Minty fresh bladder. Or, they weren’t kidding with the thin mints name.

I drink herbal mint tea here and there, but it takes a backseat to my passionate love affair with black tea.

But then I was presented with mint black tea. Of course I had to taste and assess.

I’ve noticed this for a long time, casually, always sort of in the back on my mind, though I never thought to look it up until now: after consuming mint in tea form, I’ve found myself wanting, rather needing, to use the restroom soon after. What the heck was going on?

Fears confirmed: mint is a diuretic.  But–mint doesn’t only increase the urge.

Mint members belong to the genus Mentha and include such gum flavors as peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha apicata). Other non-gum varieties include curly mint, pennyroyal, water/bog mint, apple mint, and pineapple mint (the last two, paging Orbit?). These herbs actually grow like babies and weeds: very quickly. I can attest to that because back when I actually liked gardening (aka childhood), my mint plant commanded the garden and was out of control. Naughty square-stemmed flora.

According to Roman mythology, underworld ruler Pluto became smitten with a hottie nymph called Minthe. Pluto’s wife Proserpine was understandably not keen on this development and turned Minthe into an unassuming plant. Pluto couldn’t reverse the spell, but he at least made Minthe smell nice when people crushed her with their feet.  Minthe=Mentha.

Wow, mint is so handy. It helps your stomach when you’re sick and helps digestion in general. We use it to enhance foods and drinks. It scents things. Soothes insect bites. And hey, it smells delightful.

If you have a rodent issue, toss mint at them!

Mint is also the herb of hospitality. Note to self: next housewarming party, serve mint juleps and Thin Mints.

References

• http://urbanext.illinois.edu/herbs/mint.html
• http://www.botany.com/mentha.html
• http://www.herbsociety-stu.org/Mint.htm

Chamomile for when you’re ill

Lily and I were talking about tea, and she asked if chamomile were a mint or something?  I don’t remember exactly, but the end result was me having another idea for a blog post.  And the timing is uncanny, as I have a cold right now.  Yes, in summer.  Bah humbug.  To be perfectly honest, I don’t like the taste of chamomile but it’s pretty popular, so I must be in the minority. 

There are various species of the daisy-like chamomile, with the annual German being more commonly used in the United States.  Amazingly enough, this herb has been used as a traditional folk remedy for thousands of years in Europe.  It is used primarily to combat insomnia, anxiety, and gastrointestinal distress in the forms of its flowering tops turned into teas, capsules, and salves.  As with most herbal treatments, there is a dearth of research to back up the folk remedy claims, though scientists are skeptical.

Unfortunately, due to the sentence I just typed out, there isn’t much info on how chamomile works.  I found this page which listed the anti-inflammatory (chamazulene) and anti-microbials contained in this plant.  Apparently chamomile also contains tannins, one of those new science food buzzwords.  Tannins are substances which precipitate proteins and have anti-inflammatory effects, among others.  Chamomile: not quite magic herb of the future, but if you like it, keep on keeping on.   

References

• http://nccam.nih.gov/health/chamomile/
• http://www.erowid.org/herbs/chamomile/chamomile.shtml
• http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Chamomile.asp?sitearea=ETO
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-chamomile.html

Catnip: herbal refreshment for felines

When I came up with the title for this post, I immediately thought of this exchange from that teenage classic, Clueless.

Tai: I could really use some sort of herbal refreshment.
Dionne: Oh, well we do lunch in ten minutes. We don’t have any tea, but we have Coke and stuff.
Tai: No shit. You guys got Coke here?
Dionne: Well, yeah.
Cher: Yeah, this is America.

Recently I went to a 4th of July garden BBQ and was graciously given some catnip to take home to my roommate’s cat.  The cat loves it.  My roommate asked me, “How does catnip work?”  I didn’t know but immediately knew this would be a blog post. 

Scientific name: Nepeta cateria

Nepetalactone is the chemical responsible for eliciting the wacky behavior correlated with catnip exposure (sniffing, licking, rolling, and so on).  Don’t ask me go to all organic chemistry on you because…just no.   It is an unstable substance, so store your dried catnip in the freezer.  Nepetalactone has also been discovered to work as an insect repellent.  What a multipurpose product.   

What happens is that the cat sniffs the catnip?  It’s not entirely sure what happens, but a popular idea is that nepetalactone activates its olfactory receptors which stimulates the olfactory bulb, activating the brain’s amygdala (involved with emotions) and hypothalamus (controls the pituitary, also involved with temperature, thirst/hunger, circadian rhythms, and more).  The end result is the pituitary releasing hormones to generate a sexual response to catnip. 

Not all cats react to catnip; about 50% actually do, and this characteristic follows Mendelian genetics.  Kittens don’t begin to enjoy catnip until they’re about three to six months old.  The effects max out after ten minutes or so, after which a reset period must occur before the catty one can re-partake.   

Catnip, a member of the mint family, is regarded as a weed in many parts of the United States.  As a former catnip farmer, I can attest to the fact that it grows without assistance, and my thumbs aren’t emerald-colored.  It’s also not just for your feline friends, as humans have been known to brew catnip tea and use it as a sedative and to remedy colds and GI distress. 

References

• http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/83/8331catnip.html
• http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/CATNIP.html
• http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats
• http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?id=45&cat=cats