Swamp mint (flea, ombalo, flea): photo and description, useful properties and contraindications

Swamp mint or ombalo is a perennial fragrant herb used by culinary experts all over the world. The plant contains a strong essential oil that contains the toxin pulegone, so it is not recommended to consume the herb in large quantities. But because of the beautiful glossy foliage and delicate menthol aroma, many gardeners grow it in their backyard as a flower crop.

Description of flea mint

Ombalo mint belongs to perennial plants of the Lamiaceae family. The variety is small, reaches a height of 30 cm. Glossy rounded leaves are arranged in pairs on small legs. The plates are wide, wrinkled and curly, covered with a small pile on both sides. From June until the first frosts, from shiny dark olive foliage, annular inflorescences of spherical shape, pink-lilac color appear. Due to the strong fruity-lavender aroma, the plant is considered a good honey plant. After flowering, brown fruits appear on it, in the form of nuts. The variety has a high rooting ability, so gardeners often grow ombalo mint in flower beds as a ground cover.

Varieties

Ombalo swamp mint comes in American and European varieties. American mint is an annual plant with small oblong glossy leaves that are located at a great distance from each other. The fragrant grass reaches a height of up to 30 cm. Flowering occurs in July and continues until October. Due to its strong smell, ombalo mint is used to kill mosquitoes, fleas and other blood-sucking insects.

European mint is a perennial plant that grows in damp places along ponds and rivers. A ground cover plant with miniature oval leaves and tiny tubular flowers. Blooms from June until the first frost. To be able to distinguish varieties of pennyroyal, you need to know the description and view the photo.

The most popular are:

Sonya is a perennial spicy grass that forms a sprawling bush, up to 50-60 cm high. The plant is covered with dark green serrated leaves and spherical, lilac-pink inflorescences. Prefers to grow in a well-lit place, with fertile, moist soil. Gardeners fell in love with the culture for its medicinal properties and delicate menthol aroma. Sonia marsh mint is used for cooking meat and fish dishes, added to vegetable stews and desserts. In one place, it can grow up to 5 years.

Pennyroyal is a groundcover, perennial plant, with creeping long shoots and miniature glossy leaves. In July, small blue-violet flowers with a pronounced aroma appear on it. The spice is used for cooking meat and fish dishes and as an additive to tea. Since Pennyroyal pennyroyal looks very decorative, it is often grown in pots, flowerpots, balcony boxes and as a creeping plant in flower beds.

Where does ombalo grow

Ombalo mint is an unpretentious plant that grows in warm climates. In nature, it can often be found along the banks of reservoirs and rivers. Differences ombalo from other varieties are noticeable even in the photo.

Peppermint:

Ombalo:

The use of pennyroyal in cooking

Due to the high content of essential oils and pleasant menthol smell, ombalo mint is used in cooking as a spicy spice. For the preparation of seasoning, the whole plant is not used, but only the upper leaves and fragrant inflorescences. Many chefs around the world use ombalo mint to prepare national dishes:

1. In Armenia, mint is used in the manufacture of cheese.
2. In Georgia, it is part of the Khmeli-Suneli seasoning.
3. Turkmen chefs add flea mint to lamb dishes.
4. In England, ombalo mint is considered the most popular spice, it is present in all sauces and fillings.

What is the flavor of mint ombalo

Ombalo mint has a delicate fruity-lavender aroma and a light menthol flavor. Since mint contains the toxin pulegone, it should not be consumed in large quantities. Due to the destructive effect on the liver, the spice can turn from a medicinal plant into a poisonous one.

Where can I add ombalo flea mint

This spice is ideal for cooking meat dishes. Dried, ombalo mint is often added to sauces, soups, bean and vegetable dishes, lobio and risotto. Confectioners use seasoning during the preparation of sweets, pastries and desserts.

Ombalo mint is indispensable in winemaking. It is excellent for flavoring liqueurs, spirits, wines and carbonated soft drinks. Ombalo mint is used to make teas and herbal teas.

What can you substitute for ombalo flea mint?

All varieties of mint have a pronounced mint aroma. Therefore, if there is no ombalo during cooking, it can be easily replaced with other varieties of mint that are at hand.

Useful properties of pennyroyal

Swamp mint ombalo is a medicinal plant. It contains flavonoids, tannins, saponins, carotene, vitamin C and essential oils. Since flea mint can not only enrich the body with beneficial microelements, but also cause harm, it is necessary to consult a specialist before use.

The use of ombalo in folk medicine

The aerial part of the plant has antibacterial, antiviral and disinfectant properties. Therefore, ombalo mint has found wide application in folk medicine.

Thanks to spicy grass, you can get rid of:

• bronchial asthma;
• lung diseases;
• flatulence;
• gastrointestinal diseases.

What helps pennyroyal

Ombalo mint has an antispasmodic effect: relieves spasms, improves intestinal secretion. A decoction of the plant normalizes the metabolic process, strengthens the cardiovascular system, relieves nervous tension.

Ombalo peppermint oil has warming properties. Therefore, it is often used by massage therapists in the treatment of muscle and joint inflammation. Since peppermint oil is able to remove uric acid, it is used to relieve the pain of rheumatism and arthritis.

Pennyroyal tea

Due to the high content of menthol, peppermint tea has an expectorant effect. Used in moderation, it makes breathing easier, loosens phlegm, and relieves flu and cold symptoms.

Due to its mild, relaxing properties, ombalo mint tea is often used to relieve muscle and nervous tension, eliminate stress and insomnia. In order for the drink to have a positive effect on health, it is necessary to brew it correctly and take it strictly according to the instructions. 1-2 tsp dried mint is added to a liter of boiling water, covered with a lid and removed for 10 minutes to infuse. For medicinal purposes, consume no more than 3 cups per day. To prepare a tonic drink, a few fresh mint leaves are added to freshly brewed tea. Such tea will turn out fragrant and very useful.

The use of ombalo grass in everyday life

Ombalo mint has proven itself not only in cooking and traditional medicine, but also in cosmetology. It is used as a component in the manufacture of professional cosmetics and home skin care products. Ombalo mint can be found in masks, shampoos and rinses. Thanks to the toning, nourishing and moisturizing properties, the hair acquires a beautiful shiny appearance, becomes thick and silky. With regular use, you can permanently get rid of seborrhea and strengthen hair follicles.

In everyday life, ombalo mint is used to kill insects. To prepare the solution, fresh crushed or dry leaves are poured with water and left to infuse. The working solution is poured into a spray bottle and the places where insects accumulate are treated. Since essential oils are toxic, the elimination process is fast and efficient.

Since ombalo mint exudes a pleasant fruity-lavender aroma, the infusion can be used to refresh hands after meals and wash floors. The leaves are used to rub furniture, after cleaning the apartment is filled with a soft, pleasant mint aroma.

Limitations and contraindications

Like any plant, ombalo mint has not only beneficial properties, but has contraindications and can cause side effects. Ombalo mint is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women, children, people with individual intolerance, uterine bleeding and chronic liver and kidney diseases.

Before using ombalo mint, you must remember that the plant is poisonous. When used in large quantities, the spice can cause irreparable harm to the body, even death.

If the following first signs of poisoning appear, you should immediately call an ambulance:

• nausea, vomiting;
• severe epigastric pain;
• fever;
• excitation;
• headache;
• visual hallucinations;
• hearing loss;
• uterine bleeding;
• increased blood pressure;
• shortness of breath, shortness of breath.

Features of reproduction of the flea

Mint ombalo is an unpretentious plant. It can be propagated by seeds and vegetatively:

1. Seeds. Sowing is done in mid-April. Mint seeds are mixed with sand and sown in moist soil, to a depth of 2-3 cm. Sprinkled with sand or nutrient soil on top. After germination, thinning is carried out, leaving an interval between seedlings of at least 15-20 cm. If ombalo mint is grown in seedlings, the plant is transferred to a permanent place in the phase of 2-3 true leaves.

   

2. cuttings. Cuttings are carried out in spring and August. Cuttings 10 cm long are cut from a healthy plant. The prepared material is buried in wet sand at an acute angle and covered with a protective film. After the roots appear, the cuttings are ready for transplanting to a permanent place. The plant is planted at a depth of 5 cm, with an interval of 10-15 cm.
   Important! Ombalo mint cuttings root well in water.

   

Rules of landing

Mint ombalo is unpretentious in cultivation and care. But in order for the spice to feel comfortable, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for it. Ombalo mint prefers a warm climate, so it is widely distributed in southern Our Country. When grown in regions with an unstable climate, the planting site is placed in the open sun. The soil must be fertile, as on depleted land, the leaves become discolored, and flowering becomes short and short-lived.

Preparation of the site for planting is done in the fall. To do this, the soil is dug up, weeds and rhizomes are removed. If the soil is poor, rotted compost or manure is added during digging.

Despite the fact that ombalo mint is a heat-loving plant, it can withstand temperatures as low as -23 ° C. But experienced gardeners advise that in order to save young shoots from frost, they are covered for the winter with agrofiber or mulch.

Peculiarities of growing

To get a beautiful, useful plant, it needs proper care. Watering mint ombalo is carried out after drying the top layer of soil. Irrigation should be frequent and moderate. When growing in waterlogged soil, mint will suffer from fungal and viral diseases. With a lack of water, ombalo mint will grow and develop poorly.

After each watering, loosening and removal of weeds is carried out, since the grass greatly depletes the earth, is a carrier of diseases and insect pests.

Pests and diseases

Spice, if the rules of care are not followed, can suffer from diseases and insect pests. In order to start treatment in a timely manner, you need to know what ombalo mint is sick with and view photos of pests. On a spicy culture, the following ailments often appear:

1. Rust – the disease appears with frequent watering, high nitrogen content in the soil and in cold summers. You can recognize the disease by the appearance of red spots on the leaf plate. The fight consists in carrying out preventive measures: observing crop rotation, spring treatment with fungicides, changing the place of growth every 5 years.

   

2. Mint flea – small, light brown insects appear in the first half of summer. Females lay their eggs in the root zone, and hatched larvae first eat small roots, then crawl out to the surface and quickly destroy the entire above-ground part. The drug “Aktellikt” will help fight the pest. If treatment is not carried out, then the ombalo mint dies.

   

3. Leaf beetle – an insect appears on the first warm days, when the night temperature is not lower than + 14 ° С. Beetles feed on foliage, eggs are laid in inflorescences. You can get rid of the pest with pepper infusion. To do this, 10 g of ground hot pepper is diluted in 150 liters of water.

   

When and how to collect flea

Ombalo mint is harvested in mid-July. In order for the plant to retain its healing properties, you need to know the rules for collecting:

1. The young plant is not cut, as it does not contain enough essential oils and does not have medicinal properties.
2. Harvesting ombalo mint is best done on a clear morning day.
3. Spicy grass is not broken off, but cut with a sharp knife to a third of the length, as this will allow you to re-harvest at the end of summer.
4. Only healthy plants have healing properties. If the foliage is faded, white, with mechanical damage, the grass is not suitable for collection.

How to dry pennyroyal properly

Collected ombalo mint is folded into small bunches. They are hung in a shady, well-ventilated area. If the task is to maintain freshness for a long time, the bundles are wrapped in a damp cloth and cleaned in a dark, cool place. When collecting leaves, they are sorted out before drying, washed and laid out in a thin layer on paper. In order for drying to occur evenly, the leaves are mixed from time to time.

Readiness for storage is determined by the crunch of the stem or leaf. So that the raw material does not take up much space, it is crushed, placed in containers and stored in a dark place. The shelf life of dried mint is not more than a year.

The leaves can also be frozen. They are washed, dried, wrapped in foil and put in the freezer. In this form, it retains its beneficial properties, taste and aroma. Shelf life 1-2 years.

Conclusion

Ombalo mint is not only a healthy, fragrant spice, but also a beautifully flowering plant. It is used in cooking, traditional medicine, cosmetology and landscape design. If mint is used as a spice for dishes, then it must be remembered that excessive use can lead to irreparable consequences.