Peppermint
The bright, cooling "garden refresher" — a lively mint loved for its reviving aroma.
🌼 Meet Peppermint
With its cheerful orange and gold blooms, calendula has earned a place in cottage gardens and home apothecaries for centuries. Often called "pot marigold," it's one of the first herbs many of us reach for when learning to make our own remedies — gentle enough for nearly everyone, and endlessly useful.
The petals are where the magic lives. Harvested at their peak and carefully dried, they're traditionally infused into oils, stirred into salves, and steeped into soothing washes. If you grow only one herb for your skin-care shelf, calendula is a wonderful place to begin.
✦ Why Herbalists Love It
Peppermint has been treasured in folk traditions for generations. Here's what it's traditionally known for.
🧴 Best Uses
Some of the most-loved ways to use peppermint:
⚗️ How to Prepare Peppermint
Always use thoroughly dried herb for oil-based preparations to protect against spoilage.
Tea
Steep dried (or fresh) leaves for a bright, settling infusion.
Steam
Add dried peppermint to hot water and breathe the cooling steam.
Infused Oil
Steep dried leaves in carrier oil by gentle heat or Infuzium at 110°F for 3–4 hours.
Salve
Combine the infused oil with beeswax for a cooling balm.
🛡️ Safety & Considerations
⚠ Before You Begin
- Peppermint is strongly aromatic — a little goes a long way, and concentrated forms should be well diluted.
- Keep peppermint preparations away from the faces of infants and very young children.
- If you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition (including reflux), check with a qualified healthcare provider before use.
- Use thoroughly dried leaves in oils to avoid moisture and spoilage.
✝️ A Biblical Connection
Mint is mentioned in the Gospels, where Jesus notes that the religious leaders carefully tithed even their mint and herbs — a reminder that, while attentive faithfulness in small things has its place, it must never crowd out justice, mercy, and the weightier matters of the heart. A humble garden mint thus carries a quietly profound lesson.
Related Herbs
Ready to Make Something?
Put peppermint to work with our complete, beginner-friendly guide to herbal infused oils.
Read: How to Make Infused Oils →