28 



AMERICAN MEDICINAL LEAVES AND HEEBS. 



PEPPERMINT. 



Mentha jiijxrild L. 



Phnrmarnpffial name. — Mentha i)iperila. 



()lh<r coinmnn names. — American mint, brandy mint, lamb mint, lammint, State 

 mint (in New York). 



Habitat and range. — Peppermint is naturalized from Europe and is found in damp 

 plaees from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and south to Florida and Tennessee. It is 



largely cultivated, princi- 

 pally in Michigan and 

 New York, where the dis- 

 tillation of the plants for 

 the oil is carried on com- 

 mercially on a very ex- 

 tensive scale, and also in 

 part^ of Indiana, Iowa, 

 and Wisconsin. 



Description. — P e p p e r - 

 mint propagates by means 

 of its long, running roots, 

 from which are produced 

 smooth, square stems, from 

 1 to 3 feet in height, erect 

 and branching. The 

 dark-green leaves are 

 borne on stalks and are 

 lance shaped, 1 to 2 inches 

 in length and about half 

 as wide, pointed at the 

 apex and rounded or nar- 

 rowed at the base, with 

 margins shar])ly toothed; 

 they are smooth on both 

 sides, or sometimes the 

 veins on the lower surface 

 are hairy. 



This aromatic perennial 

 of the mint family (Men- 

 thaceae) is in flower from 

 July to September, the 

 small purplish blossoms 

 ha vinga tubular, 5-toothed 

 circles around the stem, forming 



I'li;. 20.— I'eppermint (Mi mini jji/xrila), loaves and IIowit; 



calyx and a 4-lobed corolla. They are placed in 

 thick, l)lunt, terminal spikes. (Fig. 20.) 



Collection, prices, and u.ses.— The dried leaves and flowering tops are the parts di- 

 rected to be used by the United States Pharmacopopia. These must be collected as 

 soon as the flowers begin to open and .«hould b6 carefully dried in the shade. Dried 

 peppermint leaves and tops bring about 3^ to 4^ cents a pound. 



The pungent odor of peppermint is familiar, as is likewise the agreeable taste, burn- 

 ing at first and followed by a feeling of coolness in the mouth. It is a well-known 

 remedy for stomach and intestinal trou1)les. 

 215) 



