from 1.89 to 3.44 % and includes 32.4-60.9 % of menthol.
Medicine uses peppermint leaf infusion. This soothing remedy relieves cramps and stimulates bile secretion.
Its active substances have various effects on the body’s physiology. They soothe, relieve cramps, stimulate bile secretion, prevent microbe development, reduce pain and expand the coronary arteries. The major active substance is menthol, constituting about 50 % of peppermint essential oil.
Peppermint essential oil is widely used not only in pharmacy, but also food industry, bakery and perfume making.
Practitioners of folk medicine claim that peppermint leave preparations eliminate microbes, relieve pains and cramps, reduce inflammations and stimulate bile secretion. Peppermint also improves appetite, intestinal activity, glandular secretion, digestion, prevents processes of fermentation and decay, nausea, vomiting and gastric cramps. Peppermint preparations can be also used in cases of increased sensitivity and insomnia. This herb gives energy to the heart and eliminates headaches.
Peppermint goes well with other herbs and thus is a popular additive to various herbal mixes, which improve digestion, stimulate bile secretion, perspiration, relieve pains and heart ailments.
Raw or dry mint or peppermint leaves can be used to spice cottage cheese or meat dumplings, meat or fish dishes, as well as salads and soups.

We recommend traditional tea making recipes, which will unfold the pleasure of slow and serene flow of the Mint Life through the senses of taste and flavour.
Tea making method:
Parboiling. Rinse a ceramic or glass vessel with boiling water. Put 1 teaspoon of herbs into a sieve (better use a special ceramic cup with a sieve) and pour in one glass (250 ml) of boiling water. Cover the cup and leave it for 5-10 minutes until the active substances of the herbs saturate the water. By the way, a glass of iced herbal tea is a great refreshment on a hot summer’s day.
Tea can be parboiled in a thermal jug too. We recommend using the ones with a mirror glass lining. Put in 2 tablespoons of herbs, add 1-1.5 l of boiling water and close tightly. Consume in one day.

Useful information about herbal qualities

Literature:
1. Butkus, V., et. al. Mažieji miško turtai. Vilnius: Mokslas 1987.
2. Čekauskaitė, L. Gamtos vaistinėlė. Kaunas: Spindulys, 2003.
3. Kaunienė, V.; Kaunas, E. Vaistingieji augalai. Žinynas. Kaunas: Varpas, 1991.
4. Obelevičius, K; Petkevičiūtė, S; E. Šeinauskienė, E. Prieskoninių augalų ir jų vartojimo žinynas. Kaunas: Lututė, 2011.
5. Ragažinskienė, O.; Rimkienė, S.; Sasnauskas, V. Vaistinių augalų enciklopedija. Kaunas: Lututė, 2005.