THE BENEFITS OF THE USE OF PEPPERMINT
IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
HISTORY OF PEPPERMINT
IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS
HISTORY OF PEPPERMINT
PEPPERMINT
by Susie Ransom
by Susie Ransom
This site brought to you by The School of Natural Healing & Christopher Publications
"Natural Healing with Herbs for a Healthier You"
The value of mint has long been known to mankind. It has been said that the ancient Assyrians used it in their rituals to their fire god. The Greeks and Romans used mint not only to flavor their sauces and wines, but also for making crowns to rest on their noblemen’s heads.
According to the Greek philosopher-scientist Theophrastus (300 BC) the botanical name Mentha was derived from Greek mythology. Mintho was a beautiful nymph who was loved by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Persephone, who had been abducted by Pluto to reign with him over his dominion, became very jealous of Mintho and changed her into a fragrant but lowly plant, the mint. (1)
Biblical mention of this herb states that mint was included among the valuable herbs with which they paid taxes. It is also speculated that mint was one of the bitter herbs that was served at The Last Supper.
The Jews of old would strew their synagogue floors with mint leaves so that their fragrance would scent the air with each footstep. The aromatic fumes that came forth were supposed to have a sort of sanitizing effect upon the crowded temple gatherings. This was accomplished by the scent penetrating the lungs and then the bloodstream, like an airborne antiseptic that would ward off disease. (2)
Mint has even been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1,000 BC. They used this herb to flavor their food and wine. During the Middle Ages, besides a culinary use, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten their teeth. Chinese medical writings made note of the use of mint since the Tang pen tsao period, which was around 659 AD. (3)
The mint that was written about in all these ancient writings is a forefather of our mint today. In terms of herbal history, peppermint is a fairly new addition to the mint family and herbal medicine.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a natural, hybrid cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica ) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) and was first described in 1696 by an English botanist whose name was John Ray (1628-1705). He discovered the pepper flavored mint growing in a field. Its medicinal properties were speedily recognized, and it was admitted into the London Pharmacopoceia in 1721. (4)
Because of the recognition of the importance of this aromatic herb for both culinary and medicinal uses, peppermint was cultivated for commercial purposes. The oldest existing peppermint district is in the neighborhood of Mitcham, in Surrey, where its cultivation from a commercial point of view dates from about 1750, at which period of time only a few acres of ground were devoted to medicinal plants.
One of the main reasons for growing peppermint commercially was to have enough quantity to extract the plant’s essential oil which was useful for so many purposes. This oil was in demand not only as a flavoring for cooking, but in flavoring personal care items as well.
The quality of English peppermint oil was superior to other areas of the world where the herb was grown at this time. It had been proven by experience that all parts of the plant do not give the same proportion of oil, and it is more abundant when the plants have been grown in a hot region and have flowered to the best advantage.
At the end of the 18th century, more than 100 acres were growing peppermint. But as late as 1805 there were no stills at Mitcham, to distill the oil, and the herb had to be carried to London for the extraction of its precious oil. By 1850, there were already about 500 acres under cultivation at Mitcham. To this day, the English peppermint plantations are still chiefly located in this district. (5)
The United States, however, is now the most important producer of peppermint oil. Its cultivation was introduced in 1855 to Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. Thousands of acres were planted with this herb. As of today, this plant grows from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between. The largest areas of cultivation for the oil is principally done in Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California, with Washington ranking number one in production of the oil. (6)
(1) Kirschmann, John. Nutrition Almanac Fourth Edition p. 354
(2) Dubin, Reese. Miracle Food Cures from the Bible p. 9
(3) herbs2000 www.herbs2000.com <http://www.herbs2000.com/> Peppermint p. 2
(4) Grieve, M. Mrs. A Modern Herbal Vol. II p. 537
(5) Grieve, M. Mrs. A Modern Herbal Vol. II p. 537
(6) Wikipedia, www.en.wikipedia.org Peppermint p. 2
According to the Greek philosopher-scientist Theophrastus (300 BC) the botanical name Mentha was derived from Greek mythology. Mintho was a beautiful nymph who was loved by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Persephone, who had been abducted by Pluto to reign with him over his dominion, became very jealous of Mintho and changed her into a fragrant but lowly plant, the mint. (1)
Biblical mention of this herb states that mint was included among the valuable herbs with which they paid taxes. It is also speculated that mint was one of the bitter herbs that was served at The Last Supper.
The Jews of old would strew their synagogue floors with mint leaves so that their fragrance would scent the air with each footstep. The aromatic fumes that came forth were supposed to have a sort of sanitizing effect upon the crowded temple gatherings. This was accomplished by the scent penetrating the lungs and then the bloodstream, like an airborne antiseptic that would ward off disease. (2)
Mint has even been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1,000 BC. They used this herb to flavor their food and wine. During the Middle Ages, besides a culinary use, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten their teeth. Chinese medical writings made note of the use of mint since the Tang pen tsao period, which was around 659 AD. (3)
The mint that was written about in all these ancient writings is a forefather of our mint today. In terms of herbal history, peppermint is a fairly new addition to the mint family and herbal medicine.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a natural, hybrid cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica ) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) and was first described in 1696 by an English botanist whose name was John Ray (1628-1705). He discovered the pepper flavored mint growing in a field. Its medicinal properties were speedily recognized, and it was admitted into the London Pharmacopoceia in 1721. (4)
Because of the recognition of the importance of this aromatic herb for both culinary and medicinal uses, peppermint was cultivated for commercial purposes. The oldest existing peppermint district is in the neighborhood of Mitcham, in Surrey, where its cultivation from a commercial point of view dates from about 1750, at which period of time only a few acres of ground were devoted to medicinal plants.
One of the main reasons for growing peppermint commercially was to have enough quantity to extract the plant’s essential oil which was useful for so many purposes. This oil was in demand not only as a flavoring for cooking, but in flavoring personal care items as well.
The quality of English peppermint oil was superior to other areas of the world where the herb was grown at this time. It had been proven by experience that all parts of the plant do not give the same proportion of oil, and it is more abundant when the plants have been grown in a hot region and have flowered to the best advantage.
At the end of the 18th century, more than 100 acres were growing peppermint. But as late as 1805 there were no stills at Mitcham, to distill the oil, and the herb had to be carried to London for the extraction of its precious oil. By 1850, there were already about 500 acres under cultivation at Mitcham. To this day, the English peppermint plantations are still chiefly located in this district. (5)
The United States, however, is now the most important producer of peppermint oil. Its cultivation was introduced in 1855 to Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. Thousands of acres were planted with this herb. As of today, this plant grows from Canada to Florida and everywhere in between. The largest areas of cultivation for the oil is principally done in Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and California, with Washington ranking number one in production of the oil. (6)
(1) Kirschmann, John. Nutrition Almanac Fourth Edition p. 354
(2) Dubin, Reese. Miracle Food Cures from the Bible p. 9
(3) herbs2000 www.herbs2000.com <http://www.herbs2000.com/> Peppermint p. 2
(4) Grieve, M. Mrs. A Modern Herbal Vol. II p. 537
(5) Grieve, M. Mrs. A Modern Herbal Vol. II p. 537
(6) Wikipedia, www.en.wikipedia.org Peppermint p. 2