Peppermint Leaf

GREENIT! PEPPERMINT

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) is one of our best-known and most versatile herbs, which owes its characteristic scent and medicinal properties to the essential oil called menthol. It is a hybrid plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family, which was created from the cross between water mint and spearmint.

Detailed characteristics:

• Appearance: A perennial plant growing 30–90 cm tall, which spreads rapidly with underground rhizomes. Its stem is four-edged, often reddish-violet in color. Its leaves are dark green, ovate, with serrated edges. Its flowers are small, purple, and bloom in pseudo-umbels at the tip of the stem.
• Active ingredients: Its main active ingredient is the essential oil, the most important component of which is menthol (up to over 50%). It also contains menthone, flavonoids, tannins and rosmarinic acid.
• Possible beneficial effects:
  • Digestive: Excellent for stomach and intestinal cramps, bloating, and chronic gallbladder problems.
  • Antispasmodic and choleretic: Helps the digestive system function through its smooth muscle spasmolytic effect.
  • Respiratory: Its essential oil, when inhaled, helps treat cold symptoms, coughs, and sore throats.
  • Painkiller: When applied externally (menthol), it has a cooling, anti-itch, and analgesic effect (for headaches and muscle aches).
  • Possible applications:
  • • Tea: Tea made from its leaves (Mentha piperitae folium) is known for digestive complaints and as a refreshing agent.
    • Essential oil: Used in aromatherapy, as a rub, and in bath water.
    • Cosmetics/Food: Flavoring for toothpastes, mouthwashes, candies, and food.
  • Cultivation and care: It requires light, but can also survive in partial shade, and requires moist, nutrient-rich soil. It spreads quickly, so it is worth limiting its growth.