Mint during pregnancy - benefits and harms

If in ordinary life we ​​can afford to use any products, be treated independently, experiment with folk recipes, then during pregnancy all this is strictly contraindicated. The birth in the womb of the baby, its growth and development is a multi-stage mechanism that depends on many factors. Doctors recognize that the number of miscarriages and congenital pathologies is at a high level, despite all the scientific achievements and diagnostic methods. For a baby to be born healthy and strong, a woman must carefully monitor her body. First of all, this applies to medicines - you can not take medicines without a doctor’s prescription, especially in the early stages of pregnancy, when the baby’s organs are just forming. You can not experiment with herbs - many of them have a powerful effect, this can lead to dangerous consequences. Today we’ll talk about mint - such a popular plant that is used in almost every home.

Can I drink peppermint during pregnancy?

Peppermint leaflets contain plant hormones - phytoestrogens, which are very similar to female sex hormones. Because of this, doctors and scientists are extremely wary of mint. Answering the question whether it is possible to drink mint during pregnancy, we can say that a weak decoction or tea with mint during pregnancy is acceptable. But it is very important to know the dosage - no more than 3-4 cups of weak peppermint tea. Moreover, it should be tea based on ordinary tea leaves, and there should be no more than 4 pieces of mint leaves in the teapot. Such tea is not only safe and acceptable, but also useful. Try to drink mint in the second half of the day, and preferably at night, as the drink reduces concentration and soothes. If you drink peppermint tea in a course, the time of constant treatment should not exceed three months.

Useful properties of mint during pregnancy

Mint has been used by humans for more than one millennium. From ancient times, the plant was considered a symbol of women's health - it helped to become pregnant, was used as a powerful aphrodisiac. Mint rubbed the skin in the fight against unpleasant odor. Mint was necessarily brought to the house where guests were waiting. It is believed that the strong aroma of mint activates thoughts, sets up a conversation. The chemical composition of mint is amazing - it contains dietary fiber, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, ash, essential oils, tannins, aromatic resins, vitamins, minerals, organic acids, phytosterols and many other important components. How does this diverse bouquet of nutrients affect the body of a pregnant woman?

1. Soothing. First of all, peppermint is a powerful, safe, and effective sedative. Hormones make pregnant women overly suspicious, irritable and tearful. The future mother may be worried about the health of the child, work, figure, relationships with her husband, the upcoming birth. All this leads to constant stress, anxiety, anxiety. And any deviations from the norm in the analyzes literally lead the pregnant woman to stupor and depression. Mint helps to normalize the psycho-emotional state of the future mother, soothe, relieve insomnia.
2. Toxicosis. According to statistics, more than half of women experience toxicosis during pregnancy. First of all, this is manifested by a constant, intolerable feeling of nausea. In addition, toxicosis is drowsiness, apathy, decreased performance, dizziness. Peppermint will help to cope with all these symptoms.If you feel a headache or other malaise, just drink peppermint tea - this will improve your condition and restore strength.
3. Diuretic. Almost every woman experiences edema, especially in late pregnancy, when the load on the kidneys increases. First of all, the feet swell, sometimes to the point that a woman cannot put on a pair of shoes familiar to her. Mint will help get rid of edema - it has an excellent diuretic effect, improves kidney function, this is an excellent prevention of urolithiasis.
4. Analgesic. Mint is often used in the fight against pain of any nature. If you have a headache, a stomach or lower back, if a migraine has broken out, joints are sore, intestinal colic has appeared - mint tea will help. The plant gently relieves spasm and relieves discomfort.
5. Disinfects. Another effective property of mint is a bactericidal component. The plant can be used as a strong antiseptic. Mint tea is useful for food poisoning - the composition inhibits the development of pathogenic bacteria, relieves stomach pain. It is very useful to use a mint decoction to treat a sore throat or oral mucosa. With stomatitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, rinse your mouth with a mint broth - you will feel relief.
6. For the intestines. Peppermint has a mild laxative effect. Due to the activity of the hormone progesterone, women often experience constipation during pregnancy. Peppermint strengthens intestinal motility, it allows you to gently cleanse. In addition, mint eliminates bloating and flatulence.

Mint is often used for the skin - it has an excellent whitening effect. Since during pregnancy the skin of some women worsens significantly, age spots appear, mint is the only safe and effective way to put yourself in order. Outwardly, mint is also used to rinse hair, especially with excessive fat content. Mint broth perfectly refreshes curls, makes them friable and fragrant.

Peppermint harm - to whom is the plant contraindicated?

As noted at the very beginning, mint contains phytoestrogens that can provoke uterine contractions, this can lead to miscarriage or premature birth. But this happens only with an overdose of decoction. Remember that you can drink mint only in a weakly concentrated form. In addition, with the threat of miscarriage or other pathologies of pregnancy, you can drink mint or some other herbal decoction only after consulting a doctor. This is very important, herbs have a powerful effect.

Remember that after the birth of the baby, mint should be abandoned, especially at an early age, when lactation is only getting better. The fact is that mint and sage are two powerful plants that inhibit the production of breast milk. Usually, infusions and decoctions of these herbs are drunk at the end of breastfeeding.

You should give up mint if you have been diagnosed with uterine hypertonicity - the situation may worsen. Peppermint has a vasoconstrictor effect, so the plant should be discarded if you have impaired phytoplacental blood flow. Otherwise, mint can reduce the amount of oxygen that goes to the baby, hypoxia will develop. Mint is strictly contraindicated in case of a threat of premature birth. If the placenta ages ahead of time, begins to exfoliate, if shortening or open cervix is ​​diagnosed, you need to take care of yourself and not drink mint broth and tea.

Among the contraindications to the use of mint can also be noted diseases of the liver, gall bladder, low blood pressure. In addition, allergies can occur to peppermint, as to any other products, it manifests itself as a skin rash, cough, swelling of the larynx or itching.

How to drink peppermint during pregnancy?

To get benefits from the plant, it should be properly prepared and drunk.

1. Tea. This is the safest way to prepare peppermint - such tea will not do harm, it will be useful for any person, not only for a pregnant woman. In a teapot, put 4 leaves of fresh mint, a pharmacy bag or a teaspoon of chopped dry grass. Pour boiling water and let it brew. Such tea turns out to be especially tasty and useful if you cook it with ginger and drink it with lemon and honey.
2. Decoction. Decoctions are used for external use, they are more concentrated. Pregnant women should not drink broth! A glass of boiling water will need a full tablespoon of mint or a sprig of a fresh plant. With such a decoction, you can rinse your throat or oral cavity, do cosmetic procedures.
3. Oil. It is very good to use peppermint oil, which is sold in a pharmacy. You can cook it yourself. To do this, fresh mint should be chopped, filled in a small glass container, tamped - it is better to use a small bottle. Then pour oil and leave for 3 weeks in a cool place to insist, periodically shaking the composition. When the oil is ready, it is filtered, squeezed mint - it contains all the most useful. If necessary, whiskey can be lubricated with oil for headaches. If you have a cold, lubricate the area around the nose with oil to get rid of stuffiness. The resulting composition can be used instead of massage oil.
4. Tincture. If you are often away from home, you should always carry alcoholic tincture of mint with you. You can buy it at the pharmacy, or you can cook it yourself. The recipe is similar to cooking oil, but in this case, the crushed plant should be poured with alcohol or vodka. If you feel unwell, pain, toxicosis, anxiety or anxiety - simply dissolve 10-15 drops of the prepared tincture in a small amount of water and drink. The value of tincture is that it is stored for a long time and is always at hand. Carry a small bottle of tincture with you, the bulk of the prepared product should be stored in the refrigerator.

Mint since ancient times was considered a female herb - it could help a girl get pregnant. But at the same time she could deprive her baby - mint was added to the decoction of the healers so that the woman had a spontaneous abortion. In Russia, peppermint was used in wedding ceremonies - wreaths were made from grass for the bride and groom. During the fortune-telling period, the girls laid a sprig of mint under the pillow to see the narrowed one. In the villages on the window they always kept a pot with growing mint - he protected the house from evil spirits. Keep mint at home in any form - frozen, dried or fresh. Drink mint in moderate doses - this will help you and your baby.

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