Someone stated to me that spearmint is used to relieve heart burn. I was wonder if this is because it's an acid or a base?
2007-02-07 23:24:06 · 1 answers · asked by PantsStatusZero 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
You can apply the oil to a pH strip and get a color, but that is not a true indication of it acidity. The pH value is only appropriate of water-based systems. In this instance the oil will not work.
That is not to say that natural oils like this can not have some of the properties of acids, they can. We just can’t use pH as a descriptor.
Spearmint extract has a lot going on. It has astringent qualities in that the oil can acts like an organic solvent and also an irritant to the tissue it contacts. So what you might consider “acidic” is really irritation.
2007-02-08 05:03:14 · answer #1 · answered by James H 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋