It is all around us, it has been with us since our childhood, it is in our products and on our plates. Chrystel Lacz, agricultural scientist, tells us about plants in her own words. These exceptional natural assets.
Referred to affectionately as "river balm", Aquatic mint is a little treasure that grows under our bare feet, playing an essential role in the decontamination of our waterways.
It blooms, like all of us, in the summer, with pretty floral spheres and domed leaves that sway along the riverbank. But don’t be fooled! Beneath its fragile appearance and intense fragrance, aquatic mint is working hard! Its refreshing, antiseptic and stimulating properties have been known since ancient times, like its peppery, green and lemon cousins. Aquatic mint’s incredible detoxifiying powers have been a much more recent discovery!
Hardy and perennial, it decontaminates water of heavy metals by filtering them through its roots. But not content with cleaning up our rivers on its own and contributing to the health of our environment, Aquatic mint has recently come to the rescue of wastewater basins and watercourses in particularly bad shape.
It can be found all over the world in the wild, from Iceland to Namibia, and it is increasingly being cultivated, like in our fields in south-west France. It's pretty, it smells good, and it helps save the planet!
The medicinal uses of aquatic mint are well documented- from herbal tea, balms and steaming inhalation We do not recommend it for cooking, as it can overwhelm the competition! On the beauty side, it is a concentrated source of antioxidants and polyphenols that help detoxify the hair and scalp. But no need to rub your scalp with leaves picked up on a walk!
