Brazilian mint tea is effective painkiller, study finds

[Watser?]

A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.

Hyptis crenata has been prescribed by Brazilian healers for millennia to treat ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Working on mice, a Newcastle University team has proved scientifically that the ancient medicine men were right.

The study is published in the journal Acta Horticulturae.

BBC News - Cup of mint tea is an effective painkiller

The team replicated circumstances a much as possible by making it in Brazil in the traditional way. In doses similar to those prescribed by traditional healers it worked as efficiently as a "synthetic aspirin-style drug called Indometacin".

The bad news is it isn't all that minty:

She said: "The taste isn't what most people here in the UK would recognize as a mint.

"In fact it tastes more like sage which is another member of the mint family.

"Not that nice, really, but then medicine isn't supposed to be nice, is it?"

[Qingdai]

Alas, many herbs that have some decent symptom relieving effect, don't taste very well. Chinese medicine is notorious for terrible tasting decoctions.

It's not too surprising that some herbs do well as pain relievers, a lot of them seem to thin blood. One reason surgeons want you not to take herbs prior to surgery and coumoudin has so many interactions.

The mechanism of action of herbs is not well understood, which isn't that surprising as until fairly recently (1971) the mechanism of action of aspirin wasn't understood.

How Aspirin Works

[Ymir's blood]

I find that 80 Proof is good for what ails you.

[Qingdai]

Alcohol the answer to, and cause of all of life's problems.

[godfry n. glad]

Damn...That sounds....naturopathic.

Doctor X is going to hemorrhage.

But, it's probably not enough "evidence" for him.

[Corona688]

Again and again we have to tell you: the difference is research. Research which I for one am thrilled to find someone actually doing. It's hard work and needs to be done.