The following refers to Spearmint or wild Mint, not Peppermint. HISTORICAL USES ~ The herb tea has been widely used as a tonic drink almost everywhere it has been introduced. It is possible to distinguish by taste and odor between the dextro- and laevo-rotatory forms of carvone dextro-carvone in Caraway seed oil and laevo-rotatory carvone in Spearmint herb oil. 5Īs described above in Spearmint, the main components are carvone for the scent and limonene, myrcene, and others. Spearmint does contain up to 56% l-Carvone, Terpenes, Limonene, Phellandrenes, and, sometimes, Linaloöl and Cineol.Ĭarvone chemistry in Caraway and Spearmint … Fig. This paper was confusing and co-listed Peppermint and Spearmint together. I have only seen one paper out of 25 that listed menthol as a component via GC/MS in Spearmint (Mentha spicata), which was at 1.88% of the total. Since Spearmint is used to modify the scent and flavor of Peppermint, this may be where the mix-up in the plant began with people. Spearmint does not contain menthol unless it is a specifically bred or a hybrid variety that has been bred specifically for this. This is a wonderful exercise for an aromatherapy class.ĬHEMICAL COMPONENTS ~ You will find numerous people and websites stating that Spearmint has menthol. After smelling both, you will be able to isolate and identify the scent of each plant, but when mixed together, it becomes more difficult. Because they both contain the same molecule, carvone, but a different isomer of it, you will have guesses equally on both sides of the scent, and some people will be totally unable to figure it out. Spearmint has a fresh, green, and minty odor, while Caraway has a fresh, herbal, and green but spicy odor.Īn easy experiment is to mix equal parts of each of these essential oils and then pass the bottle around to students and have them guess what they are smelling. ![]() ODOR DESCRIPTION ~ Spearmint and Caraway have the same chemical component of scent, carvone, but a different mirror-image isomer. Spearmint oil courtesy of Prima Fleur Fig. The smell is eponymously Spearmint, with none of the menthol odor that characterizes Peppermint and little of the lemon scent of Lemon Balm. The green is softer in Spearmint than the bluish Peppermint, and it looks somewhat like Lemon Balm ( Melissa officinalis) but is not as hairy on the leaves. This mint LOOKS different than either Peppermint or Lemon Balm. This species can readily hybridize with other Mentha species to form hybrids. As it grows, it can quickly exhaust the soil of nutrients and should be replanted regularly via underground or over-ground stems or roots. SPEARMINT GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PLANT ~ Spearmint is a very hardy, perennial herb with bright green, fragrant leaves that sets seeds. 78ĬOUNTRIES OF ORIGIN ~ Native to the Mediterranean. So, whenever man was asked the name of the fragrant plants, he called them mint.” - Kitchen Cosmetics, p. And from a legend of the beginning of the Earth, “…When Man came, he saw the plants and remembered some of his past in the wonderful Kingdom, he smelled the wonderful scents, and saw pictures in his Mind. ![]() Naming Information ~ The genus name comes from Minthe or Menthe, a water nymph in Greek mythology. Sometimes known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint, and mackerel mint, … including Mentha crispa, Mentha crispata, and Mentha viridis. Spearmint Common Name/Latin Binomial ~ Spearmint, Mentha spicata. ![]() Mentha arvensis L. – wild mint, field-mint, or Japanese menthol mint They are duplicated by cloning or by replanting the underground stems. The ones with the ‘X’ are made by humans by crossing one plant species with another they are considered sterile and usually do not produce seed. There are 13 species of the Mentha genus. It is called Spearmint, and it is not Peppermint or Menthol-mint. There is a difference between Spearmint and Peppermint, defined by their chemistry, botany, folklore, odor description, and properties. SPEARMINT PROFILE – this is not Peppermint
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