P e p p e r m i n t Mentha piperita
Peppermint cut from MoonRaven's own plant Also known as: Candy Mint, Peppermint Leaf, Peppermint Herb, Lamb Mint, Brandy Mint		Hardy perennial Height:  at least 30 cm, spread indefinite. Vigorous, aggresive plant with dark-green leaves on reddish, erect, square stems. Magickal Properties:  Purification, Sleep, Love, Healing, Psychic Powers Medicinal Properties:  Warming, antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, antiseptic, calmative, decongestant, chologogue, stomachic, rubefacient, nervine, diaphoretic. Recommended Preparation:  Infusion, Compress, Tincture, Wash, Inhalant

Peppermint is one of my favourite herbs.  The smell is wonderful when you brush the leaves, and it grows so quickly that even impatient gardeners enjoy this herb.  Though often too strong for cooking, it makes a wonderful tea, as well as an extract for candies and desserts.  If you are planning to grow it, and I will mention that this is a hard one to kill, even for the worst of you, you will definitely not want to put this one in the herb garden.  Keep it in a pot, off the ground - perhaps on a patio or deck, or even a pile of stones.  This plant WILL send out runners, and they can travel extremely far in search of soil.  Once this plant takes root, it is extremely difficult to get out of a garden.  All you need to have an ample supply of peppermint is one seedling from a nursery.  Put it in a fairly large, preferably self-watering pot.  Peppermint likes to be kept moist, and this makes the task that much easier.  In no time, the plant will fill the pot.  Also, just a reminder - don't buy mint seeds.  Commercially sold mint seeds are inferior to nursery-grown seedlings.
Peppermint will require frequent, and sometimes brutal, prunings.  Every spring, cut the entire plant right back to the soil level, before any new shoots have gotten overly tall.  In a matter of a couple of weeks, the peppermint will have already grown at least 6 inches tall.  It will require light pruning every month or so, to keep it from becoming overgrown, lanky, and to keep its shape.  Pinch off growing tips once they are about 8 inches tall to help the plant fill out.  Afterwards, prune as you need leaves throughout the season.  If kept in a sunny, south-facing window, peppermint can be kept green and growing all year long.
Harvest the mint leaves in the morning, after the dew has dried but before the day gets too warm.  Their flavour is best just as flowering begins.  The flowers can also be harvested, but do not keep well on their own.  You can preserve them, however, in butter, oil, or vinegar.  They can also be crystallized.  The leaves can be dried, or preserved in oil or vinegar.  If you cut off a sprig of mint and put it in a pot of soil, it will quickly root and begin to grow as an individual plant.

Increases stomach acidity, irritates mucous membranes and the gastrointestinal tract. Use for chills, colic, fever, nausea, diarrhea, heart trouble, rheumatism, convulsions, spasms, dizziness, vomiting, travel sickness, dysentery, cholera, dysmenorrhea, palpitations of the heart, the grippe, hysteria, insomnia, neuralgia, and headaches. Used for colds, flu, sore throat, laryngitis, gas and mild digestive disorders.
The leaves can be made into a salve or a bath additive for itching skin conditions.
Extracts experimentally effective against herpes simplex, Newcastle disease, and other viruses. The oil stops spasms of smooth muscles. Externally, helps rheumatism, neuralgia, headaches, and migraines. Peppermint tea is a valuable old-time beverage which tends to relieve stomach gas, flatulence, and resultant distress. As a harmless, caffeine-free beverage it will not cause restlessness or keep you awake at night.
A wholesome tisane for every member of the family. For young children, 1 or 2 tbsp. of the tea can be sweetened with honey.
When queasiness, nausea, a feeling of fullness, or severe vomiting are presenting problems, a single cup of peppermint tea, drunk in sips and as warm as possible, will dispel these acute disturbances.
Peppermint tea promotes bile flow, improves bile production in the liver, and also exercises a positive influence on pancreatic function. Avoid peppermint in all forms if internal ulcers are present. 
from Medicinal Herbs Online

Warnings:
- May interfere with iron absorption.
- Oil is toxic if taken internally in large doses; causes dermatitis. Menthol, the major chemical component of peppermint oil, may cause allergic reactions. Avoid prolonged use of the essential oil as an inhalant.
- Mint should not be given to children for more than a week at a time without a break. Do not give any form of mint directly to young babies.
- Peppermint can reduce milk flow; take internally with caution if breast feeding.
- Check with the pediatrician before giving peppermint to a child.