Can fresh mint leaves be eaten raw?

In China's history, traditional Chinese medicine has always used mint as a diaphoretic and antipyretic. Whether in cold drinks or hot drinks nowadays, people like to add two mint leaves, and its heat-clearing and heat-dissipating effects are consistent with the understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. So can mint leaves be eaten raw?

They can be eaten raw, but it is best not to eat mint leaves directly. Mint leaves are still fairly stimulating to the human body. Mint leaves are a cold-natured substance, and taking mint leaves directly can damage our stomach and intestines. So no matter the circumstances, you should be careful when taking mint leaves directly.

Mint leaves are a herbaceous plant that is both medicine and food. They can be used as medicine and also as a seasoning when preparing dishes. Mint leaves are cooling and have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing internal heat and dryness, and clearing the lungs and removing phlegm. Especially when the weather is hot, drinking a little water infused with mint leaves has a very good effect of clearing heat and relieving summer heat. When you feel restless and irritable, drinking a cup of mint water is good for the body. Eating mint leaves raw is more often for medicinal purposes, such as pounding them to extract the juice and drinking it to remove wind-cold ailments. However, mint leaves are best blanched in boiling water before eating, because there may be bacteria or parasites.

Eat fresh mint leaves dipped in dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is made from soy sauce, peanut oil, scallions, ginger, garlic, chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Friends who like sour things might as well add a little vinegar to the dipping sauce to make it even more delicious. In fact, eating them dipped in sauce mainly serves to season and sterilize, so you can eat them with peace of mind, as much as you want.