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LIVE - Health Benefits of Pure Peppermint Oil

Health Benefits of Pure Peppermint Oil

by Rebecca Brenner

During the month of December, peppermint flavor seems to sneak into all of my favorite treats – coffee, tea, candy, and baked goods. As a child, for months before Christmas I would scan the candy aisles for the traditional peppermint flavored candy canes. My mother would only let me purchase the smaller candy ones, assuring me that the larger ones had too much sugar. The good news for peppermint lovers like me (who don’t want all the sugar like my mom) is that pure, organic peppermint oil is great for overall health when used with other high quality ingredients.

Through out history, peppermint oil has been used to treat dental issues, respiratory ailments like asthma, and to tame nausea and headaches. It is on of the best carminative herbs (meaning its volatile oils stimulate the digestive system and relax the stomach) reliving indigestion, constipation, and bloating. Pure peppermint oil is packed full of iron, magnesium, manganese, essential fatty acids, and vitamin C. These nutrients have been linked to boost immunity and combat colds and the flu.

You can indulge in the health benefits of this holiday classic by dropping a few drops of high quality peppermint oil in your favorite hot tea or try the following recipes:

Homemade Peppermint Lozenges

Ingredients:

1 oz. edible gum/Tracacanth or Acacia

2 cups water for soaking

2 cups water for boiling

20 drops organic peppermint oil

4 tablespoons organic brown sugar

Powder sugar for dusting

Directions:

Soak edible gum in water overnight, stirring once before bed.
Boil 2 cups of water and mix in edible gum.
With a wooden spoon mix until gum and water are evenly combined.
Strain mixture through a muslin cloth, discarding the liquid and keeping the thick/gum substance in the cloth (mucilage).
Mix 20 drops of oil into brown sugar and mix this into the mucilage.
Lightly dust rolling pin and board and cool our mucilage until ½ inch thick.
When full cooled cut into any size and shape you like.
Keep in air tight container and use as a natural throat/cough soother.

Homemade/Organic Peppermint Candy

Ingredients:

1 cup organic sugar

1/3 cup water

4 tablespoons firmly packed organic brown sugar

2-4 drops organic peppermint oil

1 teaspoon beet root powder

Directions:

Combine sugar, water, and brown sugar in small sauce pan, stirring over low/medium until sugar is dissolved.
Continue simmering, without stirring, until temperature reaches 290 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove pan from heat and allow to sit until bubbles have disappeared.
Pour ½ of the syrup onto marble slab and let cool 10 to 12 minutes.
Add oil and powder to syrup in pan and mix thoroughly.
When syrup on slab has cooled, pull (like taffy) until soft and satiny. Shape into thin rope, cutting into 6 inch segments.
Repeat step 6 with syrup in pan.
Twist the red pieces around the white for an old fashioned peppermint candy stick or shape gently into the traditional cane shape.

Rebecca Brenner is a nutritionist, writer, and local cooking show host living in Park City, Utah. For more DIY and local-inspired meals visit her blog – www.playfulnoshings.blogspot.com and her website – www.parkcityholistichealth.com