spearmint
Mentha spicata · Accepted scientific name
Scientific literature: Very Extensive (1389 studies) · ★★★★★
Spearmint, scientifically known as Mentha spicata, is a perennial herb celebrated for its refreshing aroma and versatile therapeutic properties. Widely used in culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal applications, it offers soothing effects for digestive health and mental clarity. This aromatic plant remains a cornerstone in traditional herbal remedies worldwide.
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Native range
- Europe
- Parts used
- Leaf
- Common names
- Bush Mint · Spearmint
- Scientific synonyms
- Not available
Names
Common Names
- bush mint
- spearmint
Regional and Traditional Names
Spanish:
- Mentha integerrima
- Mentha lacerata
- Yerba buena espanola
- Mentha tenuifolia
- Mentha tauschii
- Mentha hortensis
- Mentha sofiana subsp. kickxiifolia
- Mentha piperella
- Menta hortense
- Mentha sofiana subsp kickxiifolia
- Yerba buena española
- Mentha balsamea
- Mentha romana
- Mentha michelii
- Mentha glabra
- mastranzo
- batán
- yerba de huerto
- yerba del tiñoso
- yerba olorosa
- yerba santa
- yerbabuena
- yerbahuerto
- salvia romana
- sándalo
- sándalo de jardín
- yerba buena
- yerba buena común
- yerba buena de los huertos
- hierba buena
- hierba buena común
- hierba romana
- hierbabuena
- hierbahuerto
- hojas de Santa María
- hortelana
- mastranzo menor
- menta
- menta griega
- menta romana
- menta verde
- yerbabuena
German:
- Grüne Minze
- Ährige Minze
- Speer-Minze
- Ähren-Minze
- Spearmint
- Waldminze
- Wald-Minze
- Krause Minze
- Menthe Verte
- Krauseminze
- grüne Minze
- Aehrige Minze
- Gruene Minze
French:
- Menthe Nana
- Menthe frisée
- Menthe Nanah
- Menthe douce
- Menthe verte
- Menthe crépue
- Nanah
- Menthe en épi
- Menthe en Grappe
- baume
- menthe en épi
- menthe en épis
- menthe à épis
- Menthe Verte
- Menthe en Grappe
Scientific Names
Accepted name
Mentha spicataTaxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Following the subclass Magnoliidae, it is placed in the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae. Finally, it is categorized under the genus Mentha, specifically as the species Mentha spicata.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Lamiales | WCVP |
| Family | Lamiaceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Mentha | WCVP |
Distribution
This plant is widely distributed across several regions within Northern Europe. It can be found growing naturally in the country of Denmark. Its presence extends to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland as well. Additionally, the species is established in the Scandinavian territories of Norway and Sweden. These locations collectively represent its significant geographical range across the northern part of the continent.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Denmark | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Ireland | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Norway | WCVP |
| Northern Europe | Sweden | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Austria | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Belgium | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Czechia-Slovakia | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Germany | WCVP |
| Middle Europe | Hungary | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as spearmint, is a versatile herb widely valued for its aromatic properties. The most significant part used in therapeutic applications is the leaf, as each individual leaves structure contains specialized glands that produce a potent essential oil. When the plant is harvested, this concentrated essential oils extract is often collected to be used in various medicinal and culinary products.| Plant Part | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| leaf | Parasitology research (and other 4 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Mentha spicata has 331 reported phytochemicals identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include CARVONE, LIMONENE, Flavonoids, MENTHOL, Tannins.
| Chemical | Supporting sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| CARVONE | 11 supporting sources | ★★★★★ |
| LIMONENE | 7 supporting sources | ★★★★☆ |
| Flavonoids | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| MENTHOL | 6 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| Tannins | 5 supporting sources | ★★★☆☆ |
| rosmarinic acid | 4 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| 1,8-Cineole | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| MYRCENE | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Terpenoids | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
| polyphenols | 3 supporting sources | ★★☆☆☆ |
CARVONE
- Dr. Duke
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
- Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
- Parasitology research
- Indian journal of microbiology
View 6 additional sources
- Journal of traditional and complementary medicine
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Complementary therapies in clinical practice
- Archives of biochemistry and biophysics
- Veterinary research forum : an international quarterly journal
- Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
LIMONENE
- Dr. Duke
- Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
- Parasitology research
- Complementary therapies in clinical practice
- The Journal of biological chemistry
View 2 additional sources
- Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
Flavonoids
- Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
- Scientifica
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
- Pharmaceutical chemistry journal
View 1 additional sources
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
MENTHOL
- Dr. Duke
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Complementary therapies in clinical practice
- Nucleosides, nucleotides & nucleic acids
- Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
View 1 additional sources
- Physiology and molecular biology of plants : an international journal of functional plant biology
Tannins
- Dr. Duke
- Scientifica
- Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
- Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
rosmarinic acid
- Dr. Duke
- Food technology and biotechnology
- Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics
- Frontiers in pharmacology
1,8-Cineole
- Dr. Duke
- Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
- Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
MYRCENE
- Dr. Duke
- The Journal of biological chemistry
- Insects
Terpenoids
- Scientifica
- Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets
- TheScientificWorldJournal
polyphenols
- Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets
- Phytotherapy research : PTR
- Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
Activities
Mentha spicata has 719 reported activities identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, Antidiuretic.
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | Dr. Duke (and other 10 sources) | ★★★★★ |
| Antibacterial | Dr. Duke (and other 5 sources) | ★★★☆☆ |
| Anticancer | Dr. Duke (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antidiuretic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antimicrobial | Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiproliferative | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiviral | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Anxiolytic | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Astringent | Dr. Duke (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Mentha spicata has 44 reported medicinal uses identified across 4 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include oxidative stress, colon cancer, flatulence, gastrointestinal disorders, indigestion.
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| oxidative stress | International journal of biological macromolecules (and other 3 sources) | ★★☆☆☆ |
| colon cancer | Journal of the science of food and agriculture (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flatulence | Journal of traditional and complementary medicine (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| gastrointestinal disorders | Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| indigestion | Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| inflammation | Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| salinity stress | Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 2 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Alzheimer disease | Biomolecules (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Alzheimer's Disease | Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Aspergillus flavus | Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Preparations
| Preparations | Sources | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| essential oils | Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 7 sources) | ★★★★☆ |
| EOs | Plants (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Ethanolic leaf extracts | TheScientificWorldJournal (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Extracts | Journal of ethnopharmacology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Mentha spicata extract | Heliyon (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Mentha spicata-silver nanoparticles (MAgNPs) | Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Tea | Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| biological extract of high-rosmarinic acid mint (HRAM) | Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| chloroform | Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| coating | Bioresource technology (and other 1 sources) | ★☆☆☆☆ |