Spearmint

(Mentha spicata)

Other Names:

Garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, yerba buena

Range:

Family:

Lamiaceae - Mint Family

Growth Type:

Herbaceous perennial

Height:

Can grow to a little over 3 feet tall.

Leaves:

The slightly pubescent (hairy) to glabrous (hairless) leaves can grow to 3½ inches long and 1½ inches wide and the have serrated margins and pointed apexes. The pointed leaves are the reason for the common name spearment.

Stem/Trunk:

The square stems can be slightly pubescent (hairy) to glabrous (hairless)

Root:

They grow from a rhizome with a spreading root mass.

Flower Season:

Summer

Flower Appearance:

The tiny white to pink flowers are born on slender spikes.

Miscellaneous characteristics:

All parts of the plant have a distinctly minty smell.

Habitat:

Mints love moist places in temperate climates. Therefore you will find them along streams, rivers, and lakes,

Parts Used:

Aerial Parts

Culinary Uses:

Mints make wonderfully aromatic and healthful teas. Mints can be used as a seasoning in cooking, They lend themselves particularly well to lamb, goat, and pork. When used sparingly they are also wonderful on fish.

Energetics:

Taste: Pungent
Thermal: Cooling
Humidity: Drying

Traditional Medicinal Uses:

Most, if not all, members of the mint family are strongly antimicrobial and antifungal. Think of them as the hitmen of the plant world. When you have a fungal, bacterial, viral, or protozoal infection, reach for mints.

Works to slow peristalsis which in turn treats dyspepsia, flatulence, intestinal colic, and IBS. As an emmenagogue, vermifuge, lactation enhancer and sedative.

Ethnobotany, Indigenous Usage:

text

Usage Indictions:

Amenorrhea, Bronchitis, Constipation, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Bacillary Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Dyspepsia, Fevers, Flatulence, Gastritis, Intestinal Colic, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Hypertension, Jaundice, Nausea, Pain, Respiratory tract infections (RTI).

Medicinal Actions:

Analgesic, Antidiarrheal, Antifungal, Antihypertensive, Antimicrobial, Antispasmodic, Carminative, Choleretic, Emmenagogue, Febrifuge, Vermifuge