A specific type of mint, Hyptis crenata or Brazilian mint, has been used by indigenous healers in Brazil to treat pain for thousands of years. UK researchers at Newcastle University have presented a new study which has found that this herbal therapy is, in fact, as effective as pain-relieving medication.

The researchers studied mice for their pain response, with one group of mice using the Brazilian mint decoction (a type of tea where the herb is boiled for 30 minutes) and another group using a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called Indomethacin. They found that the Brazilian mint decoction worked as well as the NSAID pain reliever at curbing the pain of the mice.

This finding is significant, since regular NSAID use has been associated with internal bleeding of the digestive tract. An alternative to this pain reliever with its side effects would certainly be beneficial for those in chronic pain.

"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," said Gabriela Rocha, lead researcher of the study. "Now the next step is to find out how and why the plant works."

Brazilian mint is in the Lamiaceae family, the same as the mint traditionally found in supermarkets across the country. Says Graciela, lead researcher (who is Brazilian herself and remembers being given the decoction as treatment for many childhood illnesses), "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."

Brazilian mint, known commonly as one of many "bushmints," are found throughout the tropics and warmer temperate regions of the Americas. Finding it may be somewhat difficult here in Canada, but it may be possible to find the herb online or in your local health food store.


The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef, living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dugdeep@gmail.com.