Mint tea as effective as Asprin to relieve pain say researchers

An ancient herbal remedy has been shown to be as effective at relieving pain as an aspirin-style drug, Newcastle University scientists have found. They say a cup of mint tea could be an effective pain reliever like an aspirin or other commercial medicines.

For thousands of years, Hyptis crenata - otherwise known as Brazilian mint - has been prescribed by traditional healers in Brazil to treat a range of ailments from headaches and stomach pain to fever and flu.

Now for the first time, researchers at Newcastle University have been able to scientifically prove the pain relieving properties of this humble plant.

Testing this ancient South American herb on mice, the team led by researcher Graciela Rocha was able to show that when prepared as a 'tea' – the traditional way to administer the medicine – the mint was as effective as a synthetic aspirin-style drug Indometacin.

The research is to be presented today at the 2nd International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants in New Delhi, India, and will appear in the society's journal Acta Horticulturae.

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