The herb is named after a mythical beauty Minthe, who Hades found irresistible. When Hades wife Persephone learned of her husband’s attraction, she turned the irritable beauty into the aromatic plant we use today. In her honor, Greek brides often include mint in their bridal head wreaths.
Mint grows wild all over the world and has been adopted by countless cultures for culinary and medicinal use. Chefs in countries as diverse as France, Turkey, India, Portugal, Cuba and Thailand love to tease their dishes with mint's one-of-a-kind freshness. As great chefs across the globe know but few home cooks realize, mint comes in enough varieties to suit whatever your style of seduction. If you like a strong come-on, try peppermint. Or consider apple mint for something gentle and sweet. Peppermint has the highest concentrations of menthol, while pennyroyal is strong with a medicinal flavor.
Recent testing indicates that mint may have benefits as an anticancer food. One of mint’s phytonutrient, perillyl alcohol, has been shown in preliminary studies on animals to prevent the growth of colon, skin and lung cancer by cutting off the blood stream to the cancerous areas. Its general anti-bacterial and anti-fungal abilities make mint useful in the treatment of asthma and allergies.
Mint contains a number of vitamins and minerals that are essential for maintaining sexual health, including A and C as well as a trace of B2. It also contains magnesium, calcium and potassium. But it is likely that much of mint’s aphrodisiac reputation is due to the herb’s ability to calm both mind and body.
Used in combination with other aphrodisiac ingredients, mint is the component credited with increasing appetites of all kinds. Best of all, the aromatic impression it leaves on the breath has been shown in case studies to inspire kissing. A hearty nibble and mint will leave your breath as fresh as a bedtime brushing.
General references:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/wildflowers_north_america/114204
http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits-mint.htm
Michael Albertson. Temptations. Fireside, 2002.
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