The mint blossoms open, butterfly wings flutter, on wind-swept branches and dew-kissed leaves, autumn's beauty is displayed. I pity myself, not favored by the cat's touch, utterly drunk by the fence, without a penny to spend." So, what are the wonderful uses of mint? Mint has a rich, aromatic, and cool fragrance, and has always been beloved by people. Its aroma is non-toxic, and the "Xin Xiu Ben Cao" (Newly Revised Materia Medica) lists it in the vegetable section, stating that it "can also be eaten raw." Many modern medicines or foods for soothing the throat and moistening the lungs also contain mint.
Mint is pungent and cool in nature, and its effects are directed to the Lung and Liver meridians. The "Ben Cao Gang Mu" (Compendium of Materia Medica) states: "Mint's pungency allows it to expel, and its coolness allows it to clear and drain, specializing in dispelling wind and clearing heat." The efficacy of mint is to disperse wind-heat, clear the head and eyes, benefit the throat, and soothe the liver to relieve depression. Clinically, it is mainly applied in the following three aspects:
For exterior syndromes due to wind-heat. Exterior syndromes due to wind-heat and the initial stage of warm diseases can both manifest with symptoms such as fever, slight aversion to cold with wind, no sweat or unsmooth sweating, headache, thirst, sore throat, and a floating and rapid pulse. Mint is pungent and cool, and can penetrate and expel pathogenic factors from the exterior, clearing heat at the surface. Therefore, it is used for wind-heat exterior syndromes. Although it is a pungent and cool substance, its power of penetration and dispersion is strong, and it has a certain sweating effect, making it especially suitable for wind-heat exterior syndromes with no sweat or unsmooth sweating. The "Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Lu Lu" (Medical Records of Middle Harmony and Western Reference) says: "Taking it can induce a cool sweat, making it a key medicine for warm diseases that should be resolved by sweating." In clinical practice, it is often combined with honeysuckle, forsythia, and schizonepeta, such as in the representative formula Yin Qiao San for wind-cold.
Mint is light, rising, and dispersing, which helps to dispel pathogenic factors from the exterior and assists in the eruption of measles. It can also be used for the initial stage of measles, or when wind-heat externally binds the muscles and skin, preventing the rash from erupting smoothly. It is often combined with schizonepeta, arctium fruit, and forsythia.
For diseases of the head, face, and five sense organs. The head, face, and five sense organs belong to the upper part of the body. Wind is light and rises upward, so pathogenic factors of wind-heat or wind-cold can easily attack the head and face, causing symptoms such as headache, red and swollen eyes, nasal congestion and runny nose, toothache, and sore throat. Mint is light, rising, and floating, which can clear the head and eyes, and benefit the throat. Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty, in the "Ben Cao Gang Mu" section on mint, states: "Therefore, it is a key medicine for various diseases of the head, head-wind, eyes, throat, mouth, and teeth." When wind-heat attacks upward causing headache, mint is often combined with chrysanthemum and Angelica dahurica to treat headache; when wind-heat or heat evils attack upward, it can cause sore throat, hoarseness, etc. Mint is a common medicine for treating sore throat and can be combined with platycodon and licorice; mint's aromatic pungency can open the nasal passages. For example, in treating sinusitis with yellow turbid discharge and nasal congestion, it can be combined with cocklebur, magnolia flower, and Angelica dahurica.
For liver depression and qi stagnation. The liver governs free flow, and liver qi should be smooth and unobstructed. If due to emotional frustration or invasion of pathogenic factors that obstruct the liver meridian, the liver qi fails to flow smoothly, liver depression and qi stagnation will occur. Clinical manifestations include fullness and pain in the chest and hypochondrium, emotional depression, frequent sighing (editor's note:表现为常叹气，叹气后有舒畅感), or a feeling of a foreign body in the throat. In women, there may also be breast tenderness, irregular menstruation, and dysmenorrhea. Mint can soothe the liver and relieve depression, and can be used to treat liver depression and qi stagnation. The "Ben Cao Xin Bian" (New Compilation of Materia Medica) states: "Mint not only excels at dispelling wind evil, but also especially excels at relieving depression." For mild cases, mint can resolve the stagnation; for severe cases, it is often assisted by Bupleurum to achieve its effect. For example, in the famous formula Xiao Yao San, mint is used in combination with Bupleurum and white peony.
In addition, this aromatic substance can repel foul smells and can also be used to treat summer heat-dampness and turbid qi, which causes conditions like eruptive fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is often combined with Agastache rugosa, Eupatorium fortunei, and white hyacinth bean.
In addition to internal use, mint can be applied externally for summer heat rash, mosquito bites, sores, and boils, providing a cool and comfortable sensation after use. Mint is also commonly used in the preparation of dishes, pastries, and beverages, making it a common food-medicine. Zan Yin's "Shi Yi Xin Jing" (Mirror of the Heart of a Food Doctor) says: "Mint can be decocted with fermented black soybean, mixed with warm wine to drink, decocted as tea, or eaten raw, all of which are appropriate. It is a beneficial vegetable." In modern times, aromatic oil is obtained from the distillation of fresh mint stems, which is often prescribed as "menthol" or "menthol cream," with functions similar to mint.
It should also be noted that mint is aromatic and pungent, and has a certain sweating effect. Overuse can easily deplete qi, so it is not suitable for people with a weak constitution and excessive sweating.