Mentha spicata

Mentha spicata

Mentha spicata is native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from Ireland in the west to southern China in the east. It is naturalized in many other temperate parts of the world, including northern and southern Africa. It is used as a flavouring in food and herbal teas. The aromatic oil, called oil of spearmint, is also used as a flavouring and sometimes as a scent.

Uses

Fevers, Headaches, Digestive disorders.

Parts Used

Leaves.

Chemical Composition

The main constituents were carvone (40.8% ± 1.23%) and limonene (20.8% ± 1.12%), followed by 1,8-cineole (17.0% ± 0.60%), β-pinene (2.2% ± 0.25%), cis-dihydrocarvone (1.9% ± 0.49%), and dihydrocarveol (1.7% ± 0.31%).

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada
Hindi	Pahari Pudina
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Spearmint, Garden mint, Lamb mint

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	Elliptical	5–9 cm (2–3 1⁄2 in) long and 1.5–3 cm (1⁄2–1 1⁄4 in) broad, with a serrated margin. The stem is square-shaped, a defining characteristic of the mint family of herbs.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long	Pink or white in colour		Spearmint flowers in the summer (from July to September in the northern hemisphere), and has relatively large seeds, which measure 0.62–0.90 mm (0.024–0.035 in).

Mode of Propagation

Seeds.

How to plant/cultivate

Spearmint leaves can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. They can also be preserved in salt, sugar, sugar syrup, alcohol, or oil. The leaves lose their aromatic appeal after the plant flowers.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Garden area.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

• Mentha spicata Mentha spicata on plantsoftheworldonline.org