Double Nn Spearmint and Peppermint are both from the genus Mentha, whose name originates from the ancient Greek myth where Pluto fell in love with the nymph, Minthe (Braun & Cohen, 2015). She was cursed by Persephone, Pluto’s wife, and was turned into a plant. Pluto was unfortunately unable to reverse the spell, so he decided to give Minthe a sweet smell that would radiate in a garden. Ultimately, though Spearmint and Peppermint are from the same genus, their chemical configuration differs depending upon their environment, soil, climate, fertilization, and overall evolution (Buleandra et al., 2016). However, they have several similar therapeutic actions.
First, Peppermint or Mentha x piperita is a perennial herb indigenous to England that grows up to 2-3 feet tall (Lloyd & Felter, 1898). Medicinally, its leaves or stems are employed (Braun & Cohen, 2015). Peppermint’s leaves are 2.5% essential oil, 19% polyphenolic compounds, 12% flavonoid compounds (eriocitrin, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, and hesperidoside), and 7% hydroxy cinnamic compounds such as rosmarinic acid. The herb’s essential oils have 22 components with menthol (46.8%) and menthone (25.6%) being the main chemicals (Buleandra et al., 2016). Traditionally, the plant was a food flavoring for Greek and Roman sauces or wines (Grieve, n.d.). Around the mid-18th century, it became a part of Western European medicine where it was consumed to help relieve stomach aches, headaches, and gastrointestinal pain (Bone, 2023).
Today, Peppermint provides various medicinal actions and functions as a spasmolytic, carminative, cholagogue, antiemetic, antitussive, antimicrobial, mild sedative, diaphoretic, analgesic, and antipruritic. In addition, it is a great herb for aromatherapy and adds tastes to liquor, food, mouthwash, and gum (Skidmore-Roth, 2010). Clinically, peppermint has shown to have anti-HIV-1 and herpes effects (Skidmore-Roth, 2010). Lastly, one way to prepare Peppermint is to make an infusion with 3-6g (1g:50mL) (Braun & Cohen, 2015).
Next, Spearmint or Mentha spicata is a 1-2 feet tall, herbaceous plant that originates from the Mediterranean region (Grieve, n.d.; Lloyd & Felter, 1898). It was brought to Britian by the Romans and was historically added to bath waters for its restorative abilities. Athenians applied the mint as a perfume. Additionally, in traditional Iranian medicine, Spearmint was given to alleviate diarrhea, indigestion, intestinal weakness, abdominal pain, cold, influenza, sinusitis headache, and flatulence (Mahendran et al., 2021). Currently, the herb is given as a carminative, antispasmodic, sedative, and diuretic (Mahendran et al., 2021). It also helps alleviate gastrointestinal pain, respiratory illness, and bad breath.
Chemically, Spearmint has 29 phytochemicals with carvone (51.7%), dihyrdocarveol (11.5%), and cis-dihydrocarvone (9.1%) being the dominant components (Buleandra et al., 2016). In one clinical trial of 90 patients with AAMI (age-associated memory impairment), Spearmint was found to increase working memory and accuracy by 15% after ingesting 900mg of extract every day for 90 days (Herrlinger et al., 2018). Finally, the essential oil can be made through hydrodistillation with its dried aerial parts, which makes about 1.04 mL per 100g of herb (Bardaweel et al., 2018).
In the end, Peppermint and Spearmint are aromatherapeutic, anti-spasmodic, sedative, and carminative herbs. However, according to Lloyd & Felter, Peppermint has a stronger effect in these actions than Spearmint even though Spearmint has more chemical compounds (Buleandra et al., 2016; Lloyd & Felter, 1898). Ultimately, which herb is given depends upon the strength needed for the therapeutic effect.
References
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Buleandra, M., Oprea, E., Popa, D. E., David, I. G., Moldovan, Z., Mihai, I., & Badea, I. A. (2016). Comparative Chemical Analysis of Mentha piperita and M. spicata and a Fast Assessment of Commercial Peppermint Teas. Natural product communications, 11(4), 551–555.
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Lloyd, J. U., & Felter, H. W. (1898). Mentha Piperita (U. S. P.)—Peppermint.. In King’s
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Lloyd, J. U., & Felter, H. W. (1898). Mentha Viridis (U. S. P.)—Spearmint. In King’s American Dispensatory (Vol. 1). essay, Ohio Valley Company. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/mentha-viri.html
Mahendran, G., Verma, S. K., & Rahman, L. U. (2021). The traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.): A review. Journal of
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Skidmore-Roth, L. (2010). Peppermint. In Mosby’s Handbook of Herbs & Natural Supplements (4th ed., pp. 484-497). essay, Elsevier Mosby.
