Mint

Mint:

This family is one of the largest families of flowering plants that has a global distribution and includes about 200 genera and 2000 to 5000 species from aromatic shrubs to short shrubs. It is worth noting that so far about 34 species of mint have been identified in the world, nearly half of which grow in Iran. Mint has different species, including M piperata, M viridis, M spicata, M aquatica, M arvensis, etc.

It is a herbaceous and perennial plant, with creeping stems (stolons) and underground stems (rhizomes), its stem is quadrangular in reddish-purple color with elliptical leaves placed oppositely on it. Its flowers are purple and its fruit is a red capsule that has seeds without vegetative power. Some researchers consider its origin to be Asia and others to be England. This plant is not native to our country, but it is widely cultivated in most provinces. Peppermint is one of the most famous hybrids of this genus, which is the result of the crossing of the species M. aqutica x M. spicata.

Chemical Compositions:

Different types of mint are of particular importance due to their abundant essential oils, which include: menthol, carvone, limonene, beta-pinene, menthone, alpha-pinene and geraniol, and effective medicinal compounds.

Properties of Mint in Modern Medicine:

The most effective substance in mint essential oil is called menthol. Plants of the mint genus are an important source of antioxidant compounds. In general, the active antimicrobial compounds of essential oils are terpenes such as eugenol, thymol and carvacrol, which are phenolic in nature. By studying the antimicrobial activity of some essential oils, they observed that peppermint essential oil has strong antibacterial properties against two microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Mint in the Ghanon (Avicenna):

The second is hot and dry. Massage the mouth with mint to eliminate roughness of the tongue. Mint juice with honey dripped into the painful ear is a painkiller. It stops bleeding and bleeding. Put a poultice of it on the breast to coagulate the milk and relieve breast swelling. Strengthen the stomach and warm the stomach with mint. It soothes hiccups. It is a digestive. If a few branches of it are consumed with pomegranate seeds, it stops severe diarrhea and vomiting.