Muña vs Peppermint: How Peru's Andean Mint Compares for Digestion

May 18, 2026

If you've spent any time in the Andes above 3,000 meters, you've probably been handed a small ceramic cup of muña tea. It's the standard offering in mountain guesthouses, on Cusco-bound buses, and in family kitchens from Puno to Huancavelica. Visitors who already know peppermint usually take one sip and ask the same question: is this just Peruvian peppermint?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is more interesting, and it matters if you're choosing between the two for digestion, bloating, or the queasy feeling that comes with altitude or a heavy meal.

What muña actually is

Muña (pronounced MOON-yah) is Minthostachys mollis, a wild aromatic shrub native to the Andean highlands of Peru, Bolivia, and parts of Argentina. It grows between roughly 2,500 and 3,500 meters above sea level and has been used by Quechua and Aymara communities for centuries. Locals call it "Andean mint," but botanically it sits in a different genus from European peppermint. The closest cultural parallel might be the way Mexicans use epazote: a regional culinary herb that doubles as everyday medicine.

The leaves are smaller than peppermint, slightly hairy, and pack a heavier aromatic punch when dried. The smell is mint-forward but with a eucalyptus edge and a faint pine note. People who only know peppermint tea usually find muña more savory, almost herbaceous.

What peppermint is, for comparison

Peppermint is Mentha × piperita, a sterile hybrid of watermint and spearmint. It's been cultivated in Europe for at least 300 years and is one of the most studied herbal teas in the world. The active compound everyone points to is menthol, which makes up roughly 30–55% of peppermint essential oil depending on the cultivar.

For digestion, peppermint has a fair amount of research behind it. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules have shown benefit in IBS trials. Peppermint tea is gentler than the oil but the same family of mechanisms is at play: menthol relaxes smooth muscle in the gut, which can ease cramping and trapped gas.

The chemistry difference

Muña's essential oil is dominated by a different set of compounds. Studies on Minthostachys mollis have found high levels of pulegone, menthone, and carvone, with menthol present but typically below 10%. That shifts the flavor and the effect. Pulegone has a sharper, almost camphorous smell. Carvone is what gives spearmint and dill their characteristic notes.

This is why muña tea tastes "minty but not the mint you know." It's also why you'll see it recommended in Peru for things peppermint isn't usually used for: altitude sickness (soroche), heavier digestive complaints, and as a respiratory steam during cold season.

What people actually use each one for

Peppermint, in most American kitchens, lives in a mug after dinner. It's the go-to for bloating, mild indigestion, or a tension headache. It's also a common before-bed tea because it doesn't have caffeine.

Muña gets used more broadly in Peru. Andean households brew it after big meals, especially heavy ones with potatoes, corn, or roast pork. Tour guides hand it to clients arriving in Cusco to help with the headache, nausea, and shortness of breath that come with the altitude. Some traditional healers also use it as an antiparasitic and as a respiratory tea during cold months, often blended with eucalyptus.

Modern research on muña is still thin compared to peppermint. There are lab studies showing antimicrobial activity against Helicobacter pylori (the stomach-ulcer bacterium) and a few investigations of its essential oil as a food preservative. None of that proves it cures anything in humans. But it lines up with how Peruvians have used it for generations.

Brewing: muña vs peppermint side by side

The brewing methods are similar, but the ratios are different.

For peppermint, the standard is roughly one teaspoon of dried leaf or one tea bag per 8 oz of just-off-boil water, steeped 5–7 minutes covered. Longer steeping makes it bitter.

For muña, you can use a slightly heavier hand: one rounded teaspoon to one tablespoon of dried leaves per 8 oz, hot but not rolling-boil water (around 90°C / 195°F), steeped 5–10 minutes. Cover the cup while it steeps so the volatile oils don't evaporate. In the Andes, people brew it lightly so it stays drinkable in big quantities throughout the day. If you're brewing it for digestion after a meal, a stronger cup with a longer steep is fine.

Both teas are improved by a small spoon of honey if you find them too herbal. Lime juice works with muña more than people expect, and it's a common addition in Peruvian home kitchens.

Which one should you actually buy?

If you already drink peppermint and you're not curious about a different flavor profile, there's no urgent reason to switch. Peppermint is excellent, well-studied, and easy to find.

If any of the following apply, muña is worth trying:

You travel to or live at high altitude and want a traditional remedy for soroche
You eat heavy meals (especially Andean or Latin food) and want a digestive that feels more substantial than peppermint
You're building out a cabinet of South American herbs and want the regional equivalent
You're already interested in herbs like Chanca Piedra or Cat's Claw and want a digestive companion from the same region

One caution: muña essential oil concentrated and taken in large doses has shown some hepatotoxicity in animal studies because of its pulegone content. The tea, brewed normally, has been consumed safely for centuries. Like with anything, moderate use is the rule. Pregnant women generally avoid concentrated pulegone-containing herbs as a precaution, and that includes muña.

Where it fits in our shop

We carry muña as a tea-bag format made by Hanan, sourced from small farms in the central Andes. It's the same product Lima cafés are now starting to offer alongside coca tea. If you want to explore more of Peru's digestive herb tradition, the herbal teas collection has the broader catalog, including boldo, lemon balm, and our calming Nerviosan blend.