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Researchers at Newcastle University say that Brazilian mint tea can be used as a pain-reliever. They say that they have proven this scientifically. Brazilian mint has been used in Brazil to treat headaches, stomachaches, and even fever.
Testing this herb on mice, the team headed by researcher Graciela Rocha showed that when given as ‘tea’ - the traditional way to administer the medicine - the mint was as efficient as a synthetic aspirin-style drug Indometacin. The researchers intend to conduct clinical tests to determine how efficient the mint can be a pain-reliever.
"Since humans first walked the earth we have looked to plants to provide a cure for our ailments - in fact it is estimated more than 50,000 plants are used worldwide for medicinal purposes,” Graciela said.
"Besides traditional use, more than half of all prescription drugs are based on a molecule that occurs naturally in a plant.”
"What we have done is to take a plant that is widely used to safely treat pain and scientifically proven that it works as well as some synthetic drugs. Now the next step is to find out how and why the plant works," Graciela added.
The study has been presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants in New Delhi, India, and will be published in the society’s journal Acta Horticulturae.
