SPEARMINT (MENTHA SPICATA): CLASSIFICATION, PROPERTIES - NUTRITION - 2025

The spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) Is an aromatic herb medicinal and culinary use. This herbaceous perennial plant in the Lamiaceae family is also called garden mint. It is native to much of Europe and Asia (the Middle East, Himalayas, China) and has become naturalized in some places in Africa, North and South America, and on oceanic islands.

This herb, also called spearmint or common mint, is used as a seasoning and flavoring in certain food preparations or personal care and hygiene products. It is also used as a medicinal plant, being registered in the pharmacopoeias of many European countries.

It is rich in limonene, dihydrocarvone, and cineole. Among the innumerable virtues mentioned of this herb, its activity as a stimulant, antispasmodic and carminative can be highlighted. It is used in digestive atony and nervous dyspepsia.

It is also used to treat palpitations and nervous tremors, vomiting, and uterine cramps. It is useful in colds, facilitating expectoration and tea made from mint is also used as a painkiller.

Taxonomic classification

The Menta spicata L. (synonym M. viridis) has leaves of an intense green color, lanceolate, 5 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide with serrated margin. The stem is square in shape.

Spearmint produces flowers in non-continuous spikes five to four inches long. The slender flowers are lilac, pink, or white and the stamens protrude from the flower.

Taxonomically classified as follows:

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Lamiales

Family

Lamiaceae

Subfamily

Nepetoideae

Tribe

Mentheae

Gender

Mentha

Species

Composition

The medicinal constituents tested in spearmint are as follows:

- 1,8-cineole

- Acetic acid.

- Acetophenone.

- Alpha-pinene.

- Alpha-terpineol.

- Apigenin.

- Arginine.

- Benzaldehyde.

- Benzyl alcohol.

- Beta-carotene.

- Beta-sitosterol.

- Borneol.

- Carvacrol.

- Carvona.

- Caryophyllene.

- Diosmin.

- Ethanol.

- Eugenol.

- Farnesol.

- Geraniol.

- Hesperidin.

- Limonene.

- Luteolin.

- Menthol.

- Methionine.

- Oleanolic acid.

- Perilic alcohol.

- Pulegona.

- Rosmarinic acid.

- Terpinen-4-ol.

- Thymol.

- Tryptophan.

- Ursolic acid.

In the extract there are good phenolic and total flavonoid contents with excellent antioxidant activity. Fresh spearmint leaves contain a much lower level of menthol than other spearmint species.

As is typical of essential oils of the genus Mentha, M. spicata produces a series of monoterpenes derived from limonene by oxidation.

The nutritional profile per 100 grams of Mint spicata is as follows: 83% water, 4.8 g protein, 0.6 g fat, 8 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 200 mg calcium, 80 mg of phosphorus and 15.6 mg of iron.

Medicinal properties

Peppermint is a commonly used home herbal remedy. Many health benefits have been attributed to it, whether it is consumed fresh or its essential oil is used. The leaves should be harvested when the plant is just beginning to flower, and can be dried for later use.

In folk medicine the infusion made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of fevers, headaches, digestive disorders, and various minor ailments.

Against tumors

The stems are macerated and used as a poultice on bruises and there is a belief that it cures tumors. The stems along with essential oil are used in home remedies for cancer.

Anti-inflammatory

Peppermint is applied directly to the skin to help reduce inflammation inside the mouth. It is also applied directly to arthritis, local muscle and nerve pain, and skin conditions, including itching and hives.

Some people use peppermint to help relieve symptoms of nausea, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, spasms of the upper gastrointestinal tract, irritable bowel syndrome, bile duct and gallbladder inflammation, and gallstones.

Its action is relaxing of the stomach muscles. Also, spearmint is used for headaches, toothaches, cramps, and sore throats.

In infusion

The infusion has antiandrogenic properties that reduce the level of testorena in the blood, making it useful in the treatment of hirsutism in women.

If there are excessively high levels of male hormones in women, hair grows out of control, especially on the face, breasts, and stomach. It has been suggested that drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day for 5 days could reduce the level of androgens in women with this condition.

The action of peppermint infusion in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome has also been reported.

Against cognitive decline

It has been indicated that the presence of antioxidants in spearmint can help to improve learning and memory, slowing down age-related cognitive decline.

Just as fresh spearmint is edible, essential oil is not. Before use, it must be diluted with a carrier oil. May irritate if in contact with skin or eyes.

Other uses

An essential oil is obtained from the whole plant, with a rather low yield, of approximately 0.4%.

The oil is used commercially as a flavoring for foods, especially confectionery. Its fragrance is also used for personal hygiene products such as shampoos and soaps, and in preparations for oral hygiene (toothpastes and mouthwashes).

The oil extracted only from the leaves is antiseptic, although it is toxic in large doses. The essential oil also has antifungal properties; This type of action makes it possible to use it in the preservation of certain foods. In addition, the oil is insecticidal, since it acts against moths.

The plant repels insects and rodents. By sowing it next to vegetables, it protects them from insects and reduces the need for the use of pesticides.

Form of intake

Spearmint leaves are infused in water to make tea. In the Maghreb, mint is a symbol of hospitality; Peppermint tea is part of the daily ritual among friends, family and guests. It is made in particular by men and uses specific teapots and pouring techniques.

In Mexico, mint is used in meatballs and is an essential ingredient in drinks such as the Cuban mojito. Sweet, iced peppermint-flavored tea is a refreshing summer beverage tradition in the southern United States. In the southeast of Brazil, the juice of pineapple from America or pineapple with mint (abacaxi com hortelã) is common.

In Indian cuisine, the chutney “pudding” uses mint to make a typical sauce that accompanies almost all dishes.

Some culinary suggestions for mint are to simply cut the leaves and sprinkle them on food, or make mint sauce or ice cream.

Precautions in your use

People with an allergy to peppermint may experience a mild reaction, including a rash, throat irritation, headache, or dizziness.

Spearmint is recognized as a safe substance by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

However, spearmint-containing preparations are believed to interfere with the beneficial action of homeopathic remedies when taken simultaneously or at close intervals.

Others consider that if the homeopathic doctor has correctly selected the remedy, there will be no interference from the mint-flavored products.

References

1. Mentha spicata. (sf). Retrieved on March 30, 2018, from pfaf.org
2. Mint chutney recipes. (sf). Retrieved on March 30, 2018, from foodviva.com
3. Sadeghi Ataabadi M., Alaee S., Jafar Bagheri M., Bahmanpoor S. Role of Essential Oil of Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) in Addressing Reverse Hormonal and Folliculogenesis Disturbances in a Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in a Rat Model. Adv Pharm Bull. 2017 Dec; 7 (4), 651-654
4. Spearmint: Health benefits and more (2018). Retrieved on April 1, 2018, from medicalnewstoday.
5. Spearmint. (sf). Retrieved on April 1, 2018, from altnature
6. Spearmint. (sf). Retrieved on April 1, 2018, from Britannica.
7. Spearmint. (sf) Retrieved on April 1, 2018 from Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine: Encyclopedia.com.
8. Spearmint (2018). Retrieved on April 1, 2018, from Wikipedia.