Peppermint

Habit: With inflation and the move to low maintenance gardening. Peppermint being used more and more to provide mint smell. It is great to have huge numbers of peppermint if you have the labor, time and money but you can far more easily obtain wonderful effects by leaving pockets for them in your shrub border, providing an eye catching space near your front gate. They also look great in gaps left in patio paving and in pots and large containers.

They are planted as a bonus in the garden, bordering established shrubs, highlighting pools areas, adding a bit of brightness under trees and for livening up window boxes. Fragrance and charm may be given to a patio area in summer by using quick-growing peppermint. Of the all the herbs available, peppermints give the quickest returns, spectacle and color and all for very little outlay. A raw plot, with very little in it, may be transformed by using seeds and seedlings.

Planting: dig over entire bed and cover with 5cm layer of compost mixed with some well-rotted kraal manure. Include a sprinkling of 2:3:2 fertilizer – half a cup, a square meter of bed – and mix well. Sow seed in autumn for spring flowering or buy seedling from your garden centre at any time and set 30cm apart.

Best sown in situ, peppermint should not be broadcast much before late April, early May, once all chance of rain is past. Dig over area to be planted to a depth of about 15cm and cover with 3cm layer of compost which should be well dug in and the area then raked. Sow seed evenly and rake in lightly, watering just enough to moisten soil. Keep soil damp until plants are rooted then reduce watering.

Feeding and watering: pepper mint needs no feeding and very little watering, being used to extremely dry, almost desert conditions in nature. While sowing seed, remember rule of thumb not to cover seed with more than twice its own thickness soil. For very fine seeds mix in tin can with twice quantity of dry sand. This will ensure an even distribution of seed. The Spectacular herb is best grown up a pillar in a protected spot-particularly in colder regions of the country-or espaliered along a warm north wall of a house. Such positions provide it with the warmth it needs to give of its best.

Peppermint extract is an herbal extract of peppermint prepared from peppermints leaves. It is employed to give a mint flavor to common dishes besides health uses of peppermint are also tremendous. Peppermint oil is an exceptional digestive support. Only 2 to 3 drops a glass of Peppermint oil in water makes an invigorating beverage that not only tastes fantastic, but also helps in digestion. Peppermint Oil for Mice Controls liquids are also available to get rid of mice but they have produced no effective results so far.

Peppermint tea is prepared by mixing peppermint plant extracts in simple tea. Peppermint tea alleviates an upset stomach and can help in the digestion of food. Peppermint encourages brain activity as it accelerates the neurons in the brain. Peppermint also benefits the immune system circulatory system and discourages skin ailments

Peppermint oil capsules have been clinically proven to trigger GERD. Therefore, people with GERD or a hiatal hernia should shun peppermint. Peppermint tea while breastfeeding or peppermint oil during pregnancy is not recommended for women with a history of miscarriage. However, talk to your doctor for further assistance.