Drink mint tea to beat acidity and summer lethargy; know all the health benefits

Mint or pudina can add flavour and pack a nutritional punch to your summer recipes and there are many ways one can include this ancient herb in everyday food be it tea, shakes, smoothies, curries, or even desserts.

When the searing summer heat gets unbearable, one needs more than ice creams, sodas and shakes to stay cool.

Mint, the aromatic herb, revered for its medicinal properties since time immemorial is known to have originated in Asia and Mediterranean countries and apparently Greeks named it after their mythical character called Mintha, the river nymph.

There are several varieties of mint from apple, lemon, banana, strawberry to chocolate mint and the herb is widely used in cough and cold, pain-relief medicines as well as flavouring agent in confectionary items and other dishes.

Nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal, who has been sharing interesting nuggets about several summer foods on her Instagram account as part of her summer superfoods series, in her recent post talked about the many benefits of pudina.

Beats heat, great for skin

“Pudina has always been the summer staple in our country. Not only it has an immediate cooling effect in the body, but it’s also great for the skin. It can be used in various ways, right from chutney to serving as a garnish in your summer drinks and many more,” she wrote.

Soothes digestive system

Explaining the benefits of mint or pudina, Ganeriwal says it has a compound called menthol that gives your digestive system a soothing effect and helps keep acidity and summer lethargy at bay.

Treats summer headache, rejuvenates skin

She also advises one to have it to get rid of those summer headache. Consuming mint will not only help you to feel fresh, it will also have a refreshing effect on your skin. “What it also does is keep your skin very nice, fresh and healthy which means you are not going to experience any of the summer breakouts, pimples and all of those things considering mint has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties,” says the author of recently-released The Belly and Brain Diet.

Mint Tea recipe to beat summer blues

Nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal also shares recipe of Mint tea for her followers that will help people to deal with summer acne and heat rashes in hot weather.

Ingredients

* 6-7 mint leaves

* 1 cup hot water

Method

– Add the mint leaves to 1 cup of hot water

– Let it seep for 10 minutes

– Strain and drink hot

Mint leaves are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and B-complex, phosphorous, calcium, and has anti-bacterial properties. It is also known to improve haemoglobin levels and promote healthy brain function. Mint leaves also aid in weight loss as it is very low in calories.