Peppermint is indigenous to Europe and peppermint oil has been used for centuries as a medicinal purposes. Peppermint contains a high level of menthol that produces a cooling sensation. This makes peppermint a great digestion aid as well as useful in calming intestinal irritation.
Peppermint is/was also used to freshen one’s breath and that cool sensation that it produces also makes peppermint oil a nice addition to foot lotions. Peppermint is believed to help with insomnia and its aroma is conducive to enhancing memory.
Peppermint is a popular flavoring too, used for everything from tea and toothpaste to candy and chewing gum. It’s especially popular during the winter holidays where peppermint candy canes and Christmas go hand-in-hand.
Side Note on Candy Canes
Mint candies date back to the Renaissance period and sugar-stick candy has been around almost as long. In Germany, it was a tradition for clergymen to hand out candy canes during Christmas services (as one popular belief goes) to help keep the little ones quiet during the long nativity services.
The shape of the candy cane is said to represent a shepherd’s staff (though there are some schools of thought that say it’s actually a “J” for Jesus). As early Christmas trees were decorated with ornaments made from edible things like cookies and candies, I think the crook of the cane would have made it easier to hang on a tree.
No one can say for sure where the red and white coloring came from. Hard candy sugar sticks were always straight and white, so sometime after the crooking, they started to stripe them as well.
In any case, using a candy cane to stir your hot chocolate on a cold night is a great way to relax. Will try to bring you a couple new fun things to do with candy canes and peppermint for this winter.
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