Newcastle University student finds mint tea is good pain reliever

Nov 25 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

BIOLOGIST Graciela Rocha remembered being given mint tea as a herbal cure while growing up in her native Brazil.

Now at Newcastle University after winning a scholarship to study in Britain, she has proved the Brazilian mint tea does work as a pain reliever.

For many years it has been prescribed by traditional healers in Brazil to treat a range of ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Testing hyptis crenata, or Brazilian mint, on mice, the team led by Graciela was able to show that when prepared as a “tea” – the traditional way to administer the medicine – the mint was as effective as the synthetic aspirin-style drug Indometacin.

The research is being presented today at an international symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants in New Delhi, India.

Now the Newcastle University team plans to launch clinical trials to find out how effective the mint is as a pain relief for people.

Graciela, who comes from the state of Mato Grosso near the Bolivian border, said her interest in medicinal plants had been inspired by her grandmother, who was a healer.

“Since humans first walked the earth we have looked to plants to provide a cure for our ailments,” she said.

“It is estimated more than 50,000 plants are used worldwide for medicinal purposes.