According to Prevention: Outsmart Diabetes, minty aromas can help people exercise longer and complete tasks faster and with more accuracy. And, supposedly, mint is a stimulating herb that evokes a primordial response to odours "we can also feel". (1) According to Pamela Dalton, a senior research scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in Philadelphia, "such smells make us more vigilant, leading to greater energy". (2)
I sometimes chew spearmint gum after a meal, because I like the way it makes my teeth feel squeaky clean. I don't drink any type of mint tea, though, because it makes me cold and gives me a headache. I do put a few chopped mint leaves in my homemade turkey burgers, and many people use the leaves to garnish a drink or throw into a salad. I grow many different mint varieties in my garden, including chocolate and orange.
So, on the next dark and stormy night, or perhaps just on a day where you're feeling a little tired, try breathing in the heady aroma of mint. Brush a fresh leaf with your fingers to release the scent, breathe in a bit of mint aromatherapy, or wear a lotion fragranced with mint - "the cooling sensation it gives your skin coupled with the tingle it puts in your airways can be doubly invigorating." (3)
D.
(1), (2) and (3), Prevention: Outsmart Diabetes, "End Your Energy Shortage", Sarah Reistad-Long, p.156.
About Me
- Deborah K. Hanula
- Deborah K. Hanula has a year of Journalism training from Humber College, a Political Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and a Law degree from the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Child Psychology, and Psychotherapy and Counselling as well as a Family Life Educator and Coach Certificate and Certificates in Reflexology, Assertiveness Training, and Mindfulness Meditation. She is the author of five cookbooks, primarily concerned with gluten-free and dairy-free diets, although one pertains to chocolate. As an adult, in the past she worked primarily as a lawyer, but also as a university and college lecturer, a tutor, editor, writer, counsellor, researcher and piano teacher. She enjoys a multi-faceted approach when it comes to life, work and study, in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Check out her new book: A Murder of Crows & Other Poems (2023).
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