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3 Supportive Uses for Peppermint You Need to Know

A cheerful mint whose flavor and aroma have inspired candy canes, chewing gum, breath mints, and holiday goodies of all sorts, the uses for peppermint (Mentha x piperita) leaf as a versatile herb with numerous botanical benefits and usages are many. With a long history among Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, and Japanese cultures, peppermint is one of the oldest herbs used in herbalism, for both its culinary and health applications. The Romans and Greeks were even known to wear crowns of peppermint at their feasts and celebrations (McIntyre, 1996; Mills & Bone, 2000).

Peppermint is a robust perennial that offers a pleasant taste and aroma, in addition to a host of wellness benefits—it has withstood the test of time as a favorite herb for cooking and herbal preparations for good reason. Let’s take a look at some of the many uses for peppermint—ways in which to enjoy, appreciate, and apply this hardy, delightful, pleasant-smelling, and delightful-tasting plant.

The energetic qualities of peppermint leaf are described as spicy, bitter, and cool (Tierra, 1988), as well as sweet with an overall purifying effect (Dass, 2013). Its cool, purifying nature means that it has a tendency to increase vata dosha, so should be used cautiously with high-vata individuals and vata conditions. This would be determined if the individual and/or condition presented with excessive lightness, dryness, mobility, and/or coldness, to name a few determining factors.

Read the full post on the Herbal Academy blog here: 3 Supportive Uses for Peppermint You Need to Know.

Waning Moon Herbal Mix For Deep Nourishment

When you observe the flow of your energy cycles during any given month you may notice that your energy ebbs and flows. Sometimes you need to hang out in an eddy; other times you are flowing forward at full force. During any lunar cycle, we tend to have times of heightened creativity, activity, and extroversion (often corresponding to the Waxing Moon and Full Moon) and other times when we feel the need to slow down, do less, and turn inward.

The Waning Moon phase—the time in between the Full Moon and New Moon is associated with darkness, introversion, going underground, rest, the end of the life cycle, vata dosha, and the autumn harvest. Rather than swimming upstream against the waning energies of this phase of the lunar cycle, it can be helpful to understand the energetics of the Waning Moon phase and to learn to work with this time to support our bodies and minds. In this article, I will share a recipe to embrace this time of rest and slowing down with herbs that provide deep nourishment.

Read the full post and get the recipe on the Herbal Academy blog here: Waning Moon Herbal Mix for Deep Nourishment.

In Bloom: Floral Tea Recipe for the Full Moon

For those who pay special attention to the lunar cycles, the Full Moon is commonly recognized as a time for manifestation and fruition. If the New Moon is auspicious for intention setting, rest, and reflection, the Full Moon is the time when our intentions and dreams flower into full form. As author and astrologer, Demetra George (1992) elegantly describes, “This is the peak of the light and total illumination of the vision…The symbolic seed flowers (p. 67). Lunar cycles can impact our sleep, energy levels, and creativity cycles. In addition, the phases of the Moon influence the growth cycles of plants. By tracking the phases of the Moon and how we and our plant friends respond, we can become more attuned to subtle energy shifts and can learn to work with ourselves and our plant allies in increasing harmony.

Energy Of The Full Moon

The Full Moon is often thought of as a time of heightened energy and is even associated with mythical and supernatural occurrences—the activities of werewolves and the like. However, there may be a reason behind the lore. Surfers learn to track the ocean tides by the phases of the Moon because they know that the Moon’s cycles have an observable influence in this respect (Elenbaas, n.d.). The Moon’s gravitational pull on Earth causes the waters of the ocean to bulge on the side of the Earth that is closest to the Moon at any particular moment. This results in higher tides, called spring tides, during the New Moon and Full Moon and lower tides, called neap tides, during the quarter moons (NASA, 2021).

Furthermore, our bodies as well as plant bodies are made mostly of water. When there is a heightened gravitational pull—such as during the Full Moon—the tides of the oceans rise, and this affects the water in our bodies as well. Extending this metaphorically, our emotions are linked to the water element. Thus, during the Full Moon, our emotions may also feel more full and heightened (Elenbaas, n.d.).

Read the full post on the Herbal Academy blog: In Bloom: Floral Tea Recipe for the Full Moon.

Supporting Creativity and Activity: Herbs for the Waxing Moon

If the New Moon is the time for planting seeds and intentions, the Waxing Moon is the time when we move from intention-setting to bringing our hopes, dreams, visions, and goals into form and action. The waxing phase of the Moon is a time characterized by heightened extroversion, activity, and creativity. During this time, we may feel a stronger desire to socialize, create, and get out and about more. While this is an important aspect of the energy cycle, it is also a good idea to assist this increased energy output with herbs that support a sense of calm, clarity, and upliftment. This article features an herbal blend custom-designed to support balance during the Waxing Moon phase.

Herbs for the Waxing Moon

Given the active, extroverted energy of the Waxing Moon phase, you may want to focus on herbs that support a calm, clear mind so that you can engage in your perhaps busier schedule with adequate mental and physical energy and a sense of equanimity. It may be important to not let your nervous system become overstimulated during this time, especially as the Moon moves into the later Gibbous Phase and into the Full Moon. However, what is life if not lived fully?! You may be inspired to get more accomplished or to be more social during the Waxing Phase of the Moon—and there’s nothing wrong with that! This infusion blend features herbs that will support this time of increased activity with a sense of ease and balance. First, let’s flesh out the ingredients in this Waxing Moon infusion…Read the full article, Supporting Creativity and Activity: Herbs for the Waxing Moon on the Herbal Academy blog.

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