Wake up to the fresh and invigorating flavors of spearmint & orange. These two herbal pick-me-ups have been used as a folk remedy to help improve alertness. In a few human studies, spearmint and orange have shown to help increase cognitive function and boost mood.
Spearmint & Orange – Wake Up Water Ingredients
- 20 sprigs of fresh spearmint leaves, organically grown, with no pesticides, rinsed
- 2 oranges, peel rinsed off
- 8 cups of filtered, distilled, or spring water
Spearmint & Orange – Wake Up Water Instructions
The night before, make this recipe to have it ready in the morning. In a pitcher that can hold eight cups of water, add about 20 spearmint leaves. Take one of the oranges and squeeze its juice into the pitcher. The, zest some of the peel and add it to the pitcher as well. Take the second orange and slice it into attractive wedges or circles and place it into the pitcher as well. Fill the pitcher with good water (filtered, distilled, or spring water), cover the top with plastic wrap, and set in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to infuse overnight. Enjoy in the morning!
Spearmint & Orange Research
- In studying improvement of memory and cognition, three Corydalis species were tested for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and Corydalis cava, Corydalis intermedia, Corydalis solida ssp. laxa and Corydalis solida exhibited significant inhibitory activity. Extracts of Ruta graveolens (rue), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and Mentha spicata (spearmint) exhibited moderate inhibitory activity. From: Adsersen, A., Gauguin, B., Gudiksen, L., & Jäger, A. K. (2006). Screening of plants used in Danish folk medicine to treat memory dysfunction for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 104(3), 418-422.
- Chewing spearmint gum improved memory. From: Baker, J. R., Bezance, J. B., Zellaby, E., & Aggleton, J. P. (2004). Chewing gum can produce context-dependent effects upon memory. Appetite, 43(2), 207-210.
- In a 3 month study with 90 older adults, intake of a spearmint supplement improved memory. From: Herrlinger, K. A., Nieman, K. M., Sanoshy, K. D., Fonseca, B. A., Lasrado, J. A., Schild, A. L., … & Ceddia, M. A. (2018). Spearmint extract improves working memory in men and women with age-associated memory impairment. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 24(1), 37-47.
- Nine subjects with memory impairment who took 900 mg of a spearmint extract for 3 months had improved memory without side effects. From: Nieman, K., Herrlinger, K., Sanoshy, K., Schild, A., Kelley, K., Maki, K., & Ceddia, M. (2014). Tolerance and Cognitive Function Effects of a Proprietary Spearmint Extract in Men and Women with Self-Reported Memory Impairment-A Pilot Study (LB402). The FASEB Journal, 28(1_supplement), LB402.
- Aromatherapy of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening improved cognition of Alzheimer’s patients. From: Jimbo, D., Kimura, Y., Taniguchi, M., Inoue, M., & Urakami, K. (2009). Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Psychogeriatrics, 9(4), 173-179.
- Results showed an acute anxiolytic activity of sweet orange aroma in humans. From: Goes, T. C., Antunes, F. D., Alves, P. B., & Teixeira-Silva, F. (2012). Effect of sweet orange aroma on experimental anxiety in humans. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(8), 798-804.
- Orange and lavender aromatherapy reduced anxiety and improved mood in patients waiting for dental treatment. From: Lehrner, J., Marwinski, G., Lehr, S., Johren, P., & Deecke, L. (2005). Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office. Physiology & Behavior, 86(1), 92-95.
Note: Ingesting large quantities of spearmint or orange above normal food amounts or over a long period of time may interfere with certain medications or health conditions.
By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA, LMT
4/11/18
