After water, tea is the most consumed drink on the planet. There are many types of tea in the world, including milk tea, ginger tea, lemon tea, spiced tea.

A few years ago, I visited Rabat, the capital city of the beautiful country of Morocco. There, I tried Moroccan mint tea, a tea mixed with fresh mint leaves. It was so delicious that I immediately became a fan of it.

Wherever you go in Morocco, you will find this magnificent tea. Mint tea, for Moroccans, is like English breakfast or Earl Grey tea for British people, green tea for Chinese people and masala chai (spiced tea) for Indians.

“Mint tea is a must at every function in Morocco. I say it is a drink of friendship and hospitality. It is also a healthy drink,” said Abdul Rafik, who works as a tour guide in Casablanca, the largest city and the financial capital of Morocco.

The most surprising thing is that tea cannot be grown in Morocco, which imports the leaf from countries such as China, Indonesia and Kenya. So why it is called Moroccan tea? Moroccan mint tea can be prepared using fresh mint leaves, gunpowder tea – a type of Chinese green tea – water and sugar.

Because of the mint leaves, spearmint leaves particularly, which grow abundantly in Morocco, Moroccan mint tea has not only become famous worldwide, it has also became a symbol of the country.

Many Indonesians do not know much about mint and its health benefits, but fresh mint leaves are available at supermarkets in Jakarta.

“Only foreigners and chefs from restaurants and cafes buy mint leaves. Local people rarely buy them,” said Sugianto, who works at a major supermarket in West Jakarta.

Mint is an amazing plant from the flowering plant family of Lamiaceae whose leaves can be used in food, drinks and healthcare.

Mint leaves are fragrant and have a fruity aromatic taste. They are also well known as symbols of coolness and freshness.

Garden fresh: Mint leaves, which can be used in food and beverages, are known to eliminate bad breath and aid digestion. (JP/Veeramalla Anjaiah)

So many varieties of mint exist that there is a saying about it.

“If any man can name … all the varieties of mint, he will know how many fish swim in the Indian Ocean,” wrote Walafrid Strabo, a 9th-century German theological writer.

According to the website www.almanac.com, the most commonly used varieties of mint are peppermint, spearmint, apple/pineapple mint, Corsican mint, pennyroyal mint, citrus mint, native super mint, scotch super mint and corn mint.

The mint family provides several culinary herbs, including basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Mint leaves are rich in nutrition and antioxidants.

“If you use fresh mint leaves in your food, they increase the manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A levels in your body. The leaves have a very good flavor. Young leaves have more flavor than older ones,” said Sanjeevini Pertiwi, who studied biomedicine at the Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences in Jakarta.

How can we use mint leaves in our food and drinks?

“I regularly buy mint leaves from the supermarket. I use them mainly to make mint tea and to make vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. I will put a few mint leaves on every dish,” says Agatha Rosalindo, a housewife in West Jakarta.

You can also use mint leaves in fruit salads, sauces and pastes. It can be sprinkled on fruits, desserts and ice creams.

You can use mint leaves in mojitos, fresh lemonade and several alcoholic drinks.

Mint leaves can be used to wash your hair or as a facial astringent. Mint, in fact, is a natural astringent. It soothes the skin as it provides relief from irritation and itching. It has salicylic acid, which removes dead skin cells.

In Indonesia, some cigarette companies add menthol flavoring to their products using mint leaves. Menthol may have health benefits, but the nicotine in cigarettes will do significantly more harm than the menthol will do good.

Mint oil, an essential oil, comes from mint leaves. The oil can be used in aromatherapy, massages and beauty products. The US, India and China are the world’s biggest producers of both mint leaves and mint oil.

Mint is commonly used in mouthwash to prevent bad breath. Mint is also used in making chewing gum, toothpaste and candies aimed at removing bad breath.

We can also use mint leaves to take a mint bath so that our bodies can feel fresh and relaxed.

Another interesting thing about mint leaves is that they can be used to repel moths and bugs in the home.

“Rats and ants do not like the smell of mint leaves. Put them in the kitchen and pantry to keep rats and ants at a distance,” Sanjeevini said.

We can also grow mint plants in our gardens or in our houses. Mint plants attract good insects like bees and butterflies.

Do you have a tension headache? Mint leaves have a magical cure for you.

Just apply a compress of fresh mint leaves to your forehead for few minutes. Your headache might disappear.

For many centuries, mint leaves have been used as herbal remedies to ease stomachaches, reduce stress and promote restful sleep.

Mint may also have other health benefits.

“Taken orally, mint is used to treat diarrhea and painful menstruation, promote perspiration and dissipate body heat,” says the Naturopathy Digest website.

Mint may be able to improve Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a common condition that affects the digestive system in human bodies.

Mint may work as a nervous system stimulant to improve brain function.

Mint oil has been used to treat sunburns, and it has been used to treat breastfeeding pain. However, breastfeeding mothers should not consume mint leaves or mint products as they may reduce lactation.

Mint leaves have many benefits, and they are available in Indonesia. We should use mint leaves every day in our food, drinks and houses.