Nature: acrid, cool

Enters: Liver, Lung

Actions: Disperses wind-heat; eases the head, eyes and throat; expresses skin eruptions; promotes Qi circulation on the surface and frees liver Qi.

Indications:
• Wind-heat: headache, fever, slight aversion to cold, sore throat, red eyes, cough, nasal congestion.
• Liver Qi stagnation: distention, pain or pressure in the chest, costal region, or hypochondrium, emotional instability, gynecological problems.
• Wind-heat: slow skin eruption in early-stage measles, or other early-stage rashes.
• Add to a decoction in the last five minutes of cooking.
HF: A San Du, scattering toxin medicinal, typically found in Gu Zheng (Gu parasites) formulas.
Li Dong Yuan: Upbears Yang Qi.
Li: Can be warming in a large dose.
Yoga: Phudina: P, K-; V+ (in excess)
• Sattvic herb, very ethereal: soothing, cooling, clarifying, expanding.
• Relieves tension, congestion; mild; harmonizer.
• Pungent/cooling (slightly)/pungent.
• Affects respiratory, nervous, digestive, and circulatory systems.
• Stimulant, diaphoretic, carminative, nervine, analgesic.
• Same indications as TCM plus earache, dysmenorrhea.
MLT: Similar to Lemon Balm and Spearmint (these herbs can be substituted).
• Do not boil. Infuse in the boiled water only after the rest of the decoction is prepared.

Dose: 1.5-6g

JC: on Spearmint (likely pretty similar to Bo he):
• Diaphoretic (gentle), diuretic (lithotriptic), stimulant, carminative, antispasmodic, aromatic, nervine (sedative), condiment, nephritic, anti-emetic.
• Beneficial to the kidneys and bladder as a diuretic, especially for suppressed, painful, or scalding urination, and bladder/kidney inflammation.
• Soothing and quieting to the nerves and stomach.
• Colic, flatulence, dyspepsia, spasms, dropsy, nausea, vomiting, gravel in bladder, hemorrhoids (shallow enema).
• Ginger intensifies and accelerates its action.
• Vomiting and nausea of pregnancy: 14g spearmint, 2 teaspoons cloves (ding xiang), 2 teaspoons cinnamon (rou gui), 2 teaspoons rhubarb (da huang). Infuse in 1 pint boiled water, cover 20 minutes, strain, take 3-4 tablespoons every 30 minutes.
PLB: Peppermint (the most pungent mint) is, overall, stronger/sharper than Spearmint, and is probably less similar to Bo he.
BII: For irritable bowel syndrome, GB disease (studies used enteric coated capsules of peppermint oil).
• Not for heartburn or esophageal reflux as it relaxes the esophageal (cardiac) sphincter (use licorice/DGL instead).