Mentha spicata

"Spearmint" redirects here. For other uses, see Spearmint (disambiguation).

Mentha spicata
Foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Subfamily:	Nepetoideae
Tribe:	Mentheae
Genus:	Mentha
Species:	M. spicata
Binomial name
Mentha spicata L.[1]

Mentha spicata syn. M. cordifolia (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.^[2][3] It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region where it was first sighted in 1843,^[4] although it is grown widely across northern Indiana.

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. The stem is square-shaped, a trademark of the mint family of herbs. Spearmint produces flowers in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5–3 mm long and broad.^[3][5]

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).^[3]

The name 'spear' mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.^[6]

Cultivation and uses

Fresh spearmint offered for sale at a market

Spearmint is grown for its aromatic and carminative oil, referred to as oil of spearmint. Oil of spearmint contains R-(–)-carvone, which gives it its distinctive smell. 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. It can be dried by cutting just before, or right (at peak) as the flowers open, about 1/2 to 3/4 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.

Health effects

Recent research has shown that spearmint tea may be used as a treatment for hirsutism in women. Its anti-androgenic properties reduce the level of free testosterone in the blood, while leaving total testosterone and DHEA unaffected.^[7] It can also be used to treat a variety of digestive ailments, including stomachache (as previously mentioned) and gas.^[8]

Spearmint has been studied for antifungal activity; its essential oil was found to have some antifungal activity, although less than Oregano.^[9] Its essential oil did not show any evidence of mutagenicity in the Ames test.^[9] It can have a calming effect when used for insomnia or massages.^[8] Spearmint has also been described as having excellent antioxidant activity; its antioxidant activity was found to be comparable to the synthetic BHT.^[10] 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 substances, which can be detected using thiobarbituric acid as a reagent.^[10]

References

1. ^ "Mentha L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-09-10. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?7464. Retrieved 2010-01-30. 
2. ^ Euro+Med Plantbase Project: Mentha spicata
3. ^ ^{a b c} Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2
4. ^ "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. 
5. ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
6. ^ Turner, W. (1568). Herbal. Cited in the Oxford English Dictionary.
7. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6376599.stm Tea 'controls female facial hair growth'
8. ^ ^{a b} The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs, Alex Frampton, The Reader's Digest Association, 2009
9. ^ ^{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.
10. ^ ^{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.

Gallery

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  Plant in flower

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  flowers

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  1887 illustration