====== Peppermint ======
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---- dataentry herbs----
latin_names: Mentha piperita
folk_names: Brandy Mint, Lammint
gender_tags: Masculine
planet_tags: Mercury
element_tags: Fire, Air
deity_tags: 
effect_tags: Purification, Sleep, Love, Healing, Psychic Powers, Conscious Mind
part_tags: fresh leaves, dried leaves, essential oil
----
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===== Magical Uses =====

Peppermint has long been used in healing potions and mixtures. Peppermint also has a long history in purification spells. The fresh leaves rubbed against the head are said to relieve headaches. Peppermint worn at the wrist assures that you will not be ill. Its presence raises the vibrations of an area. Fresh peppermint on the altar will call good spirits to be present and aid you in magic. Smelled, it compels one toward sleep, and placed beneath the pillow it sometimes offers one glimpses of the future in dreams. It is rubbed against furniture, walls, and floorboards to cleanse them of evil and negativity. Pliny stated that peppermint excites love, and so can be added to this type of mixture.

Peppermint is also used in travel spells. Its bright green leaves and crisp scent lead to its use in money spells and prosperity spells, the easiest of which is to place a few leaves in the wallet or purse, or rub where your money is kept.

Common mints, such as peppermint and pennyroyal, are closely related and, in a pinch, one can be used in place of another. Mints that one finds in the wild can be used in external magical applications in place of these common mints (peppermint, spearmint, etc.). Match the wild mint to the known mint that it most resembles.

===== Aromatherapy =====

As long ago as the time of the Roman writer Pliny, the scent of peppermint was used to rouse the conscious mind. It is still powerful for this purpose. The aroma of peppermint also halts negative thoughts, temporarily divorcing you from their effects.

As with most stimulating scents, peppermint should not be used at night unless you don’t mind staying up well past your bedtime.

The aroma of peppermint is also useful for self-purification rituals. Inhale with visualization. To purify a room or an entire building, gather fresh bunches of the herb and place in jars of water at various intervals.
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