Water mint: properties, cultivation, characteristics and natural remedies. All the information on this spontaneous plant that grows on the banks of waterways.Unlike its more famous cousin, peppermint , water mint does not enjoy the same popularity, yet it has many properties to offer and many tricks up its sleeve!
Water mint, properties and characteristics
If you are looking for natural herbal remedies , water mint is the one for you! Thanks to its many properties , water mint is able to combat a large number of minor ailments. It belongs to the same genus as peppermint and has many beneficial properties. The leaves and flowering tops of the “water mint” plant are used.
Thanks to its active ingredients (menthol, cineole, menthofuran, terpenes, resins, tannins, etc.), the plant boasts the following properties: antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, refrigerant, vasodilator, antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, stimulant, stomachic, analgesic, emetic (useful in cases of poisoning as it stimulates vomiting) and tonic.
You can collect water mint along a stream and dry it in shady places with good air circulation. Dried mint should be stored in porcelain jars and infusions and macerates are prepared to be consumed after meals to reduce the sensation of abdominal swelling . Infusions and macerates of water mint are considered a good natural remedy against headaches and digestive difficulties, for this purpose they are used after meals.
In summer, you can use the dried leaves to prepare a soothing bath against stretch marks and irritation. Thanks to its refreshing properties, compresses based on water mint can have an excellent soothing effect in case of sunburn.
Water mint for hair
Water mint is also used as a component in some shampoos for its detoxifying properties on the scalp.
One of the best-selling and most reviewed products is Klorane Aquatic Mint Shampoo , which you can purchase on this Amazon page .
Klorane Aquatic Mint Shampoo
Water mint infusion
How to prepare a diuretic and digestive infusion? Boil a cup of water containing a teaspoon of dried water mint. Wait 5 minutes after boiling, turn off the stove, let it cool and filter.
Water mint baths
Water mint baths have toning, refreshing and anti-itching properties: they help soothe irritation and itching. They are prepared by adding two handfuls of dried water mint to the warm water of the bath.
Water mint essential oil
To make the most of the properties of water mint, you can use its essential oil. Water mint essential oil is obtained through a process of extraction by steam distillation.
Where to buy water mint essential oil?
Unlike peppermint essential oil, which is very easy to find and also cheap, water mint essential oil is not easily found on the market. You will therefore have to look for it in a good herbalist’s shop or you can try to produce the essential oil at home.
Homemade Water Mint Essential Oil
The steam distillation process can be done at home by DIY, using a modified pressure cooker or by purchasing a distiller. Those who have a steam machine (like those used for facial cleansing) could direct the steam nozzle into a cannula connected to a bottle while in the water chamber they should insert a macerate of water mint. All the instructions for making essential oil at home, including a demonstration video, are available on the page dedicated to steam distillation .
Water Mint Cultivation
Water mint is a plant that grows spontaneously in very humid and marshy soils. Those who intend to grow it will not have to pay much attention to the plant: it is a very rustic and therefore resistant species. The only condition for its cultivation is the soil: it needs soil that is always humid or even marshy . In nature, water mint grows along rivers, pools, streams, dams, water ditches, wet meadows or swamps.
Prepare a peaty and moist soil , the reaction is not decisive because mint grows both on slightly acidic soils and on calcareous soils. Its cultivation is very widespread especially in Northern Europe, from which an essential oil and a series of extracts with multiple properties are obtained. On this Amazon page you can buy a packet of 400 aquatic mint seeds.
