Peppermint
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Vegetables
Peppermint
Latin:
Herba Menthae
Origin:
As the stems and leaves of field mint Mentha arvensis ssp. haplocalyx (B,P), Mentha austriaca (.), or Mentha arvensis L., a perennial herb, of the Labiatae family. It has stalked, smooth, dark-green leaves and blunt, oblong clusters of pinkish-lavender flowers, which are dried and used to flavor candy, desserts, beverages, salads, and other foods.
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This perennial plant grows to about 0.5 m by 1 m. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to October, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by bees. The plant can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.
Peppermint has a strong, sweetish odor, and a warm, pungent taste with a cooling aftertaste. Indigenous to Europe and Asia, it has been naturalized in North America and is found near streams and in other wet sites. It is cultivated in Europe, Asia, and North America for its essential oil. The plant produced in the South and North of China with the field mint produced in Jiangsu being the best.
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Natural hybridization among wild species has yielded many varieties of peppermint, but only two, the black and the white, are recognized by growers. The former has purplish and the latter green stems. Black peppermint, also called English peppermint or mitcham mint, is extensively grown in the United States. The white variety is less hardy and less productive, but its oil is considered more delicate in odor and obtains a higher price.
The reaping period varies from place to place and it can generally be picked and cut twice to three times a year; used when fresh or dried in the shade, cut into sections and used when raw.
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Also called Corn Mint, Ginger Mint, Field Mint, American Wild Mint, Canadian Mint, Japanese Peppermint, Wild Mint, etc.
See also Herbs, Herbs for Relieving Exterior Syndromes, Herbs for Dispelling Wind and Heat, Peppermint.
Properties:
Pungent in flavor, cool in nature, it is related to the lung and liver channels.
Functions:
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Dispels pathogenic wind-heat, refreshes oneself, relieves sore-throat, soothes the liver and regulates the circulation of qi.
Applications:
1. Used for common colds due to pathogenic wind-heat and initial attacks of exopathogenic febrile diseases:
Peppermint disperses evils with its pungent taste and reduces fever with its cool nature, so it is an herb commonly used to dispel pathogenic wind-heat. Therefore it is often used together with weeping forsythia fruit (Fructus Forsythiae), great burdock achene (Fructus Arctii), jingjie (Herba Schizonepetae), etc., e.g., Yin Qiao San, for those who suffer from common colds due to pathogenic wind-heat, initial attacks of exopathogenic febrile diseases, headache, fever, slight aversion to wind-cold, etc.
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2. Used for headache with conjunctival congestion and sore throat:
Being so light as to rise easily and so aromatic as to clear the passages, this food-herb is good at dispelling the pathogenic wind-heat from the upper part of the body, refreshing oneself and relieving sore throat. It is largely used in combination with mulberry leaves, chrysanthemum, chastetree fruit (Fructus Viticis), etc., for the treatment of headache with conjunctival congestion due to upward attacks of pathogenic wind-heat; often used together with balloon flower root (Radix Platycodi), fresh licorice, silkworm larva, jingjie (Herba Schizonepetae), fangfeng (Radix Ledebouriellae) etc. for the treatment of sore throat due to excessive pathogenic wind-heat.
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3. Used for measles without adequate eruption:
Being light and dispersing, this food-herb can dispel pathogenic wind-heat, remove toxic substances and promote eruption, so it is often used in combination with cicada slough, jingjie (Herba Schizonepetae), great burdock achene (Fructus Arctii), Asian puccon root (Radix Arnebiae seu Lithospermi), etc., e.g., Tou Zhen Tang, for the treatment of exterior syndromes due to pathogenic wind-heat and measles without eruption; it can be used together with flavescent sophora root (Radix Sophorae Flavescentis), ditlany root-bark (Cortex Dictamni Radicis), fangfeng (Radix Ledebouriel-lae), etc., for the treatment of rubella (German measles) and pruritus (itch) by making use of its effects of dispelling the wind, promoting eruption and checking itching.
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4. Used for stagnation of liver-qi and pains and fullness in the chest and hypochondria (extreme depression of mind or spirits):
Entering the liver channel, this food-herb can soothe the liver and regulate the circulation of qi, so it is often used in combination with herbs that soothe the liver and regulate the circulation of qi and menstruation, such as Chinese thorowax root (Radix Bupleuri), herbaceous peony root (Radix Paeoniae Alba), Chinese angelica, etc., e.g., Xiao Yao San, for the treatment of stagnation of liver-qi, pains and fullness in the chest and hypochondria and irregular menstruation.
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In addition, this food-herb can also treat acute filthy diseases with abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea due to the infection of summer-dampness and filthy pathogens in the summer as it is so aromatic as to remove pathogens and it is often used in combination with agastache, eupatorium (Herba Eupatorii), white hyacinth dolichos beans (Semen Dolichoris Album), etc.
Dosage and Administration:
2-10 g.
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Decoct the ingredients for drinking and preferably put peppermint into the decoction later. A reasonably strong minty flavor with a slight bitterness, they are used as a flavoring in salads or cooked foods. Its leaves are good at inducing sweat, while its stems are good at regulating qi.
A herb tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves.
An essential oil from the plant is used as a flavoring in sweets and beverages.
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Cautions on Use:
This food-herb should be avoided by those who are weak with hyperdrosis as it is highly aromatic, pungent and dispersing qualities will induce sweat and consume qi.
Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, large quantities of some members of this genus, especially when taken in the form of the extracted essential oil, can cause abortions so some caution is advised.
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Reference Materials:
'Newly Compiled Materia Medica' :
"It is indicated for febrile diseases due to pathogenic wind, excessive diaphoresis and it treats distending pain in the chest and abdomen due to filthy substances."
'Methodology of Medication' :
"It clears pathogenic wind from the head and removes pathogenic wind-heat."
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'Compendium of Materia Medica' :
"It relieves the ailments of the throat, mouth and teeth and treats scrofula, sores, scabies, rubella, pruritus and urticaria."
Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
Peppermint contains a volatile oil whose main ingredients include menthol, menthone, isomenthone, etc. Peppermint oil, derived from the herb by distilling with steam, is widely used for flavoring confectionery, chewing gum, dentifrices, and medicines. Pure oil of peppermint is nearly colorless.
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The oral taking of peppermint oil can dilate the capillaries of the skin, promote the secretion of sweat glands and increase the radiation of heat through the stimulation of the central nervous system to induce sweat and fever.
Peppermint oil can also inhibit the constriction of the smooth muscles of the stomach and intestines and resist acylcholine in such a way as to relieve spasms; it can also promote the secretions of the glands of the respiratory tract and treat inflammations of the tract.
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In in vitro tests, peppermint decoction can inhibit herpes simplex virus, forest encephalitis virus and mumps virus and has bacteriostatic effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albus, Streptococcus A, Streptococcus B, Coccus catarrhalis, Streptococcus enteritidis, Shigella flexneri, Anthrax bacillus, Bacillus diphtheriae, Typhoid bacillus, Bacillus pyocyaneus and Bacillus coli.
The external use of peppermint oil cam stimulate the cold receptors at the nerve endings to give rise to creeping chills which reflectively causes the changes in the blood vessels of the deep tissues to such an extent as to relieve inflammations, alleviate pain and arrest itching., http://www.100md.com