What is Pooneh?

Pooneh is the dried leaf and flowering top of wild mint, Mentha longifolia. In Persian homes and in Unani practice it is brewed as a tea for an upset stomach, gas, bloating and a chesty cold, and it is sprinkled over yoghurt drinks and soups as a kitchen herb.

The evidence verdict in one line: Pooneh has deep traditional standing and almost no human trial evidence, so treat it as a pleasant supportive tea rather than a treatment. Traditional use tells you what people have long done with a plant; it is not proof that it works, and that caveat applies to everything below.

One important warning up front. The leaf tea is a different thing from the concentrated essential oil. Some Mentha longifolia plants are rich in pulegone, a compound that can damage the liver in large amounts, so the oil should never be swallowed.

How does Pooneh work?

The most likely explanation is simple and mechanical. Mint volatile oils relax the smooth muscle of the gut wall, which may ease cramping and let trapped gas pass.

Menthol and related compounds also create a cooling feeling in the mouth and airways, which can make a blocked nose feel clearer without actually changing the swelling.

Laboratory work shows the oil slows the growth of some bacteria and fungi in a dish, and that the leaf extract mops up free radicals (unstable molecules that damage cells). None of this has been shown to translate into a measured benefit in people.

What forms does Pooneh come in?

Pooneh is sold in a few everyday forms.

Dried loose leaf for tea is the usual one, along with tea bags. Fresh leaves are used in cooking, especially with yoghurt, beans and lamb.

You may also see distilled mint water (araq-e pooneh), a steam distillate taken by the spoonful, and the concentrated essential oil, which is for scent and external use only. Powdered leaf appears in some Unani compound formulas.

Where it comes from:

Wild mint has been used around the Iranian plateau and the eastern Mediterranean for well over a thousand years. Persian medical writers of the Islamic Golden Age, including Avicenna, described mints as warming and drying and used them for a cold, weak stomach.

In Unani practice it sits in the carminative group, meaning herbs given for wind and griping pain. It has stayed in continuous household use as both food and remedy ever since.

What does Pooneh help with?

• Gas, bloating and stomach cramps: This is the main traditional use across Persian and Unani practice, and a warm cup after food is the usual way it is taken. Related mints relax gut muscle in laboratory tests, which fits the pattern people report. There are no published human trials on Mentha longifolia for these symptoms, so this rests on tradition and on your own experience of whether it helps.
• Mild indigestion after a heavy meal: Tradition treats Pooneh as a warming digestive for rich, fatty or bean-heavy food. Expect comfort, not correction: it will not treat an ulcer (a sore in the stomach lining) or reflux. In fact mint can loosen the valve at the top of the stomach and make heartburn worse in some people.
• Nausea: Mint teas are a common household choice for a queasy stomach, and the smell alone helps some people. Human evidence for this species is absent. If nausea is new, severe or comes with vomiting you cannot keep down, that needs a doctor, not a tea.
• Blocked nose and chesty coughs: Steam from a mint infusion feels clearing because menthol-type compounds stimulate cold receptors in the nose. That is a change in sensation rather than a proven change in congestion. Do not put the oil or strong preparations near the face of a baby or young child.
• Bad breath: Chewing the fresh leaf or rinsing with cooled tea freshens the mouth for a short while. This is a cosmetic effect. Persistent bad breath usually points to gum disease, a dry mouth or a dental problem worth checking.
• Sore throat (as a warm gargle): A cooled, well diluted infusion is used traditionally as a gargle. Any soothing is likely from the warm liquid as much as the herb. A sore throat with a high fever, drooling, or trouble swallowing or breathing needs urgent medical care.

Which foods are rich in Pooneh?

1. Doogh: the Persian salted yoghurt drink, where dried Pooneh is the signature flavour
2. Ash and aash-style herb soups: added near the end of cooking
3. Yoghurt and cucumber dips: fresh or dried leaf stirred through
4. Bean and lentil dishes: used traditionally to reduce wind
5. Lamb and rice dishes: a pinch fried in butter and poured over

Practical Tips:

Culinary amounts are small and have a long record of safe everyday use.

What are the side effects of Pooneh?

• Heartburn or reflux, because mint can relax the valve at the top of the stomach
• Mild stomach upset or loose stools from strong brews
• Mouth or lip irritation from concentrated preparations
• Skin rash or itching in people allergic to mint family plants
• Headache or drowsiness in a few people
• Liver injury from swallowing the essential oil or very concentrated extracts (rare but serious)

Good to know:

At normal tea and cooking strength, side effects are uncommon and mild, and heartburn is the one people notice most.

The serious risks belong to the concentrated oil, not the cup of tea. Pulegone-rich mint oils have caused liver damage and, with pennyroyal oil, deaths. Treat any concentrated Pooneh product with real respect.

How much Pooneh should you take?

• Recommended daily: No official dose has been set, because the human research needed to set one has not been done. Customary kitchen use is 1 to 2 teaspoons (about 1.5 to 3 g) of dried leaf steeped in a cup of hot water, up to three cups a day. Distilled mint water is usually taken a tablespoon at a time in water. The essential oil is not for swallowing at any dose. Keep it out of reach of children.
• Best time of day: After meals for digestion, and in the evening if you find the taste settling. For a cold, a warm cup with the steam inhaled works well before bed.
• With or without food: Best taken after food, or with it. Taking it on an empty stomach is fine for most people but can feel sharp if you are prone to heartburn.
• Time to effect: If a mint tea is going to ease wind or cramping, you usually notice it within 15 to 30 minutes of finishing the cup. There is no build-up effect to wait weeks for.
• How long to take it: Short runs are sensible: a few days to a couple of weeks for a specific bout of bloating or a cold. If your symptoms have not settled after two weeks, stop and get them looked at rather than continuing. Everyday culinary amounts in food are a different matter and need no time limit. Avoid drinking strong, concentrated brews day after day for months, since pulegone exposure adds up.