What Is Aragh Nana? Persian Mint Water Explained
Aragh nana is Persian mint water — a non-alcoholic distillate of mint leaves, traditionally sipped after a meal to settle the stomach and used to flavour drinks and yogurt dishes. It is the most approachable of the Persian herbal waters: familiar in flavour, useful in cooking, and the one most people should start with. Here is what it is, why mint tastes cold, and how to use it.
What Is Aragh Nana?
Aragh-e nana (عرق نعناع) is made by hydrodistillation: mint leaves are heated with water, and the steam carrying the plant’s volatile aromatic compounds is condensed back into a fragrant liquid. In the scientific literature the result is called a hydrosol — the aqueous co-distillate that carries a plant’s water-soluble volatile fraction, chemically distinct from the essential oil separated off in the same process.
That distinction is the practical one. Mint essential oil is intensely concentrated and used by the drop. Aragh nana is mild enough to drink by the glass. They are not interchangeable, and a recipe calling for one will not work with the other.
Shop Mint Herbal Water (Aragh Nana).
Is Aragh Nana Alcoholic?
No. Persian herbal waters involve no fermentation at any stage. The confusion comes from the word itself: aragh descends from an Arabic root meaning “sweat” — a reference to condensation during distillation — and broadened to mean any distillate, which is why the same root also produced the spirit arak. A named herbal water like aragh nana contains no alcohol. See our full guide to Persian herbal waters for the longer explanation.
Why Mint Tastes Cold
Mint does not lower the temperature of anything. The cooling sensation is a genuine trick of the nervous system, and it is well characterised.
Menthol — the compound that defines mint’s character — binds to TRPM8, an ion channel in sensory nerve endings known in the literature as “the cold and menthol receptor.” TRPM8 is the same channel activated by actual cold temperatures, roughly below 25–28°C. When menthol opens it, the nerve sends the identical signal it would send if the tissue were genuinely cooling. Your brain has no way to distinguish the two.
This is why a glass of water with aragh nana feels cold on a hot day even at room temperature, and why the sensation lingers after you swallow — the receptor stays activated for a while regardless of temperature.
How to Use Aragh Nana
- Sipped after a meal — the most traditional use, sometimes lightly sweetened. A small glass, not a large one.
- Stirred into water — a splash turns plain cold water into something distinctly refreshing, with no sugar involved.
- In doogh — the savoury yogurt drink is often finished with mint, and aragh nana disperses evenly where dried mint leaves float.
- Over yogurt dishes — a small amount lifts mast-o-musir and similar yogurt preparations.
- With sekanjebin — the mint-vinegar syrup already carries mint; a little aragh nana sharpens it further. See the sharbat guide.
Aragh Nana vs. Dried Mint
These do different jobs and are not substitutes. Dried mint is used where you want mint flavour and texture in a cooked dish — bloomed in oil for the topping on ash reshteh, or stirred into stews. Aragh nana is used where you want mint aroma in liquid without adding leaf. If a recipe wants a clear drink, the water is right; if it wants the herb itself, use dried.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is aragh nana?
Persian mint water — a non-alcoholic hydrosol made by steam-distilling mint leaves, carrying the water-soluble aromatic fraction of the plant. It is drunk on its own, mixed into water and doogh, and used to flavour yogurt dishes.
Is aragh nana alcoholic?
No. It is produced by hydrodistillation with no fermentation at any stage. The name shares a root with the spirit arak because the Arabic word originally meant “sweat” and came to describe any distillate, but a named herbal water contains no alcohol.
Why does mint feel cold?
Menthol activates TRPM8, an ion channel in sensory nerves described in the research literature as the cold and menthol receptor. It is the same channel triggered by genuinely cold temperatures, so the nerve sends an identical signal and the brain reads it as cold — even though nothing has actually cooled.
What is the difference between aragh nana and mint essential oil?
Aragh nana is the aqueous distillate carrying water-soluble aromatic compounds; essential oil is the separated, far more concentrated oil fraction. The water is mild enough to drink by the glass, the oil is used by the drop. They are not interchangeable.
How should aragh nana be stored?
Cool, dark and tightly sealed. Refrigerate after opening — the volatile compounds that carry the aroma are exactly what degrades with heat, light and air.
Sources
- A Survey on Chemical Constituents and Indications of Aromatic Waters (Hydrosols) Used in Persian Nutrition Culture and Folk Medicine — Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 2017. Definition and production of Persian hydrosols.
- TRPM8: The Cold and Menthol Receptor — in TRP Ion Channel Function in Sensory Transduction and Cellular Signaling Cascades (NIH/NCBI Bookshelf). Mechanism by which menthol produces a cooling sensation.
This article covers the culinary use and food science of Persian mint water. It is general information, not medical advice.
Want the wider range? See the full Persian Herbal Waters (Aragh) guide, or browse all herbal waters.
