10 Unusual Home Remedies and Uses for Mint
Most everyone adores the refreshing, light aroma of mint. What most people don’t know is that the unassuming leaf has purpose beyond a mere garnish or tea. The following home remedies and uses for mint give you a glimpse into how the herb can save the day or simply improve it.
1. Make Mint Syrup
Refresh your drinks — cocktails, teas, and milkshakes — as well as icings, and other dessert items with fragrant mint syrup! Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the pot from the stove and pour the simple syrup into a bowl over 1 cup of chopped mint leaves and stems. Give the mix a stir and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until it cools completely. Strain the liquid from the mint leaves and your mint syrup is complete!
2. Repel Garden Insects
Home remedies aren’t always about your own health. What about the health of your plants? Insects don’t like to eat or smell herbs. Add mint leaves to your mulch to repel common insects that may destroy plants. However, do not plant the mint, as doing so will overcrowd the garden.
3. Freshen Breath
Looking for home remedies that squash bad breath? After a spicy meal that leaves an aftertaste others might be able to smell, chew on mint leaves to cleanse the palette.
4. Glorify Ice Cubes
Make ice cubes something more than just frozen water that add some unique flair to your beverages. Add one mint leaf into each cube in the ice tray. Add water, freeze, and voila!
5. Make Mint Butter
Add a softened butter stick and a handful of mint leaves into a food processor. Blend until evenly combined. Store the butter in the refrigerator and use per usual, only now with even more taste!
6. Steam Vegetables
Why not give steamed vegetables more than just a bland cooking? Place mint leaves nto the water you use to steam the vegetables. The water vapor will be tinged with mint aroma that finds itself into vegetables, giving them a delicious, albeit faint, mint taste.
7. Add To Salsa
Salsa recipes know all about cilantro and parsley, but rarely does it get to experience mint. Change up the usual with the addition of fresh mint.
8. Bathe In It
Breathe in the vapors of mint through your nose and your pores! Grab a handful of mint leaves and piece them into warm bath water to boost the bathtub with even more refreshing and relaxing glory than you could have possible imagined.
9. Clean Carpet
Mix dried, crushed mint leaves with baking soda and amplify the carpet cleaning effects. Let the mixture sit for an hour before vacuuming away. The smell will go away with the grub.
10. Prevent Ant Raids
My favorite home remedies are the ones that help eliminate chemicals. Ants avoid mint, so place a few leaves in places that you don’t want to put harmful chemicals, such as pantry cabinets or children’s rooms prone to ant raids.
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The Art of Moroccan Mint Tea and How to Brew It
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Image Credit: Rubber Dragon