Mint during pregnancy - the benefits and harm

If in ordinary life we ​​can afford to use any food, be treated on our own, experiment with popular recipes, then during pregnancy all this is strictly contraindicated. The origin in the womb of a baby, its growth and development is a multistage mechanism that depends on many factors. Doctors recognize that the number of miscarriages and congenital abnormalities is at a high level, despite all the scientific achievements and diagnostic methods. To the baby was born healthy and strong, a woman should carefully monitor their body. First of all, it concerns drugs - you can not take medicine without a doctor's prescription, especially in early pregnancy, when the organs of the child are only formed.You can not experiment with herbs - many of them have the strongest effect, it can lead to dangerous consequences. Today we will talk about mint - such a popular plant that is used in almost every home.

Can I drink mint during pregnancy?

In the leaves of peppermint contains plant hormones - phytoestrogens, which are very similar to female sex hormones. Because of this, doctors and scientists are extremely wary of mint. Answering the question whether it is possible to drink mint during pregnancy, it can be said that weak decoction or mint tea during pregnancy is acceptable. But it is very important to know the dosage - no more than 3-4 cups of weak mint tea. And it should be tea based on ordinary tea leaves, and mint leaves in a teapot should be no more than 4 pieces. This tea is not only safe and acceptable, but also useful. Try to drink mint in the second half of the day, and preferably at night, as the drink reduces concentration and calms. If you drink mint tea course, the time of permanent treatment should not exceed three months.

Useful properties of mint during pregnancy

Mint is used by man for more than one millennium.Long since the plant was considered a symbol of women's health - it helped to get pregnant, was used as the strongest aphrodisiac. Mint rubbed the skin in the fight against unpleasant odor. Mint must be brought to the house where guests were waiting. It is believed that the strong aroma of peppermint activates thoughts, adjusts to the conversation. The chemical composition of peppermint is amazing - it contains dietary fibers, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, ash, essential oils, tannins, aromatic resins, vitamins, minerals, organic acids, phytosterols and many other important components. How does this diverse bouquet of nutrients on the body of a pregnant woman?

1. Soothes. First of all, peppermint is a powerful, safe and effective sedative. Hormones make pregnant women overly sensitive, irritable, and tearful. The future mommy can worry about the health of the child, work, figure, relationship with her husband, upcoming birth. All this leads to constant stress, anxiety, anxiety. And any deviations from the norm in the analyzes literally lead a pregnant woman into a stupor and depression.Mint helps to normalize the psycho-emotional state of the future mom, calm, relieve from insomnia.
2. Toxicosis. According to statistics, more than half of women during pregnancy experience toxicosis. First of all, this manifests itself as a constant, intolerable feeling of nausea. In addition, toxicosis is drowsiness, apathy, decreased performance, dizziness. Peppermint helps to cope with all these symptoms. If you feel a headache or other ailment, just drink mint tea - this will improve your condition and restore strength.
3. Diuretic. Almost every woman faces edema, especially in late pregnancy, when the load on the kidneys increases. First of all, the feet swell, sometimes to the point that a woman cannot wear her usual pair of shoes. Mint helps to get rid of edema - it has an excellent diuretic effect, improves kidney function, it is an excellent prevention of urolithiasis.
4. Analgesic. Mint is often used to combat the pain of any nature. If you have a headache, pulling the stomach or lower back, if a migraine has broken out, your joints ache, intestinal colic appears - tea with mint will help. The plant will gently relieve spasm and relieve discomfort.
5. Disinfects. Another effective property of peppermint is the bactericidal component. The plant can be used as a strong antiseptic. Tea with mint is useful in food poisoning - the composition inhibits the development of pathogenic bacteria, relieves abdominal pain. It is very useful to use a decoction of mint for the treatment of sore throat or oral mucosa. With stomatitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sore throat, rinse your mouth with mint decoction - you will feel relief.
6. For the intestines. Mint has a mild laxative effect. Due to the activity of the hormone progesterone, women experience constipation very often during pregnancy. Mint strengthens the intestinal perilstatics, this allows for a gentle cleansing. In addition, mint relieves bloating and flatulence.

Often, mint is used for the skin - it has an excellent whitening effect. Since the skin of some women deteriorates greatly during pregnancy, pigment spots appear, peppermint is the only safe and effective way to clean up. Mint is also used externally to rinse hair, especially when it is overweight.Broth mint perfectly refreshing curls, making them crumbly and fragrant.

Harm mint - who is contraindicated plant?

As was noted at the very beginning, phytoestrogens are included in the mint, which can cause uterine contraction, which can lead to miscarriage or premature birth. But this happens only when an overdose of broth. Remember that drinking mint can only be in a weakly concentrated form. In addition, with the threat of miscarriage or other pathologies of pregnancy, drinking mint or some other herbal decoction is possible only after consulting a doctor. This is very important, herbs have a powerful effect.

Remember that after the baby is born, mint should be discarded, especially at an early age of the child when lactation is only getting better. The fact is that mint and sage are two strong plants that inhibit the production of breast milk. Typically, infusions and decoctions of these herbs drink at the end of breastfeeding.

You must refuse mint if you have diagnosed uterine hypertonia - the situation may worsen. Peppermint has a vasoconstrictor effect, so the plant should be discarded if you have phytoplacental blood flow.Otherwise, mint can reduce the amount of oxygen that goes to the baby, and hypoxia will develop. Mint is strictly contraindicated in case of the threat of premature birth. If the placenta is aging prematurely, it begins to flake off, if shortening or open cervix of the uterus is diagnosed - you need to protect yourself and not drink peppermint and tea.

Among the contraindications to the use of peppermint can also be noted diseases of the liver, gall bladder, low blood pressure. In addition, mint, as well as any other products, may cause allergies, it is manifested by skin rash, cough, laryngeal edema or itching.

How to drink mint during pregnancy?

To get the benefit of the plant, it should be properly prepared and drunk.

1. Tea. This is the safest way to make mint - such tea will not do any harm, it will be useful for any person, not only for a pregnant woman. In a teapot with tea leaves, put 4 leaves of fresh mint, a bag of pharmaceutical collection or a teaspoon of chopped dry grass. Fill with boiling water and let it brew. This tea is especially tasty and useful, if you cook it with ginger, and drink it with lemon and honey.
2. Decoction. Broths are used for external use, they are more concentrated.Drink decoction can not be pregnant! A glass of boiled water will need a full tablespoon of mint or a sprig of fresh plants. This decoction can gargle or mouth, do cosmetic procedures.
3. Butter. It is very good to use peppermint oil, which is sold in a pharmacy. You can cook it yourself. To do this, fresh mint should be crushed, filled with a small glass container, rammed - it is better to use a bottle of small volume. Then pour oil and leave for 3 weeks in a cool place to infuse, periodically shaking the composition. When the oil is ready, it is filtered, the mint is squeezed out - it contains all the most useful. If necessary, oil can lubricate the whiskey with a headache. With a cold, lubricate the area around your nose with oil to get rid of congestion. The resulting composition can be used instead of massage oil.
4. Tincture. If you are often away from home, you should always carry a spirit of mint with you. You can buy it at the pharmacy, and you can prepare it yourself. The recipe is similar to cooking oil, but in this case, the crushed plant should be poured with alcohol or vodka.If you feel unwell, pain, toxemia, anxiety or anxiety - just dissolve 10-15 drops of prepared tincture in a small amount of water and drink. The value of the tincture is that it is stored for a long time and is always at hand. Carry a small bottle of tincture with you; the bulk of the prepared product should be stored in the refrigerator.

Mint since ancient times was considered to be female grass - she could help a girl to get pregnant. But at the same time she could deprive her baby - mint was added to the decoction of the healer so that the woman had a spontaneous abortion. In Russia, mint was used in wedding ceremonies - wreaths were woven from grass for the bride and groom.In the period of divination, the girls laid a sprig of mint under the pillow to see the betrothed. In the villages, there was always a pot of mint growing on the window — he was protecting the house from evil spirits. Keep your mint at home in any form - frozen, dried or fresh. Drink mint in moderate doses - it will help you and your baby.

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