* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: Spearmint is a rhizomatous herb with oblong, bright green, usually hairless leaves with strongly dentate and wavy margins, and elongated clusters of white flowers. It is superficially similar to field mint (M. arvensis) but differs in the white flowers and the distinctive, non-cooling, spearmint smell (menthol is absent). The form that is commonly cultivated in gardens is known as M. spicata var. crispa (previously considered to be a distinct species, M. crispa). Another European mint is pennyroyal (M. pulegium), a creeping herb with tiny leaves and a distinctive smell.
Origin: The common garden mint or spearmint is thought to have originated in Europe as a garden hybrid between M. suaveolens (apple mint or woolly mint; the cultivar Variegata is generally known as pineapple mint) and M. longifolia (horse mint or longleaf mint). Commercial cultivation for spearmint oil is centred in the USA (Washington state, Oregon and Idaho) but dried leaf is also produced in Egypt and eastern European countries.
Parts Used: Leaves (Menthae crispae folium) or the essential oil (Menthae crispae aetheroleum).
Uses and Properties: Spearmint leaf is used in much the same way as peppermint leaf to treat digestive complaints, but not for most of the other indications. The oil is used mainly for inhalation, to treat catarrh. It is incorporated in mouthwashes and toothpastes, as well as chewing gum.
Preparation and Dosage: About 1 - 1.5 g of dried leaf in a cup of boiling water is taken several times a day.
Active Ingredients: Spearmint oil contains at least 50% carvone as the main ingredient, together with smaller amounts of limonene. Other constituents should be less than 2% each, and pulegone should be less than 0.5%. The leaf also contains flavonoids and tannins. Pulegone, the main component of pennyroyal oil, is an arbortifacient and is known to be hepatotoxic (ingestion of 30 mL can be fatal). It is useful against ectoparasites.
Pharmacological Effects: Spearmint leaf has limited use in medicine but the oil is important in oral hygiene.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.
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Directions
Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 tea bag for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea).
Iced tea brewing method (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 tea bags into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the bags. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].
Additional Information
ZooScape is proud to be the exclusive distributor of TerraVita teas, herbs and supplements in the United States, Canada and around the world. Please direct all wholesale and bulk inquiries to Simona Heather at 905-494-1785.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
