The health benefits of Peppermint

Peppermint grows wild on the banks of my local river. After an uneventful evening fly fishing the smell of this wild plant caught my attention. I picked off a leaf from a plant beside me and inhaled the crisp fresh smell, it was the unmistakable scent of fresh peppermint. 

I needed some for my garden so I picked a handful by the root for transplantation. For those of you who may not know, peppermint spreads aggressively so its best planted in a location where it can't get out of hand. I went on to put the plant in a part of my garden it could grow nicely without spreading to far. I chose the corner of my garden around a fish pond.

Two years later the plant has settled in nicely and grown around the pond. Now I can sit down and listen to the trickling water of the pond, watch the fish swim around and smell the relaxing scent of peppermint!

But that's not the only advantage of having peppermint grow in my garden. The plant has some powerful medicinal attributes. The leafs can be picked and made into a herbal tea which can help with indigestion or upset stomachs. Peppermint can also help ease IBS, boost immune system, increase memory and help reduce the pain of tension headaches.