Candy Canes

And here I thought Candy Canes were just tasty decorations.

It turns out they're actually good for you. Studies have found that peppermint oil kills germs and settles stomachs. Peppermint does such a good job of killing germs that someone is even playing with the idea of circulating diluted peppermint oil over salad bars to prevent bacteria from growing on the food.

So as kids, all those times we plucked a candy cane from the tree we were actually practicing good health. Which makes me wonder if settling stomachs is how the whole candy cane thing started. Goodness knows the Christmas season presents endless opportunities for overfilling our stomachs - and that time of year seems to bring an overabundance of germs.

There's a huge untapped market here. There could be a health boosting treat for every occasion where people tend to be hard on their stomachs. Peppermint turkeys, peppermint Easter bunnies, peppermint American flags (for Memorial Day and Labor Day barbecues), peppermint shot glasses (for Cinco de Mayo), the list is endless.

But until that larger assortment makes its way to the shelves, hang on to those candy canes.

Move over apples. Now its a candy cane a day to keep the doctor away.