PEPPERMINT - HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: PEPPERMINT- CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES RECIPE

PEPPERMINT, MENTHA X PIPERITA

Although Pliny writes about peppermint adorning heads and tables during feasts in Ancient Greece and Rome, this might not have been the herb we know as peppermint. The ancients used it for food and to flavour wine, and it is thought that the ancient Egyptians may have cultivated. It is a member of the mint family or Labiatae or Lamiaceae family and is in fact a cross between Mentha aquatica (water mint) and Mentha spicata (garden mint). It was first recognized as a separate species in Britain in 1676, but its medicinal qualities were soon made known and it got into the London Pharmacopoeia in 1721. There are in fact two types of this mint, Mentha vulgaris or black peppermint and Mentha officinalis, white mint. It is certainly native to Britain and also to other parts of the world as this hybrid is the result of natural cross breeding.

   It was used as a strewing herb because it is loathsome to rats and mice and repels insects, making it useful in times when hygiene was not as it is in most countries now. It is used to make medicine more palatable for children and in oral hygiene product such as mouth wash. It is also found in chest rubs, as the essential oil of peppermint contains menthol. It is used both in the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry and also in the perfume industry. The essential oil found in the leaves has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

  An ointment made from peppermint cools and soothes irritated skin, and the herb is useful in cases of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Peppermint tea can be made from the chopped herb wither dry or fresh and this relieves flatulence and colic and aids digestion. It is a good tisane to use if you have eaten a lot, especially after over-indulging in a Thanksgiving meal or any other of our traditional winter festivals. Peppermint widens the blood vessels and so reduces blood pressure, and the tea was once used for heart palpitations and for hysteria and nervous problems.

  The leaves contain vitamins A and C as well as vitamin B 2, riboflavin, and also the minerals iron, copper, potassium, calcium and magnesium, along with folate and dietary fibre.

  The tisane can help promote sweating and warm the body, and is said to get rid of colds within two days. For the tisane you need an ounce of the dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water leaves it to steep for 15 minutes and to this you can add both milk and sugar or honey as you would in black tea. Equal amounts of peppermint, yarrow and elder flowers can also be made into a tea for digestive purposes, while for nervous disorders, peppermint and wood betony can be mixed in equal amounts. For insomnia a traditional remedy, to drink just before going to bed is 1 oz of finely chopped peppermint, ½ an ounce or rue and ½ an ounce of wood betony. Pour boiling water over a heaped tablespoon of these herbs in a cup and leaves for 20 mins, then strain and drink warm.

  However I love the taste of peppermint chocolate truffles and here is one of my favourite winter recipes. They are good to finish off a celebratory meal.

PEPPERMINT - CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Ingredients

1 cup roughly chopped peppermint leaves

1 cup double cream

14 oz dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

2 lbs white chocolate, broken into small pieces

Method

You don’t need the white chocolate until the day after you have made the dark chocolate and peppermint filling.

Start with the cream and mint leaves, and combine them in a saucepan and bring the cream to just below simmering point.

Turn off the heat and leaves for 30 minutes so that the mint is infused into the cream. Strain the cream and squeeze all of it off the mint leaves before discarding them.

Gently reheat the cream to just below a simmer and strain this onto the chopped dark chocolate which you have put into a heat-proof bowl. Allow to settle for 1 or 2 minutes then gently stir so that the cream melts the chocolate. If this doesn’t happen completely, put the bowl over a pan of just simmering water and stir until all the chocolate lumps have melted.

Pour the filling into a small bowl and when cool cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, the mixture will be firm, Melt the white chocolate gently and with a melon baller scoop out the mint and dark chocolate filling.

Make the filling round by rubbing it between your palms and using a thin skewer or fork dip the ball in the melted white chocolate and place on a tray covered with grease-proof paper or parchment paper for cooking. Do this until the filling is used up and refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

Put the truffles in an airtight container and store in the fridge until needed.

These have Taste and really are a Treat.

MOUSE EAR HAWKWEED - HEALTH BENEFITS AND HOW TO USE

MOUSE EAR HAWKWEED, HIERACIUM PILOSELLA L. or PILOSELLA OFFICINARUM

At first glance, this flower looks like a dandelion as does Yellow Goat’s Beard, but closer inspection shows that the flower head is made up of florets. It contains a milky sap as do other hawkweeds but it is less bitter than that of the others and astringent, so has been used in traditional medicine in the different countries to which it is native. It is found throughout Europe and is a native of the British Isles, and is also native to West Asia. It is a member of the daisy family or Asteracea or Compositae. It flowers between May and September and is best harvested when in flower in May and June, and dried for later use. The flowers open around 8m and close in the afternoon around 2 pm, so in this too it is like the Yellow Goat’s Beard. The flowers and leaves are the main parts used. Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century has this to say of it in his Complete Herbal: -

  “The juice taken in wine, or the decoction drunk, cures the jaundice, though of long continuance, to drink thereof morning and evening, and abstain from other drink two or three hours after. It is a special remedy for the stone and the tormenting pains thereof; and griping pains in the bowels. The decoction with Succory {chicory} and Centaury is very effectual in dropsy and the diseases of the spleen. It stayeth fluxes of blood at the mouth or nose, and inward bleeding also, for it is a singular wound herb for wounds both inward and outward.... There is a syrup made of the juice and sugar by the apothecaries of Italy, which is highly esteemed and given to those that have a cough, and in phthisis, and for ruptures and burstings. The green herb bruised and bound to any cut or wound doth quickly close the lips thereof, and the decoction or powder of the dried herb wonderfully stays spreading and fretting cankers in the mouth and other parts. The distilled water of the plant is applicable for the diseases aforesaid and apply tents of cloths wet therein.”

  It has been used internally and externally for haemorrhages and relaxes the muscles of the bronchial tubes so stimulating coughing and reducing the production of catarrh. It has been used as a specific to treat whopping cough and is also used for asthma and other problems of the lungs and respiratory tract. It increases the flow of bile and its discharge from the body and has been used to promote sweating in fevers, as a diuretic and tonic. It was also given in cases of ‘flu, enteritis, and an infusion was given for cystitis.

  John Parkinson (1567-1650) who was the apothecary to King James I of England and James VI of Scotland said that if the herb were given to horses before they went to a blacksmith to be shoed, they would not kick out at the blacksmith. He also said that a good shepherd wouldn’t allow his flock to graze in fields were the “Mouseare” grew “lest they grow sicke and leane and die quickly after.”

  Michael Drayton (1563-1631) an English poet wrote these lines about the plant’s properties: -

  “To him that hath a flux, of Shepherd’s Purse be given,

    And Mouse-ear unto him whom sharp rupture grieves.”

This doesn’t exactly fit with what Culpeper says, as he seems to think that Mouse ear is good for “fluxes.” However it is clear that Mouse ear was commonly used in the 16^th and 17^th century in Britain.

  There have been some clinical trials conducted on this plant and a new flavone glycoside was discovered in it which was subsequently tested. Monika Gawronska-Grzywacz et al (February 2011) “Biological activity of new flavonoid from Hieracium pilosella L.” in the Central European Journal of Biology Vol. 6 (3) pp.397-404 concluded that the Mouse ear flowers’ flavonoid had a “high antiradical activity” against cancer cells in vitro and concluded that it had

 “antioxidant capacity and very promising antibacterial activity and could have uses as an effective antipseudominal agent as well as an antiproliferative agent.”

  Other studies on the Mouse ear have shown that the leaves contain coumarins, flavonoids and terpenes, and studies are underway to determine if this plant can be used in medicine.

  

CLEAVERS OR GOOSEGRASS - NOT ONLY A CHILDREN'S PLAYTHING: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOOSEGRASS

CLEAVERS, GOOSEGRASS, GALIUM APARINE

Cleavers is a plant with burrs that is known by many local names, such as Robin-run-the- hedge, stickywilly, stickyjack, catchweed, stickweed, stickyleaf and a good many more. I always knew it as goosegrass and would happily pick some and throw it on my father’s or grandfather’s back during our walks. They would then walk through the village with it on their backs, but no one batted an eye lid because this was a common sight. The plant has hooks on its burrs, and the leaves are stick too, it would seem, so they can catch on to sheep as they graze and so disperse themselves and ensure the species survives. The name aparine comes from the Greek aparo means to cling or to seize, so was clearly given due to the burrs.      

  Goosegrass got this name because geese love it and so do poultry and domestic animals such as horses, sheep and cows. That being said it can’t be too harmful for people as horses in particular are somewhat choosy in selecting the plants they eat. Cleavers is a member of the Rubiaceae family of plants which makes it a relation of Kadamb, coffee, cinchonca, and a close relation of sweet woodruff, madder and yellow bedstraw. It has been used in traditional systems of medicine wherever it is native, and it has a wide range, as it is indigenous to Europe including the British Isles, Asia, North America, Mexico, Iran, Australia and doubtless to other countries too.

  The herb, but not the hairy seeds has been used to flavour soups and stews and the dried roasted seeds are said to be a good coffee substitute (better than the seeds of yellow dock, I’m told), like dandelion root and chicory roots. The root has been used for a red dye, and it is said that if birds should eat the root it will turn their bones red. It has also been used like spinach and sorrel as a leaf vegetable.

  The herb can be made into a tisane, and used as a very potent diuretic, so it is best avoided by diabetics. It has also been used to treat urinary tract infections such as cystitis and the tisane or a decoction of the chopped green herb (not the roots) can be used as a skin wash to sooth inflammations and to clean and heal wounds. An ointment of the plant and the juice from it has been used for burns and scalds way back in the 14^th century), but it has also been used for cancerous tumours and ulcers, and is said to be effective.                                                                            

  The tisane made from the plant should be made with only the green parts but the flowers if they are just blooming are OK to include too – these are white or perhaps may have a greenish tinge. Avoid the burrs though. You need an ounce of the chopped green herb to a pint of boiling water and should let the herb steep for 10 mins before straining and drinking either hot or cold. This can be used on the skin too. A decoction uses 3 ounces of chopped herb to 2 pints of water and should be boiled then simmered until the liquid is reduced by half. This should be taken in spoonful doses as it is a strong diuretic and a mild laxative. So be warned! The decoction has been used to treat glandular fever and ME among other diseases. The tisane is said to be good for colds as the plant contains vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid.

  The plant contains asperuloside which is converted in the body to prostaglandins which act like hormones that stimulate the uterus and the lymphatic system. It also contains tannin, flavonoids, polyphenolic acids, alkanes, iridoids and anthraquinones. The pharmaceutical industry are currently interested in Cleavers but there has so far been little published research on this plant.

  One piece of research by M. Aman Khan, Jehanzeb et al. April-June 2008 “Hepatoprotective Effects or Berberis lyceum, Galium aparine and Pistacia integerrima in Carbon Tetrachloride (CCL4) – Treated Rats” Journal of Post Graduate Medical Institution Peshawar Pakistan, concluded: -

  “…a mixture of Berberis lyceum, Galium aparine and Pistacia integerrima have hepatoprotective effects. These medicinal plants have more effect as curative agents rather than protective ones.”

(Berberis lyceum is a member of the Barberry family, the Indian Barberry or kushmal or Ishkeen in Urdu, while Pistacia integerrima is an Asian species of pistachio tree. The study was looking into the traditional uses of these plants.)

  The ancient Greeks called this plant philanthropon, lover of man because of its clinging nature, and shepherds used the stalks to sieve their grain and liquids, according to Dioscorides who wrote in the 1^st century AD. It has also been used in Sweden in times past as a sieve with the stalks being made into a mesh.  Parsimonious Pliny said that cleavers was good to add to “a little mutton and oatmeal” if you wanted to lose weight or stay slim. Gerard, the 16^th century herbalist, who was well-versed in the treatments of Dioscorides and other ancient medical text writers, said that the plant was useful for the treatment bites of snakes, spiders and other venomous creatures, while Nicholas Culpeper writing in the 17^th century recommended the juice form the plant as being good for earache.

  Native Americans used this herb to treat STDs such as gonorrhoea and women used the infusion in their baths to ensure they were successful in affairs of the heart. They also believed that it helped hair grow long and used it as a hair tonic.

  The plant has been used for many things and although there is not very much scientific evidence as to its efficacy yet, that seems set to change.

 

 

BUCKWHEAT - A FALSE GRAIN AND GLUTEN FREE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF BUCKWHEAT: RECIPE BUCKWHEAT BALLS

BUCKWHEAT, FAGOPYRUM ESCULENTA OR F.SAGITTATUM

Buckwheat is not, as its name suggests a true grain, being the seed of a fruit; as such it is gluten-free and can safely be eaten by people with an intolerance to gluten which is found in cereal grains such as wheat. Buckwheat is a member of the Polygonaceae family of plants which makes it a relative of sorrel, rhubarb, Yellow dock, Red dock and common dock among others. It is a native of Asia and spread along the ancient trade roots into Pakistan and Afghanistan where a weedy species of tartary buckwheat (still grows wild in fields of oats, barley and rye. Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tatoricum ssp. potanini) is a weedy variety which grows in the Indus Valley area and is called braw or brow in the local language of Baltistan.

   Buckwheat is rich in the flavonoid, rutin, a phytonutrient also found in the herb rue which is known to dilate blood vessels, so reducing capillary permeability and lowering blood pressure. It extends the action of vitamin C so to use buckwheat to its full health potential eat it with foods rich in vitamin C such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and carrots. Because it lowers blood pressure, buckwheat is a heart-healthy food and can help reduce the risk of cardio-vascular disease. It also assists in the treatment of varicose veins.Buckwheat also seems to help regulate blood sugar levels according to some studies.

  Apart from rutin, buckwheat contains all eight essential amino acids including lysine and ten others, and is rich in the minerals potassium, phosphorous and magnesium, and also contains selenium, zinc, copper, calcium and iron, as well as sodium. Vitamin B -complex vitamins are also present and these include B1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. It is also a source of Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. These substances have potent antioxidant properties so can help fight the scavenging free radicals in our bodies which can damage healthy cells and lead to cancers. Buckwheat is high in dietary fibre, so it works to keep the digestive system healthy too.

  Buckwheat has been cultivated in China since the 10^th century and was introduced to Europe and Russia in the 14^th and 15^th century, when it was known as ‘Saracen’s corn’ as it is believed to have come to Europe when the Crusaders returned from the Middle East. It was introduced into the US by the Dutch at some time during the 17^th century.

  In Eastern Europe it has been used to make porridge or ‘kasha’ and blinis which are small buckwheat pancakes eaten with caviar. (They are good with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, chives and crème fraiche too.) In Italy buckwheat is sometimes used to make gnocchi and pasta too, as it can be ground into dark or light flour. In France crepes are made from them.

  The name buckwheat comes from the Dutch ‘bockweit’ which means beech wheat, so named because of the shape of the seed which resembles a beech nut. The seeds are triangular in shape and can be any colour between tan-pink and dark brown. They can be roasted in which case they have an earthy, nutty flavour or unroasted, these seeds have a more subtle flavour.

   To cook buckwheat you should rinse it thoroughly under cold running water, and then use one part of buckwheat to two parts of liquid, either stock or water. This makes a good porridge or soup if you add some of the vegetables mentioned above, or any others rich in vitamin C. You need to bring the liquid, with the buckwheat in it, to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer it far half an hour until the buckwheat is tender.

  Buckwheat has been used as flour mixed with buttermilk to promote a nursing mother’s milk flow, but there is a problem with it as it can cause light-sensitive dermatitis and itchiness.

  I first came across buckwheat in the early 1970s and this is a recipe I loved then

DEEP-FRIED BUCKWHEAT BALLS

Ingredients

2 cups buckwheat groats soaked overnight in 3 cups of water

2 -4 peeled grated carrots, depending on the size

1 large onion, finely sliced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

thyme

basil or oregano

1 oz ground, hulled sunflower seeds or melon seeds

1 beaten egg to bind the mixture

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

oil for deep-frying

Method

Drain the buckwheat and blend it a little, still retaining fairly large pieces, with the rest of the ingredients.

Mix in the egg and make into small balls.

Heat the oil to the same temperature needed to make French fries or chips, and drop the balls in one at a time.

You need to cook them for two or three minute, then remove from the oil, drain on absorbent paper and serve. (They should look like onion bhajis.)

These have Taste and are a Treat.