Mint
Treatment of Infection or Allergic Reactions of the Ears, Nose, Throat, and Eyes
The Pungent and cold herbs that expel Wind-Heat and are light in weight and nature. They enter the Upper Burner and can disperse Wind-Heat in the head, so they can be used for acute or chronic infections and allergies, which in TCM are considered to be Wind-Heat disturbance in the Upper Burner. From the Chinese Pharmacology, six herbs help treat the above imbalances and in this article we like to mention one of them, which is Mint.
Mint primarily enters the Lung meridian and secondary enters the Liver meridian. It's lightness can disperse Heat in the Upper Burner and the aromatic smell can open the orifices ( which is for the Lungs, the nose and for the Liver,the eyes). Thus Mint is excellent for Exterior Wind-Heat syndrome when the head is affected. For instance, in patients suffering from headache, sore and red eyes and a sore throat. These complaints are often seen in cold infections, bronchitis, sinusitis, influenza and pruritic rash in infectious childhood diseases. Apart from this, because Mint enters the Liver meridian it is effective for spreading the Liver- Energy and clearing Heat and so it is used for Liver - Energy stagnation with flaring up Liver- Heat. The manifestations of this are headache, dizziness, poor concentration, a bitter taste in the mouth and a feeling of dullness in the chest and hypochondrium. These symptoms can be seen in hypertension, hepatitis, PMS, depression, and other mental disorders.