Mint
- This article is about the herb. See Mint (disambiguation) for other meanings.
perennial herbs in the Lamiaceae family used to flavor food, candy, teas, breath fresheners, antiseptic mouth rinses, and toothpaste. All of them are included in the genus Mentha (In common usage, just about any plant with fragrant leaves may be erroneously called a mint).
The underlying minty scent is due to menthol. Mints are generally vigorous, spreading plants that tolerate a wide range of conditions. There are hundreds of varieties but only fifteen are common. Seven of these varieties are from Australia, the others are Eurasian.
Some common species and varieties include:
- Apple mint Mentha suaveolens, syn. M. rotundifolia (smells like apples)
- Bergamot mint Mentha citrata, syn. M. odorata (smells like bergamot)
- Chocolate mint Mentha x piperita 'Chocolate mint'
- Corsican mint Mentha requienii
- Curly mint Mentha spicata 'Crispa'
- Japanese peppermint Mentha arvensis piperascens
- Peppermint Mentha x piperita
- Pineapple mint(really just a variegated variety of Apple mint)
- Spearmint Mentha spicata
- Water mint or marsh mint Mentha aquatica
The variety sold as "pineapple mint" is particularly mild and popular.
Japanese Peppermint is a major commercial source of menthol.
Pennyroyal is a member of the genus, and resembles other mints, but has a much stronger odor and flavor and also potentially harmful medicinal effects. Its characteristic scent is from pulegiol.
Corsican mint is unusual in being a low, mossy groundcover (it smells like pennyroyal).
Vietnamese mint, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, is not a member of the mint family.
Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb viewed as a cure for stomach and chest pains. Mint was brought to North America by early settlers and became commonly used as a flavoring.
See also
