Peppermint

Mentha piperata

Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Mentha
Species: Mentha piperata

Synonyms and Common names: Brandy mint, lamb mint.

Description and Habitat: Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is a (usually) sterile hybrid mint, a cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and Spearmint (Mentha spicata). It is occasionally found wild with its parent species in central and southern Europe, but the first intentional crossbreed of watermint and spearmint was done in England. Being sterile, it spreads by rooting.

The leaves of this kind of mint are shortly but distinctly stalked, 2 inches or more in length, and 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches broad, their margins finely toothed, their surfaces smooth, both above and beneath, or only very slightly, hardly visibly, hairy on the principal veins and mid-rib on the underside. The stems, 2 to 4 feet high, are quadrangular, often purplish. The whorled clusters of little reddish-violet flowers are in the axils of the upper leaves, forming loose, interrupted spikes, and rarely bear seeds. The entire plant has a very characteristic odour, due to the volatile oil present in all its parts, which when applied to the tongue has a hot, aromatic taste at first, and afterwards produces a sensation of cold in the mouth caused by the menthol it contains. Flowering is from July to September.

Peppermint generally thrives in shade and expands quickly by underground rhizomes. If you choose to grow peppermint, it is advisable to plant it in a container, otherwise it can rapidly take over a whole garden. It needs a good water supply, and is ideal for planting in part-sun to shade areas.

Parts used: Leaves and flowering tops

Harvesting: The leaves and flowering tops are the usable portion of the plant. They are collected as soon as the flowers begin to open and then are carefully dried. The wild form of the plant is less suitable for this purpose, with cultivated plants having been selected for more and better oil content. Seeds sold at stores labeled peppermint generally will not germinate into true peppermint, but into a particularly poor-scented spearmint plant. The true peppermint might rarely produce seeds, but only by fertilization from a spearmint plant, and contribute only their own spearmint genes, as is true of female mules that have babies, contributing only their maternal horse genes.

Constituents: The chief constituent of Peppermint oil is Menthol, but it also contains menthyl acetate and isovalerate, together with menthone, cineol, inactive pinene, limonene and other less important bodies

Actions: Spasmolytic, carminative, choleretic, diaphoretic, aromatic, nervine, antemetic, peripheral vasodilator with a paradoxical cooling effect, cholagogue, bitter. Locally antiseptic, antiparasitic, analgesic and antipruritic.

The local anaesthetic action of Peppermint oil is exceptionally strong. It is also powerfully antiseptic, the two properties making it valuable in the relief of toothache and in the treatment of cavities in the teeth.

Indications: Intestinal colic, vomiting of pregnancy, flatulent dyspepsia, biliary disorders, common cold, dysmenorrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome.

Therapeutics and Pharmacology: Specifically indicated in flatulent digestive pains, Mentha has a notable action on the lower bowel. Externally, peppermint oil or menthol is used in pain-relieving balms, massage oils and linaments. Menthol is cooling and anaesthetic when applied to the skin, increasing blood flow to the area over which it is applied. It may be used to relieve itching and inflammations. Inhalations of the herb and oil in boiling water are effective against upper respiratory or bronchial catarrh. Inhaled, it has a drying effect on the mucous membranes and ingested it has a settling effect on the gastric and intestinal mucosa. It is a useful remedy to increase concentration. It reduces nausea and is helpful in travel sickness. It promotes sweating in fevers and influenza. As a nervine it acts as a tonic, easing anxiety, tension and hysteria. In dysmenorrhoea it relieves the pain and associated tension.

The pharmacological actions of Mentha are largely due to the volatile oil, which is relaxation. The volatile oil acts as a mild anaesthetic to the mucous membrane of the stomach, relieving nausea and the desire to vomit. It reduces the tone of the cardiac sphincter and relaxes the gastro-oesophageal sphincter, allowing expulsion of air in flatulent dyspepsia. It relieves colonic spasm and bowel irritability. Chronic disease of the pancreas also responds well to peppermint, as do abnormal fermentation processes in the intestine, for example, when the bowel flora is abnormal. Menthol is bactericidal and antiparasitic. Dissolved in alcohol, it is effective against ringworm and other fungal infestations. It is also four times as powerful an antiseptic as phenol. The flavonoids contribute to the spasmolytic activity, and flavonoids and phenolic acids to the choleretic activity - it promotes liver and gallbladder function. 

Contraindications: Prolonged use of the essential oil as an inhalant should be avoided as Mentha can irritate the mucous membranes Do not give any form of mint directly to young babies. It can reduce milk flow, so should be taken with caution during lactation

Preparation and Dosage: Tea: 3gm as infusion, 3 times a day.

The following simple preparation has been found useful in insomnia:
1 oz. Peppermint herb, cut fine,
1/2 oz. Rue herb,
1/2 oz. Wood Betony.
Mix well and place a large tablespoonful in a teacup, fill with boiling water, stir and cover for twenty minutes, strain and sweeten, and drink the warm infusion on going to bed.

 Boiled in milk and drunk hot, Peppermint herb is good for abdominal pains.

Additional Comments & Folklore: Peppermint is generally regarded as 'the world's oldest medicine', with archaeological evidence placing its use at least as far back as ten thousand years ago.

Menthol is used in medicine to relieve the pain of rheumatism, neuralgia, throat affections and toothache. It acts also as a local anaesthetic, vascular stimulant and disinfectant. For neuralgia, rheumatism and lumbago it is used in plasters and rubbed on the temples; it will frequently cure neuralgic headaches. It is inhaled for chest complaints, and nasal catarrh, laryngitis or bronchitis are often alleviated by it. It is also used internally as a stimulant or carminative. On account of its anaesthetic effect on the nerve endings of the stomach, it is of use to prevent sea-sickness, the dose being 1/2 to 2 grains. The bruised fresh leaves of the plant will, if applied, relieve local pains and headache, and in rheumatic affections the skin may be painted beneficially with the oil.

There are several varieties of Peppermint. The two chief, the so-called 'Black' and 'White' mints are the ones extensively cultivated. Botanically there is little difference between them, but the stems and leaves of the 'Black' mint are tinged purplish-brown, while the stems of the 'White' variety are green, and the leaves are more coarsely serrated in the White. The oil furnished by the Black is of inferior quality, but more abundant than that obtained from the White, the yield of oil from which is generally only about four-fifths of that from an equal area of the Black, but it has a more delicate odour and obtains a higher price. The plant is also more delicate, being easily destroyed by frost or drought; it is principally grown for drying in bundles - technically termed 'bunching,' and is the kind chiefly dried for herbalists, the Black variety being more generally grown for the oil on account of its greater productivity and hardiness.

There are at least thirty species of mint. Peppermint is a popular flavouring for confectionery and liqueurs, as well as for toothpastes, mouthwashes and medicines. Mentha arvensis is prescribed in Chinese medicine for colds, headaches, sore throats and conjunctivitis. Rats dislike the scent of peppermint. According to Pliny, the Greeks and Romans crowned themselves with peppermint leaves during feasts and used it as a culinary flavouring.