Good Morning!
Who loves spring time? The beautiful flowers starting to bloom, the spring time storms (I love the thunder storms!), the rain over the new greenery! I live in an area where winter lasts for almost 6 months, so spring for me is literally a life saver. I love when the weather warms up and my kids can finally enjoy going outside for more than 5 minutes, that's about how long they last in the snow :/
Another part of spring I love is getting out and working in the yard. Now I have a large yard, which means lots of work to do every spring. I want my yard to look nice, but in the past I've literally only been able to work for a little while before I start to come down with some seasonal discomforts, I know a lot of you experience this also! So I used to go in and take some sort of pharmaceutical product which would temporarily relieve my discomforts, wait half an hour or so, and then be able to go back to work.
But I did find a way better, way tastier way! I started taking a drop of peppermint essential oil in a 8oz glass of water every morning. Those days I forgot, as soon as I noticed any discomforts, I headed inside for my glass of peppermint water. And guess what? I drink my water, go outside, and no more discomforts! It didn't take 30 minutes- for me it's literally 5 minutes and I feel amazing and clear! I can work outside without worrying about any discomforts (unless I get stung by a bee or something ;) but even with a bee sting, I have something for that)
So what is peppermint essential oil? Glad you asked! Essential oils are plants defense mechanisms. Plants have evolved for millions of years to protect themselves, right? They can't just go to the doctor when they don't feel well. So the peppermint essential oil, or
Mentha
piperita, I use is derived from peppermint plants from Washington, from a generational farm.
How many of you have ever chewed peppermint gum, or had a candy cane? How do you feel after chewing that gum or eating the candy cane? Do you feel clear and alert?
Peppermint essential oil has a large percentage of menthol, along with 1,8-cineole, limonene, beta-pinene, that all help to boost your body systems, especially your respiratory system!
If you're like me, you probably have used menthol in some sort of product, but who really knows what 1,8-cineole, limonene, or beta-pinene are? Don't worry- during this next week, we're going to talk a little bit about what these different chemical constituents are. Stay tuned for the next few posts to learn about these different components that can boost and balance your body!
