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All varieties of mint contain a significant amount of aromatic substances. Among them there are real champions. One of them is menthol mint, which, as the name implies, has a high content of menthol.
Description of mint
Menthol mint is considered a subspecies of peppermint, a widespread plant cultivated for industrial purposes. Its main characteristics:
Parameter | Value |
Type of plant | perennial herbaceous |
Root | Creeping, superficial, with a small lobe |
Stem | Straight, light green, becoming reddish with age, tetrahedral. Hollow inside. In good conditions it grows up to 1 m, in nature the average height of a bush is 0,25-0,5 m |
Leaves | Green, ovate-elongated, pointed, with an uneven jagged edge. The upper leaves are sessile, the lower ones grow on a short petiole. The location is opposite |
Flowers | Small, light purple, grow in spike-shaped inflorescences |
Flowering period | July August |
Fruit | Nutty coenobia, ripen in August-September |
In the photo below – menthol mint:
What is the flavor of mint
A distinctive feature of menthol mint is its high content of aromatic ether compounds, primarily menthol. This gives it a strong and persistent smell of freshness.
What is the difference between menthol and mint
Unlike mint, which is a plant, menthol is a crystalline organic compound that is obtained from the leaves of plants in the Lamiaceae (Lamiaceae) family. This substance is widely used in cosmetology and pharmacology, as well as in the food industry.
Menthol obtained from mint extract has a local anesthetic effect; upon contact with the skin and mucous membranes, its action is manifested by irritation of cold receptors. This explains the characteristic refreshing effect of this substance.
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What is useful menthol mint
The aromatic substances that make up menthol mint have a positive effect on many body functions. They have a beneficial effect on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system, facilitate the course of colds. I also use infusions and decoctions of menthol mint externally as an antiseptic and cleanser.
Uses of mint
Menthol mint has many useful properties, but it also has contraindications. It is used in cooking, cosmetology and medicine, as well as in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
In folk medicine
In folk medicine, mint has always been used as a sedative. Her decoction was taken for nervous disorders, increased excitability, and also as a sleeping pill. Extract from it is a good choleretic agent, it normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Peppermint lowers blood pressure and also has a mild analgesic effect. Inhalations with a decoction or tincture of this plant can be done to alleviate coughs, relieve throat irritation during colds. The use of a decoction of mint is useful for women to reduce menstrual pain, as well as menopause.
In cosmetology and perfumery
A decoction of menthol mint is widely used in cosmetology. It has antiseptic properties and can be used to heal minor wounds, rub it on the face for cleansing, and to treat and prevent rashes. It is good to use it for rinsing the mouth, it is not only refreshing, but also an excellent prevention of gum disease. Mint decoction perfectly strengthens hair, improves their structure, and at the same time reduces itching of the scalp.
Among perfumes, there are quite a lot of those that contain menthol, an extract from mint leaves. These are various lotions, ointments, creams. Menthol is widely used for the manufacture of toothpaste, mouth rinses.
In pharmacology
There are a lot of medicines containing menthol. These are various herbal tinctures with a calming and vasodilating effect, drops, mixtures for inhalation, as well as local anesthetics. The most famous pharmacological preparations obtained from menthol mint: Boromenthol, Valocormid, Zelenin Drops, Menovazin, Pectusin, Strepsils, Faringopils, Evamenol.
In cooking
Mint flavored with menthol is widely used in cooking. In one form or another, it is found in many dishes, as an ingredient or as part of spices, it is in the recipes of many cuisines of the world. Green leaves are used to decorate and serve dishes, as a component of salads, to prepare sauces for meat and fish, and they are also part of alcoholic drinks and cocktails.
Mint is used for preserving vegetable snacks, fruits and berries, for preparing compotes and soft drinks, and the most popular direction for its cultivation is the addition of leaves to tea during brewing.
Limitations and contraindications
In addition to medicinal properties, menthol mint also has contraindications for use. For example, it is not recommended to use it for people whose work is associated with increased attention. In addition, mint can have a negative effect on male libido, reducing sexual desire. It should not be used by people with low blood pressure, as well as those who have allergic reactions to menthol or other substances contained in this plant.
A contraindication to the use of menthol mint is varicose veins. Women suffering from infertility or having difficulty conceiving should also refrain from any dishes containing the components of this plant.
How mint is propagated
There are many ways to propagate menthol mint for planting in a personal plot. Here are the main ones.
- Seminal. The most optimal planting method is if this crop is planted on the site for the first time. Peppermint seeds can be purchased at gardening stores or online. It is best to plant it in seedlings. To do this, the seeds of menthol mint are germinated at home, and then, after the onset of suitable weather conditions, the grown plants are planted in a permanent place.
- Cuttings. This method of reproduction can be used if there are already mint bushes on the site. For cuttings, you need to cut off the apical part of the plant 10-15 cm long and put it in water. After about 2 weeks, the formation of the cutting’s own root system will begin at the cut site. When the roots reach 2-3 cm in length, young seedlings can be planted in open ground or in a pot.
- Root cuttings. The surface roots of mint resemble long whips. They have a large number of dormant buds. For reproduction, a part of the root 10-12 cm long is cut off and planted in moist fertile soil.
- Air outlets. To obtain them, the side shoot of the mint bush is bent to the ground and sprinkled with soil. Quite quickly, its own root system will begin to form in the internodes, and a chain of sprouts will appear along the entire length of the buried shoot. In the future, they need to be cut off from the mother bush and seated in a permanent place.
- Division of the bush. The plant can be dug out of the ground and cut into several pieces so that each contains a sufficient number of roots and a stem with buds. In this way, you can divide an adult mint bush into several small ones and plant them around the site.
Rules of landing
For growing menthol mint, an open sunny area with loose, fertile soil is best suited. If there are not enough nutrients, additional nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as humus, must be added. Seedlings are planted in open ground in May, when the earth warms up and the night temperature stops dropping below + 5 ° C. Mint mint is planted in rows, keeping a distance of 25-30 cm between neighboring plants.
Features of growing menthol mint
After planting, young plants are watered regularly. After the seedlings are well rooted and the development of greenery begins, the frequency and volume of watering should be reduced. Menthol mint loves breathable soil, so after watering, the top layer of soil must be carefully loosened, providing air access to the surface roots of the bush. Weeds must be removed in a timely manner so that mint crops do not compete with them for light and nutrients.
Top dressing of menthol mint should be done very carefully. An excess of nitrogen, as well as an excessive amount of fresh organic matter (manure or chicken manure), has a beneficial effect on the growth of green mass, but at the same time, the concentration of menthol in the leaves also increases, which negatively affects their taste. They just get bitter. In addition, the increased content of nitrogen in the soil is a risk factor for the appearance of such a dangerous fungal disease as rust.
For the winter, menthol mint bushes are left in the ground. This perennial plant has good winter hardiness and freezes out quite rarely, except in the most severe frosts. In autumn, the bushes must be cut, leaving small stumps 5-7 cm high, and then throw them with fallen leaves or dry grass, and with the onset of winter, additionally cover them with a layer of snow.
Another feature of growing mint is its growth. If no measures are taken to limit its spread, the creeping roots of plants will capture more and more new territories. For this reason, over time, mint can turn into a malicious weed. In order to artificially limit the growth of the root system, a fence is dug in around the bed with mint to a depth of 0,2-0,25 m from metal sheets or slate. You can avoid this problem if you plant mint in special pots or containers dug in at the same level as the beds.
Pests and diseases
In adverse weather conditions or in case of violations in care, menthol mint can be susceptible to various diseases, mainly fungal ones. These include the following:
- Rust
- Anthracnose
- septoriosis
- Mučnistaâ rosa
- Verticillosis
Sick mint bushes must be identified and destroyed in a timely manner. It makes no sense to spray the rest of the plantings with various preparations, otherwise it will be unsafe to eat them.
Prevention of the appearance of fungal diseases of menthol mint is high-quality weeding, timely disposal of plant waste, deep autumn plowing before planting.
Pests can also appear on mint, despite the fact that its greens contain a large amount of aromatic compounds and have a specific taste. The following insect pests pose a danger to this plant:
- Weevil
- mint flea
- mint mite
- aphid
- Wireworm.
- Medvedka
Pest control is carried out in various ways, ranging from shaking plants and manually collecting insects to treating plantings with various means. The use of chemicals for menthol mint in this case is not always justified, therefore, various folk remedies are often used for spraying, for example, celandine infusion.
When and how to harvest menthol mint
The best time to harvest menthol mint leaves is mid-July. It is during this period that its flowering begins. The concentration of essential oils in the greenery of plants reaches a maximum. You can not start collecting in the early morning, the bushes must have time to dry from the dew. Collect menthol mint as separate leaves and twigs, tying them into bunches.
How to dry menthol mint
Dry menthol mint in open areas or in rooms with good air exchange: in attics, terraces, in gazebos or under a canopy. At the same time, direct sunlight should not fall on the greens. Bunches of menthol mint are usually hung to dry, and the leaves are laid out in a thin layer on clean paper or cardboard, covered with insect gauze on top.
Dried greens become brittle and become rustling to the touch. It is crushed and stored in glass or ceramic jars with tight-fitting lids. In this form, menthol mint can be stored for up to six months.
Another way to store fresh mint is to deep freeze it. In this case, fresh leaves are washed, dried and placed, without tamping, in a small, tightly closed container. Then the containers with the leaves are placed in the freezer and stored at -18 °C. In this form, they can remain without loss of properties up to 7-9 months.
Conclusion
Menthol mint is a fairly easy-to-grow plant that does not require much care. It has a lot of useful properties and can be used for both culinary and hygienic or medical purposes. However, do not forget that over time, the plant can grow strongly and literally flood the entire area.