Mentha spicata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mentha spicata | |
|---|---|
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| Foliage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Mentha |
| Species: | M. spicata |
| Binomial name | |
| Mentha spicata L. |
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Mentha spicata (Spear Mint or Spearmint) is a species of mint native to much of Europe and southwest Asia, though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation.[citation needed] It grows in wet soils[1][2]. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region where it was first sighted in 1843[3].
It is a herbaceous rhizomatous perennial plant growing 30–100 cm tall, with variably hairless to hairy stems and foliage, and a wide-spreading fleshy underground rhizome. The leaves are 5–9 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, with a serrated margin. Spearmint produces flowers in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5–3 mm long and broad.[2][4]
Hybrids involving spearmint include Mentha × piperita (Peppermint; hybrid with Mentha aquatica), Mentha × gracilis (Ginger Mint, syn. M. cardiaca; hybrid with Mentha arvensis), and Mentha × villosa (Large Apple Mint, hybrid with Mentha suaveolens).[2]
The name 'spear' mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.[5]
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[edit] Cultivation and uses
Spearmint is grown for its aromatic and carminative oil, referred to as oil of spearmint. It grows well in nearly all temperate climates. Gardeners often grow it in pots or planters due to its invasive spreading roots. The plant prefers partial shade, but can flourish in full sun to mostly shade. Spearmint is best suited to loamy soils with plenty of organic material. Spearmint leaves can be used whole, chopped, dried and ground, frozen, preserved in salt, sugar, sugar syrup, alcohol, oil, or dried. The leaves lose their aromatic appeal after the plant flowers. Dry it by cutting just before, or right (at peak) as the flowers open, about 1/2 to 3/4ths the way down the stalk (leaving smaller shoots room to grow). There is some dispute as to what drying method works best; some prefer different materials (such as plastic or cloth) and different lighting conditions (such as darkness or sunlight).
The cultivar Mentha spicata 'Nana', the Nana mint of Morocco, possesses a clear, pungent, but mild aroma and is an essential ingredient of Touareg Tea.
Spearmint is an ingredient in several mixed drinks, such as the mojito and mint julep. Sweet tea, iced and flavored with spearmint, is a summer tradition in the Southern United States. It is used as a flavoring for toothpaste and confectionery, and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps. In herbalism, spearmint is steeped as tea for the treatment of stomach ache.
[edit] Health Effects
Recent research has shown that spearmint tea may be used as a treatment for mild hirsutism in women. Its anti-androgenic properties reduce the level of free testosterone in the blood, while leaving total testosterone and DHEA unaffected.[6]
Spearmint has been studied for antifungal activity; its essential oil was found to have some antifungal activity, although less than Oregano.[7] Its essential oil did not show any evidence of mutagenicity in the Ames test.[7] Spearmint has also been described as having excellent antioxidant activity; its antioxidant activity was found to be comparable to the synthetic BHT.[8] Due both to its antioxidant activity and its common use to season lamb in Indian cuisine, it has been studied as an additive to radiation-processed lamb meat, and was found effective in delaying oxidation of fats and reducing formation of harmful TBARS.[8]
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mentha spicata |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Mentha spicata |
- ^ Euro+Med Plantbase Project: Mentha spicata
- ^ a b c Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
- ^ "List of invasive species in the Great Lakes Great Lakes United / Union Saint-Laurent Grands Lacs". http://www.glu.org/en/node/199. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
- ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
- ^ Turner, W. (1568). Herbal. Cited in the Oxford English Dictionary.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6376599.stm Tea 'controls female facial hair growth'
- ^ a b Konstantia Adam, Afroditi Sivropoulou, Stella Kokkini, Thomas Lanaras, and Minas Arsenakis, "Antifungal Activities of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum, Mentha spicata, Lavandula angustifolia, and Salvia fruticosa Essential Oils against Human Pathogenic Fungi", Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1998, Vol. 46, No.5, pp 1739–1745.
- ^ a b Sweetie R. Kanatt, Ramesh Chander, and Arun Sharma, "Antioxidant potential of mint (Mentha spicata L.) in radiation-processed lamb meat", Food Chemistry, Vol. 100, No. 2, 2007, pp. 451-458.
[edit] Gallery
 Plant in flower |
 flowers |
 1887 illustration |
