Pepper Knotweed

Peppermint: properties and medicinal uses

Peppermint, also known as pepper grass or water pepper, belongs to the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). It is an annual plant that reaches a height of 30 to 80 cm and has a branched, often reddened stem. The leaves of peppermint are elongated-lanceolate, smooth, with transparent dots. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, most often with a reddish, but often with a greenish corolla. Pepper Knotweed blooms in July-August and is usually found in damp areas in the forest, along ditches and streams.

Peppermint is used medicinally as an herb that is collected during flowering and dried in the shade. It contains tannins and one unexplored substance with a pungent taste, as well as essential oil, bitterness and flavonoids (rutin). Peppermint has a diuretic, hemostatic, astringent and anti-inflammatory effect. It is believed to provide quick relief from painful menstruation.

In folk medicine, peppermint is used for diseases of the bladder, to stop bleeding and for poorly healing wounds. It is also used for heavy and painful menstruation. However, although peppermint is widely used in folk medicine, I would caution against its use. The pungent substances contained in peppermint can be very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes and often cause more damage than good.

Fresh knotweed herb is very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes, so I do not recommend its use. Dry raw materials largely lose their irritating properties and therefore may be safer for use. If you have any medical problems, be sure to consult your doctor before using peppermint as a medicine.

In conclusion, peppermint is an herb with many beneficial properties, but it can also have side effects. Therefore, if you decide to use peppermint as a medicine, you must be extremely careful and consult your doctor.