Are you suffering from nausea, or is your stomach upset ? Then peppermint tea might be what you're looking for.
Just how much does peppermint tea help with nausea ? You've probably heard of its calming properties from old wives tales, but are they true ?
Let's find out.
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So is peppermint tea good for nausea ?
Most accounts agree that peppermint tea does help with nausea.
It's a calming sort of tea, and it relaxes the stomach muscle, which where the nauseating feeling comes from.
As with anything that's supposed to help in one way or another, some might not feel its effects too strongly, or some might feel overwhelmed by it.
But in short yes, peppermint does help with nausea.
It's not the only tea that's good for nausea, but it's one of the most well known and common teas to drink if you're nauseous or you have morning sickness. (source)
Is peppermint tea good for an upset stomach ?
Yes, peppermint tea will usually calm an upset stomach as well.
It's one of the items that's on the list when dealing with upset stomach, or a bout of mild diarrhea.
Other ingredients include fiber-heavy foods like brown rice, whole grain toast, and bananas (weirdly enough).
Peppermint tea is not full of fiber, but it does help stomach cramps, or those odd feelings when you think you might need to go but it's a bit iffy.
It's also been shown to help with IBS symptoms, which is a relief for people suffering from this ailment. (source 1, 2)
Why peppermint tea calms digestive problems
The answer lies in what peppermint tea extracts from the plant.
Peppermint oil is something that is present in each peppermint leaf, and as such is also present in your brewed tea.
You won't really see an oil sheen on the surface of your tea, but it's there.
It's what gives the tea its minty flavor, and it helps relax smooth muscles. The stomach, and most of our digestive system is comprised of smooth muscles.
This means they're especially susceptible to the relaxing effects of peppermint oil.
Of course, the fact that the tea comes into direct contact with our digestive system helps in noticing its effects, and one more thing as well.
The digestive system has no 'skin', like the outside layer on our bodies. It does have a lining, but it will absorb nutrients and whatever else we throw at it easier than our skin.
Our skin is meant to resist any foreign substance or object.
Several studies have shown the effects of peppermint oil and peppermint-based treatments as being useful in alleviating IBS symptoms, stomach cramps, and also abdominal pain. (source)
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How to make peppermint tea for nausea
Making peppermint tea for nausea is going to help you feel better very quickly. I suggest you use actual dried peppermint leaves, rather than store-bought teabags containing mint.
The reason behind this is because most often mint tea found in teabags is enhanced with synthetic peppermint oil, and you won't really get the properties of actual peppermint.
So, I recommend you get yourself a good, quality peppermint tea, or go on a hiking trip and pick some peppermint to store it for later use.
It's a very common plant that grows pretty much everywhere in the northern hemisphere.
As for how much tea you will need to brew a cup of peppermint tea, I suggest you go a bit heavy on it. Depending on the quality of the peppermint, and how long ago it was picked, it can have a more or less strong flavor.
I suggest you use at least 3 heaping teaspoons of dried peppermint when brewing your tea.
Bring water to a boil in a pan, you will need about 7 oz/200 ml of water for one cup of tea. Once the water starts to boil, turn the teat off, add the peppermint, and cover the pan.
Let it sit for about 5 minutes, after which you will need to strain the tea into your cup. Or, you could use a paper coffee filter to catch the peppermint leaves as they come out of the pan.
Your tea should be alright to drink after a couple of minutes, when it's cooled down a bit.
Adding a piece of buttered toast to eat with the cup of tea will make an interesting experience, and it will help the nausea as well.
When I was little my gran would give me buttered toast with sweetened peppermint tea. I'd take a mouthful of toast, and a sip of tea, and chew them together. It's a confusing but fun feeling. The butter really works great with warm mint tea.
Add lemon to peppermint tea for a boost
If you'd like to help yourself even more to battle that nausea, then you will need a bit of lemon in your peppermint tea.
This means that after you've added your tea to the cup, you should twist a lemon into your tea. This is mostly so the lemon oil comes out and will become part of your tea.
Lemon oil is also good for nausea, and it's frequently used in aromatherapy. As such, adding a slice of lemon, and making sure you bend the rind a bit will ensure you get better nausea relief.
A peppermint tea I think is good
If you're not the hiking type, or would rather get your peppermint tea from someone who has already picked and dried it, then I can help you with a recommendation.
You'll find many options to get some peppermint tea out there.
Most of them will be in teabags, unfortunately. And teabags most often contain only broken leaves, and do not provide the same flavor as full leaves.
So, for a peppermint tea that's actually going to smell and taste good, I recommend you get whole leaves. Or as big as you can find them.
This peppermint is going to last you a long, long time. It comes in either in a 16 oz bag, which can last you over a year, even if you drink several cups of mint tea.
For reference, the usual teabag uses 2 gr of leaves, which is 0.07 oz.
So this peppermint can be made into any type of tea you like, stronger or weaker or combined with whatever else you like.
It's an organic crop, so you can be certain you're getting quality, safe herbs.
The peppermint is already dried, so you're free to use it as soon at it arrives to your doorstep.
You can check the listing on Amazon, and read the reviews as well.
Final thoughts
Peppermint can be a powerful ally, and making peppermint tea regularly can help ease a lot of digestive system troubles.
There's a reason peppermint is well known by grandmas across the world. It's a useful plant.
And peppermint tea is, for me at least, one of the things that remind me most of home.
If you want to know more about coffee or tea, feel free to check the related articles below. Who knows what else you might find ?
