peppermint

peppermint, (Mentha ×piperita), strongly aromatic perennial herb of the mint family. Peppermint has a strong sweetish odor and a warm pungent taste with a cooling aftertaste. The leaves are typically used fresh as a culinary herb, and the flowers are dried and used to flavor candy, desserts, beverages, salads, and other foods. Its essential oil is also widely used as a flavoring.

Physical description

Peppermint has square stems, stalked, dark green leaves with wavy or entire margins, and blunt oblong clusters of pinkish lavender flowers. The small flowers are not typical of other members of the family, having four rather than five united petals. As with other mints, the plant can spread aggressively by means of stolons (underground stems). The volatile oils are contained in resinous dots in the leaves and stems.

Types

The peppermint plant is a hybrid between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (M. spicata) and is particularly cultivated in Europe, Asia, and North America. Natural hybridization among wild species has yielded many varieties of peppermint, but only two, the black and the white, are recognized by growers. Black peppermint, also called English peppermint or mitcham mint, is extensively grown in the United States and has purplish stems. The white variety is less hardy and less productive, but its oil is considered more delicate in odor and obtains a higher price.

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Essential oil

Oil of peppermint, a volatile essential oil distilled with steam from the herb, is widely used for flavoring confectionery, chewing gum, dentifrices, and medicines. Pure oil of peppermint is nearly colorless. It consists principally of menthol and menthone. Menthol, also called mint camphor or peppermint camphor, has long been used medicinally as a soothing balm.