That minty tingling sensation is often identified as cooling, but if you really sit with a cup of peppermint tea you might notice a sensation that is somewhat spicy and you may feel a warm in your belly. If you read the herbal literature on peppermint you will find countless references to its carminative action. Carminatives warm the digestive tract and get the digestive secretions moving by increasing circulation to the surface of the gut wall. So, you might ask, "why do we so often think of mint as cooling?".

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To answer this question the best thing to do is take a large handful of dried mint place it in a jar, top it off with boiling water, cover it with a lid, let it sit for a couple hours, strain it, and then sip and notice the sensations that you feel in your body. First thing you'll notice is that what I've just described is not just a cute little cup of tea, but a medicinal strength water extract called an infusion. The second thing you'll notice is that when you drink this your belly will feel really warm and settled. A few might find this herb gives them heartburn, but most will really enjoy this warm fuzzy feeling in their belly and after a few minutes you might find your tummy feels a little hungry or ready for food. That my friends is a carminative. 

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Peppermint settles many digestive upsets, like bloating, gas, and indigestion through its warming diffusive action. Diffusive means that it brings circulation to the surface so at first you might feel a little flushed, but then it releases heat by opening the pours and letting the heat escape resulting in a sensation of being cool. Its sort of like a radiator in your car that circulates the heat and then drives it out of the system to keep from over heating. And that, my friends, is why we think of peppermint as cooling. The warming and diffusive nature of peppermint has an outward movement and it is relaxing, so that what we feel it the tension on the surface tissues like the skin and the digestive wall open and release heat from the core and an ultimate cooling effect after the heat dissipates. 

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Let's go back to that cup of tea for a moment. As you  start to sip, at first your belly starts to feel warm, then the tension in your body starts to melt away and after about 5-10 minutes you will start to feel much cooler all over. This diffusive action is why peppermint is so amazing for the treatment of fever and cooling off from summer heat. Peppermint can be employed anytime there is tension at the surface, weather your guts are in a knot, your shoulders are wrapped around your ears, or you can't break a sweat. 

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