Mentha sp.

Scientific name: Mentha sp.

Botanical family: LAMIACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Martinique:

mant

Guadeloupe:

mant
mant

Saint Martin:

mant

Dominica:

peppermint

Cuba:

toronjil
toronjil de menta

Panama:

yerba buena

Venezuela:

yerba buena

Geographical distribution

Originally from Europe, nowadays it is cosmopolitan.

Botanical description

Herbaceous perennial, aromatic. Erect or ascending stems from 30 to 90 cm, ramified, glabrous. Leaves lanceolate, acute, limbs
dotted. Flowers in big terminal spikes, from 2.5 to 7.5 cm, the central one is surpassed by the lateral ones; glabrous calyx, sharply toothed, usually ciliate; purple corolla, rarely white, glabrous.

Voucher(s)

Jiménez,1505,JBSD
Gimenez,275710-38,VEN
Soberats,TR90-09,CIFMT
FLORPAN,s/n,PMA
Ocrisse,3bis,UAB
Boulogne,TH,14,UAG
Boulogne,TB,11,UAG

flu

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally^5-6,38

vomiting

leaf, decoction (sometimes with salt) or infusion, orally^1,5

cold

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally^5-6,38

stomach pain

leaf, infusion, orally²

indigestion

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally^3-4,37

diarrhoea

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally¹

flatulence

leaf, decoction or infusion, orally^3-4,37

The leaves of Mentha spicata are a condiment of relatively widespread human consumption and Mentha piperita is an industrial source of essential oil.

For stomach pain:
prepare an infusion by adding 1 cup (250 millilitres) of boiling water to 10-15 grams of leaves. Cover the container, leave to stand for 5 minutes, strain (filter).

For diarrhoea, flatulence, indigestion, flu, cold or vomiting:
prepare a decoction or infusion with 10-15 grams of leaves in 1 cup (250 millilitres) of water. For decoction, boil for 5 minutes in
a covered vessel. For the infusion, add the boiling water to the 10-15 grams of leaves and cover the vessel. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and strain (filter).

In all cases, drink 1 cup 2-4 times a day or 1 cup as required by symptomatic indication^35-36.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use for diarrhoea, stomach pain, flatulence, indigestion, flu, colds and vomiting is classified as REC based on the significant
traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys, the toxicity studies, and the scientific information published.

The use of this resource in cases of diarrhoea should be considered complementary to oral rehydration therapy.

If deterioration is observed in the patient or if dehydration with a dry tongue, persistent decreased skin turgor, oliguria or crying
without tears patients with diarrhoea, seek immediate medical attention, if the diarrhoea persists for more than 3 days or 1 day in children, seek medical attention.

If deterioration is observed in the patient, the stomach pain or indigestion persists for more than 3 days, the fever for more than 7 days or the cold for more than 2 days, seek medical attention.

Due to the risk of interaction, avoid ingestion in cases of gallbladder complaints or calculi¹⁰ and if taking medication with antacids or that reduces stomach pH, such as proton pump inhibitors¹¹.

Not for use during pregnancy, breastfeeding or in children under 5 years.

TRAMIL Work²⁶
The aqueous extract (30% decoction) from fresh Mentha nemorosa leaves (0.51 mg/ml of total solids) single dose (10.2
mg of total solids/kg) orally in rats, in the acute toxic class model, did not cause death or evident signs of toxicity during the 14 days of observation, nor did it show changes in the histopathological studies.

TRAMIL Works^27-28
The aqueous extract (30% decoction) from dried Mentha x piperita var. citrata leaves, single dose (2 and 5 g of plant
material/kg), orally, in Sprague-Dawley rats (3 females and 3 males), and in Swiss OF1 mice (30 females and 30 males), control groups with distilled water, in the acute toxicity class model, did not cause death or obvious signs of toxicity during the 14 days of observation, nor did it show changes in the macroscopic studies of the vital organs.

The tincture (1 kg of dried plant material in 1 l of 70% ethanol) from aerial parts of Mentha x piperita in the mitotic segregation
test in Aspergillus nidulans D30 (0.025 to 0.250 mg/ml total solids) showed no significant cytotoxic effect. The micronucleus induction test in mouse bone marrow (64, 128 and 225 mg/kg) showed no genotoxic effects²⁹.

The hydroalcoholic extract from dried aerial parts of Mentha x piperita (1.9, 3.1 and 6.3 g of total solids/kg), M. spicata (2.3, 3.8
and 5.3 g of total solids/kg) and M. arvensis (4.4, 5.9 and 7.4 g of total solids/kg) orally in mice showed a LD₅₀ of 3.6, 3.6 and 5.8 g of total solids/kg respectively. The LD₅₀ of M. citrata tincture was 0.7 mg/kg³⁰. The toxic manifestations exhibited included accelerated breathing, sedation, motor incoordination and death.

The LD₅₀ of the essential oil from mint orally in mice was 2.49 g/kg, in rats it was 2.426 g/kg and intraperitoneally 0.829 g/kg³¹.

The LD₅₀ of menthol orally in mice was 3-4 g/kg³¹, 3.1-4.4 g/kg in rats³² and 0.819 g/kg intraperitoneally³¹.

The essential oil was mutagenic in vitro in the Salmonella typhimurium TA1537 model, at a minimum concentration of 5 picolitres/plate. The leaves and branches were found to be mutagenic in the same model, with a minimum concentration of 50 μg/plate³³.

Mentha spp. is classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in “GRAS” category (Generally Regarded as Safe)³⁴.

There is no information available documenting the safety of medicinal use in children, during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The leaves have been widely studied and contain, among other components, essential oil: menthol, menthone, cineol¹²;
flavonoids: diosmin, eriocitrin, hesperidin, narirutin, luteolin, rutinoside, among others¹³.

The aqueous extract from the aerial parts in vivo in an intra-amniotic model (0.3 ml/day) and in vitro in a haemagglutination inhibition model against Herpes simplex, Influenza A and Influenza B showed antiviral activity¹⁴.

The aqueous extract of aerial parts (10 mg/ml) against Toxocara canis was not nematicidal¹⁵.

The ethanolic leaf extract (30%, 10 ml/l) in vitro in the acetylcholine and histamine-induced guinea pig ileum contraction model, showed antispasmodic activity¹⁶.

The ethanolic leaf extract (30%, 1 ml/kg) orally in rats increasedthe flow of bile by 43%¹⁶.

The aqueous extract from dried leaves (300 mg/kg) orally in mice showed a natriuretic effect, without affecting potassium¹⁷
and induced a depressive action on the central nervous system¹⁸.

The aqueous extract from aerial parts (320 mg/kg) orally in albino Wistar rats (groups of 6) showed acute and chronic anti- inflammatory activity¹⁹.

The hydroalcoholic extract (95%) from fresh leaves (1 g/kg) orally in rats produced an analgesic effect in a benzyl peroxide-
induced contortion model²⁰.

The essential oil showed a carminative effect (DE₅₀ = 7.5%) in the in vitro model for determining of foaming activity²¹.

Intraluminal instillation (0.1 ml) in guinea pig ileum showed spasmolytic activity and a mean inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.176 mg/ml²².

The essential oil administered orally to adult humans presented carminative and choleretic properties²³; in doses of 0.2
ml/person, it accelerated gastric emptying in healthy people and in patients with dyspepsia²⁴.

The local analgesic effect at the gastric level was shown in a double-blind study with 45 patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia
who received 90 mg mint essential oil + 50 mg caraway oil (Carum carvi). The treatment was well tolerated and 95% of the patients showed signs of improvement with decreased heaviness, nausea and colic²⁵.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 DELENS M, 1990-92
Encuesta TRAMIL. Centro al Servicio de la Acción Popular CESAP, Caracas, Venezuela.

2 CARBALLO A, 1990
Encuesta TRAMIL. Centro de investigación de fitoterapia y medicina tradicional de Topes de Collantes, Trinidad, Cuba.

3 CHARLES C, 1988
TRAMIL survey. Movement for Cultural Awareness MCA, Roseau, Dominica.

4 EDOUARD JA, 1992
Enquête TRAMIL. Lycée agricole, Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe.

5 BALZ E, BOYER A, BURAUD M, 2007
Enquête TRAMIL à Marie-Galante. U. Bordeaux 3, U. Paris XI Chatenay-Malabry, UAG, Guadeloupe.

6 BOULOGNE Isabelle, 2009
Enquête TRAMIL, (Terre-de-Bas et Terre-de-Haut) Les Saintes, UAG, Guadeloupe.

7 OCRISSE G, 2008
Enquête TRAMIL auprès de 250 familles de la moitié Est de la partie francophone de St Martin. Biologie végétale, UAG, Guadeloupe.

8 LONGUEFOSSE JL, NOSSIN E, 1990-95
Enquête TRAMIL. Association pour la valorisation des plantes médicinales de la Caraïbe AVPMC, Fort de France, Martinique.

9 SOLIS P, CORREA M, GUPTA M, 1995
Encuesta TRAMIL (Comunidades afro-caribeñas). Centro de Investigaciones Farmacognósticas de la Flora Panameña CIFLORPAN, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Panamá, Panamá, Panamá.

10 CANIGUERAL S, VILA R, RISCO E, PEREZ F, PORTILLO A, FREIXA B, MILO B, VANACLOCHA B, RIOS JL, MORALES
MA, ALONSO JR, BACHILLER LI, PERIS JB, STUBING G, 2002
Mentha sp. Vademecum de Fitoterapia, Editorial Masson, Barcelona, España, Nov. 20, 2003. URL: www.masson.es/book/fitoterapia.html

11 KRAPP K, LONGE J, 2005
Enciclopedia de las Medicinas Alternativas. Editorial Océano, Barcelona, pp:1017-1021.

12 TAYLOR BA, DUTHIE HL, LUSCOMBE DK, 1985
Mechanism by which peppermint oil exerts its relaxant effect on gastrointestinal smooth muscle. J Pharm Pharmacol 37(Suppl):104.

13 GUEDON DJ, PASQUIER BP, 1994
Analysis and distribution of flavonoid glycosides and rosmarinic acid in 40 Mentha x piperita clones. J Agr Food Chem 42(3):679-684.

14 HERRMANN EC, KUCERA LS, 1967
Antiviral substances in plants of the mint family (Labiatae). 3. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and other mint plants. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 124(3):874-878.

15 KIUCHI F, NAKAMURA N, MIYASHITA N, NISHIZAWA S, TSUDA Y, KONDO K, 1989
Nematocidal activity of some anthelmintic traditional medicines and spices by a new assay method using larvae of Toxocara canis.
Shoyakugaku Zasshi 43(4):279-287.

16 LESLIE GB, 1978
A pharmacometric evaluation of nine bio-strath herbal remedies. Medita 8(10):3-19.

17 DELLA LOGGIA R, TUBARO A, LUNDER TL, 1990
Evaluation of some pharmacological activities of a peppermint extract. Fitoterapia 61(3):215-221.

18 DELLA LOGGIA R, TUBARO A, REDAELLI C, 1981
Valutazione dell’attività sul S.N.C. del topo di alcuni estratti vegetali e di una loro associazione. (Evaluation of the activity on the mouse CNS of several plant extracts and a combination of them). Rivista di Neurologia 51(5):297-310.

19 ARUMUGAM P, GAYATRI N, SUBATHRA M, RAMESH A, 2008
Anti-inflammatory activity of four solvent fractions of ethanol extract of Mentha spicata L. investigated on acute and chronic
inflammation induced rats. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 26:92–95.

20 COSTA M, DI STASI LC, KIRIZAWA M, MENDACOLLI SL, GOMES C, TROLIN G, 1989
Screening in mice of some medicinal plants used for analgesic purposes in the state of Sao Paulo. Part II. J Ethnopharmacol 27(1-
2):25-33.

21 HARRIES N, JAMES KC, PUGH WK, 1978
Antifoaming and carminative actions of volatile oils. J Clin Pharmacol 2:171-177.

22 TADDEI I, GIACHETTI D, TADDEI E, MANTOVANI P, BIANCHI E, 1988
Spasmolytic activity of peppermint, sage and rosemary essences and their major constituents. Fitoterapia 59(6):463-468.

23 BRIGGS C, 1993
Peppermint: medicinal herb and flavouring agent. Can Pharmaceutical J 126(2):89-92.

24 DALVI SS, NADKARNI PM, PARDESI R, GUPTA KC, 1991
Effect of peppermint oil on gastric emptying in man: A preliminary study using a radiolabelled solid test meal. Indian J Physiol
Pharmacol 35(3):212-214.

25 MAY B, KUNTZ HD, KIESER M, KOHLER S, 1996
Efficacy of a fixed peppermint oil/caraway oil combination in non-ulcer dyspepsia. Arzneimittel Forschung [Drug Research]
46(12):1149-1153.

26 MARTINEZ MJ, MOREJON Z, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2005
Clases tóxicas agudas (CTA) de una decocción de hoja fresca de Mentha nemorosa Willd. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

27 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, MORON F, 2002
Clases tóxicas agudas en rata de decocción (30%) de hojas secas de Mentha x piperita var citrata (Ehrh.) Briq. Informe TRAMIL.
Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

28 GUERRA MJ, LOPEZ M, BOUCOURT E, FUENTES V, 2002
Toxicidad aguda (DL₅₀) en ratón de la decocción de hojas secas de Mentha x piperita var citrata (Ehrh.) Briq. Informe TRAMIL.
Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas “Dr. Salvador Allende”, La Habana, Cuba.

29 VIZOSO A, RAMOS A, VILLAESCUSA A, DECALO M, BETANCOURT J, 1997
Estudio genotóxico in vitro e in vivo en tinturas de Melissa officinalis L. (toronjil) y Mentha piperita L. (toronjil de menta). Rev Cub
Plantas Med 2(1):6-11.

30 PARRA AL, CAPO JT, MONTALVO RV, GONZALEZ YC, 1999
Toxicidad aguda oral de extractos hidroalcohólicos de plantas medicinales. Rev Cubana Plant Med 1(4):26-28.

31 MICROMEDEX T, 2003
Healthcare Series. Vol. 117. 9/2003 Thomson MICROMEDEX®.

32 BUDAVARI S (Ed.), 2001
The Merck index: an encyclopedia of chemical, drugs, and biologicals. 30th ed. New Jersey, USA: Merck and Co., Inc. p1043 1044.

33 SIVASWAMY SM, BALACHANDRAN B, BALANEHRU S, SIVARAMAKRISHNAN VM, 1991
Mutagenic activity of south Indian food items. Indian J Exp Biol 29(8):730-737.

34 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, 2002
Food and drugs. Chapter I - Food and Drug administration, Department of Health and Human Services. Part 182 - Substances
generally recognized as safe. Sec. 182.10. Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings. U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access, USA. 21(3):451-452. Feb. 24, 2003, URL: www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/ CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182&showFR=1

35 WICHTL M, 1999
Plantes thérapeutiques. Tec and Doc. p365.

36 ALONSO J, 1998
Tratado de fitomedicina: bases clínicas y farmacológicas. Buenos Aires, Argentina: ISIS ediciones SRL. p721.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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