Episode 229: A Look at the New doTERRA SuperMint Blend

doTERRA: Cool, crisp, and refreshing doTERRA SuperMint is the perfect combination of all of your favorite mints and today we’ll learn a little more about each of them.

Welcome back to Essential Oil Solutions with doTERRA, the podcast where you'll hear exciting, useful, and simple everyday uses for essential oils from experts in the field.

Today’s episode is brought to you by the MetaPWR System. Designed to help you live your most powerful life, this three-step system will be a game-changer in your daily routine as you embark on your journey to supporting a healthy metabolism.

Right now, as a podcast exclusive if you buy the MetaPWR System and enter the promo code PODCAST at checkout, we’ll send you an exclusive audiobook, doTERRA MetaPWR: The 3-Step System for Metabolic Health.

Check out the link in our episode description or visit doterra.com/podcastoffer to learn more. Open to US orders only.

Today we're excited to talk to you about SuperMint. Powerfully refreshing, SuperMint is a combination of Japanese Peppermint, Bergamot Mint, Spearmint, and Peppermint and today we’ll share some of the history behind these amazing plants. If you’re interested in learning more about SuperMint, make sure to click on the link in the episode description.

Today, we're going to talk about some internal historical uses for some of these plants. But we want to remind you that various plant parts, such as leaves, bark, flower, stem, fruit peel, bud resin, etc. were often used for many different practices and benefits. These historical uses are mentioned here to offer insight as we explore the history of oils and plants. As such, these ancient uses are solely for informational purposes and are not being advocated or recommended by doTERRA. Proceed at your own risk with such uses.

Japanese Peppermint

First, we have Japanese peppermint. Since antiquity, peppermint has been cultivated in Japan for traditional wellness purposes and was known as Hakuka and was extremely popular.

Peppermint plants have been popular around the world for centuries. In the late 1700s, in England, for example, a natural remedy called Essence of Peppermint had great popularity, as well as in America and Canada, a popularity that continued through the late 19th century.

And in London in the 1850s, there were even street vendors who would sell peppermint water out of cakes. Now, the main difference between Japanese peppermint and its variants across the world is the amount of menthol naturally occurring in the plant.

Japanese peppermint oil has a very high percentage of menthol in its structure, allowing just a few leaves to go a long way. The high menthol has also led some to call it cool mint and allows it to be used commercially as a source of menthol in manufacturing.

Japanese mint is used in everything from toothpaste and mouthwash, to creams, lotions and perfumes. Historically, Japanese people carried dried and pulverized leaves in a small silver box hanging from their girdles and the gorgeous blue and green leaves and light violet flowers still inspire people across Japan to grow this plant at home, in planters and in fields.

Bergamot Mint

Then we have bergamot mint or Mentha citrata, which is a natural hybrid occurring from the combination of water mint and spearmint. It's often referred to by many other names, including orange mint, marsh mint, lemon mint, and eau de cologne mint.

Despite its name, bergamot mint is not related to the bergamot fruit in any way. It's actually a flowering herb that's part of the mint family. However, Bergamot mint is very aromatic and does give off a sweet citrus scent, which is where the bergamot comes from. And the citrus notes are paired with the characteristic herbaceous mint notes you know, and love.

The fresh and dried leaves of the bergamot mint plant have been utilized throughout history for many various wellness purposes. There's record of the leaves being made into a tea or being crushed and rubbed onto the forehead. The leaves were also used as a strewing herb or crushed and rubbed onto the body to help keep everything fresh.

Spearmint

Next, we have spearmint. Spearmint like bergamot mint goes by many other names, including lamb's mint and our lady's mint. Historians have found mentions of spearmint that date back to at least the first century A.D., with references from naturalist Pliny, as well as mentions in the Bible.

John Gerard, an English botanist, mentioned spearmint in his 1597 book Herbal, where he says that "the smell rejoice the heart of man, for which cause they used to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose where feasts and banquets are made."

Spearmint is native to the Mediterranean and has long been known as an herb of hospitality. When we look at the symbolism of plants, spearmint conveys wisdom.

Now, one thing that has continually drawn people to spearmint is the smell. When grown in damp soil, the fragrance intensifies and many farmhouses grew a clump beneath the outdoor water spigot for the fresh scent.

The leaves smell of lemon and mint and there is advice to hang bunches of spearmint from open doors or archways. Mint tied to screen doors sends cool odors throughout the house. And that trademark scent is an incredible addition to this blend.

Peppermint

Finally, we have peppermint. Did you know that some of the earliest mentions of peppermint appear in Greek mythology, by Roman philosophers, the Christian Bible, and by monks in the Middle Ages? There are even ancient Egyptian medical texts dating as early as 1550 B.C. that include peppermint.

Pliny, a Roman scientist and historian, recorded that the Greeks and Romans used peppermint to flavor sauces and wine. Sprays of peppermint also adorned their tables.

Peppermint is said to get its name from Minthe, a nymph who appears in Greek mythology. But it's also mentioned in another myth about the importance of hospitality and a beautifully scented home. The story says that two people visited a strange village and were greeted with rudeness.

No one in the village offered food, drink, or a place to stay. Finally, they came across two elderly people who invited the strangers in for a meal. Before the meal, they wiped down their table with mint.

The two strangers revealed themselves to be Zeus, king of all the gods and his son, Hermes. As a reward for the kindness shown, they turned the couple's home into a temple and made mint a symbol of hospitality.

In the Victorian language of plants mint symbolized virtue, and from the mid 1600s to the mid 1800s, the possession of herb strewer was an official royal job. Herb strewers literally tossed handfuls of fragrant herbs, including mint, around the British Royal Chambers and during public ceremonies to cut down on unpleasant smells.

In addition to virtue and hospitality, Peppermint has also been known to symbolize protection and personal strength. People also say that if you dream of mint, it can be a sign of pleasant surprises headed your way.

But peppermint has been used for way more than just symbolism. It appears in many traditional wellness practices, including those of the Chinese, Greek and medieval European people.

All of the powerful mints that have been brought together for this blend have a rich and storied history. Wherever people have found them growing, they have found uses for them in their home.

And we know that you and your family will love having all of the SuperMint products in your home.

Thanks for joining us and congratulations on living a healthier lifestyle with essential oils. If you want to try any of the products you learned about, click on the link in the episode description or find a Wellness Advocate near you to place an order today. And remember, if you liked what you heard today, rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.