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Moroccan mint is a variety that has a milder aroma and flavor than the more common peppermint. You can grow it at home, and the scope of mint leaves is very wide.
Description of Moroccan mint
Moroccan mint is a type of spearmint and grows naturally in North Africa, West Asia, and southeastern Europe. The plant has a fairly compact size up to 60 cm tall. The stems of the plant are erect, the leaves are embossed, wrinkled, with sharp notches along the edges and pubescence on the surface. Leaves are dark green in color.
The use of Moroccan mint in cooking
It is Moroccan mint that is most often used for culinary purposes. It is more popular than pepper because the taste is milder and less scalding.
What is the flavor of Moroccan mint?
Connoisseurs of the plant especially note its unusual aroma. The grass emits a refreshing, cold and at the same time sweet smell.
Where can I add Moroccan mint
Mostly Moroccan mint is used in the preparation of drinks. It is added to cold fruit and alcoholic cocktails, hot teas and other drinks, mint leaves are widely used in the preparation of mojitos.
You can also decorate a vegetable or fruit salad with Moroccan mint, give an unusual flavor and aroma to hot meat dishes. The plant is used to create desserts. Mint in combination with sweet ingredients allows you to create especially original combinations of flavors.
Medicinal properties of Moroccan mint
The plant is valued not only for its pleasant aroma and taste, but also for its health benefits. The composition of the plant includes vitamins and organic acids, essential oils and menthol, mineral components and antioxidants. Due to this, Moroccan mint:
- possesses anti-inflammatory properties;
- accelerates blood circulation and improves brain function;
- stimulates the intestines and the metabolic system;
- has a mild analgesic effect;
- helps to relax and calm down;
- normalizes sleep;
- relieves muscle spasms.
Peppermint is of great benefit in depressive conditions, it helps to improve mood and increase tone.
Application in folk medicine
The benefits and harms of Moroccan mint are widely used in home medicine recipes. It is used to treat:
- colds and cough;
- stomach and intestinal disorders;
- sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety;
- failures in the exchange system;
- joint and headaches.
Moroccan mint helps with hypertension and chronic migraines.
Recipes for infusions, decoctions, tinctures on Moroccan mint
There are several basic ways to process and prepare mint leaves. Some of them suggest the use of alcohol, others allow you to prepare water products.
Decoction of Moroccan mint
A classic decoction of Moroccan mint is prepared as follows:
- 2 large spoons of fresh or dried leaves are crushed;
- pour a glass of cool clean water;
- heated in a water bath under a lid;
- as soon as the mint begins to boil, it is removed and cooled.
You can also prepare a decoction with mint and additional ingredients. For this you need:
- take 2 large spoons of mint leaves;
- add half a cinnamon stick and a slice of fresh lemon to them;
- put a couple of buds of dried cloves;
- Pour the ingredients with water and bring to a boil for a couple, but turn off until bubbles appear.
Both versions of the decoction are well suited for the treatment of colds and intestinal ailments. You need to drink mint in a warm form on a full stomach, it is recommended to drink no more than 2 cups per day.
Moroccan mint infusions
The recipe for a classic mint infusion looks like this:
- mint in the amount of 2 large spoons is poured into a small container;
- pour raw materials with a glass of boiling water;
- cover with a lid and wrap with a thick cloth;
- wait until the infusion has cooled completely, and then filter and drink.
Another version of the infusion suggests combining mint with other medicinal herbs. For example, you can prepare such a collection:
- mint, chamomile and thyme are mixed in equal amounts;
- 2 large spoons of medicinal herbs are poured with water at about 80 ° C;
- cover the container with a lid and infuse the product until it cools completely.
The finished infusion is filtered and added to tea or slightly diluted with clean water. Moroccan mint infusions help with poor digestion, calm the nerves well and eliminate insomnia.
Spirit tinctures of mint
Mint on alcohol has strong therapeutic agents, useful substances in the composition of the plant dissolve especially well in an alcohol base. The easiest tincture recipe offers:
- grind 100 g of fresh mint leaves;
- pour raw materials with 500 ml of vodka or alcohol;
- for 3 weeks, remove the product in a dark place.
The vessel is shaken daily, and after the expiration date, the tincture is filtered and stored in the refrigerator.
Another recipe suggests using sugar to make the tincture. In this case, the drink will turn out not only useful, but also pleasant to the taste. They do it like this:
- 50 g fresh mint is crushed;
- pour raw materials 500 ml of vodka;
- insist the remedy for 45 days in a dark place;
- upon reaching full readiness, filter the tincture and add 50-100 g of sugar to taste to it.
After that, the tincture should be removed in a dark place for another week, and then filtered.
Tincture on Moroccan mint brings an excellent effect on migraines and joint pains – they rub the limbs or temples with the remedy. With a diluted tincture, you can rinse your mouth and throat for inflammations and colds, and for intestinal ailments, you can add 15 drops of the product to a glass of water and drink it on an empty stomach to relieve pain and normalize digestion.
Limitations and contraindications
Despite the benefits of Moroccan mint, not everyone is allowed to use it. The plant must be abandoned:
- with hypotension and varicose veins;
- if you are allergic to menthol and any substances in mint;
- during pregnancy and during breastfeeding;
- with low acidity of the stomach.
It is not recommended to take mint infusions and decoctions with a decrease in libido in men, since the herb can aggravate the situation. Moroccan mint should not be given to children under 7 years of age.
Growing Moroccan Mint from Seeds
You can grow Moroccan mint in your own garden. An interesting feature of the plant is that southern mint tolerates the conditions of the middle zone well and calmly survives cold winters. Mint is grown from seeds, and you can buy them at the gardening market or in a specialty store.
Recommended sowing dates
You can plant mint indoors at the end of February. Planting of young shoots in the ground is carried out in early May after warm temperatures are established. At the same time, the soil should warm up to at least 10 ° C.
Site selection and soil preparation
Moroccan mint seeds are usually sown in small plastic containers with a lid, in which holes are made for air access. This helps to create a mini-greenhouse for the seeds and maintain the desired temperature conditions. The soil for mint should be sandy, well-ventilated and moist, with a high calcium content. Seeds are laid in grooves 5 mm deep, and then sprinkled with soil and placed on a lighted warm windowsill.
When transplanting mint sprouts into open ground, you must choose a sunny or half-shaded place on the site. A week before planting, the ground is weeded and weeds are removed, and then a mixture of humus and compost with the addition of wood ash is applied to the soil in the selected area. The day before planting, the soil can be shed with a manganese solution to disinfect the soil.
How to plant
Before planting, young mint sprouts are carefully removed from the containers and the roots are dipped in a stimulating solution for half an hour.
In the selected area, small holes are dug 5 cm deep, the distance between the individual holes is left at least 15 cm. The sprouts are lowered into the holes and the roots are carefully straightened, and then covered with soil and watered abundantly. Moroccan mint usually takes 15-20 days to take root, after which new young leaves form.
Features of growing Moroccan mint
Moroccan mint belongs to moisture-loving plants, when growing it, you need to ensure that the soil always remains slightly moist. Irrigate beds with mint usually 1 time in spring and autumn, and during the summer heat, watering is increased up to 3 times a week. The ground under the mint bushes should be mulched with sawdust or peat, this will prevent the rapid evaporation of water.
From time to time, the soil in which a useful plant grows must be weeded and loosened. The procedures allow you to remove weeds, which take away useful substances from mint, and improve the air permeability of the soil. It is necessary to loosen the earth carefully and shallowly so as not to damage the roots of the plant.
Pests and diseases
In the garden, Moroccan mint most often suffers from rust and powdery mildew – orange and brown spots or a whitish coating appear on the leaves. Diseases develop most often due to lack of space between individual bushes or due to non-compliance with irrigation rules. Also, mint can suffer from pests such as aphids, weevil and whiteflies.
Treatment of Moroccan mint is carried out with standard insecticidal and fungicidal mixtures – Bordeaux liquid, Aktara, Topaz. All affected parts of the plant are cut and burned.
When and how to harvest Moroccan mint for medicinal purposes
It is recommended to collect fresh mint leaves in the spring, before the fragrant plant begins to bloom. At the end of May or at the beginning of June, mint already manages to accumulate a maximum of useful substances and essential compounds in its leaves. Mint leaves of the first year of growth bring the greatest benefit.
To collect leaves, it is recommended to choose a cloudy day without bright sunlight. The leaves are carefully cut with a knife, and then washed in cold water and dried on a paper towel.
How to dry Moroccan mint
For long-term storage, mint leaves are usually dried. This is easy to do – they need to be laid out in the shade on a flat surface in a thin layer, and then left for several days in the fresh air. The readiness of the leaves is determined by touch: if the mint begins to crumble in the fingers, then all the moisture has evaporated from it.
Dried leaves are ground into powder or broken into small pieces. You need to store mint in a wooden or glass container in a dry place, closed from sunlight, and it retains its beneficial properties for about 2 years.
Conclusion
Moroccan mint is a healthy plant with a very pleasant taste and aroma. You can grow mint on your own plot, and use its leaves both to treat ailments, and to prepare drinks or culinary dishes.
