Product Introduction: Peppermint

Peppermint leaves are derived from the peppermint plant, known for its cool taste. Peppermint, also known as Fanheye and Rendancao, mainly contains peppermint oil, menthol, menthone, isomenthone, and rosmarinic acid. It has properties such as stomachic, carminative, expectorant, choleretic, antispasmodic, and can improve symptoms of colds, sore throat, swelling, and pain, as well as relieve headaches, toothaches, and nausea. It is also used in cooking to remove fish and lamb odors or paired with fruits and desserts to enhance flavor. Additionally, it can be made into soothing lotions for inflammation and swelling. Peppermint is produced across various regions in the north and south, commonly found in moist areas near water, at altitudes up to 3500 meters.

Main Chemical Components

Peppermint contains essential oil, primarily composed of menthol and menthone, along with menthyl acetate, limonene, camphene, isomenthone, pinene, menthofuran, resins, small amounts of tannins, and rosmarinic acid.

Benefits and Effects

  1. Culinary Value: Peppermint is used as a flavoring agent, spice, or in beverages like tea.
  2. Medicinal Value: Peppermint is a common Chinese herbal medicine. The young stems can be used as a vegetable, and the whole plant can be used medicinally to treat colds, fever, sore throat, headaches, red eyes, muscle pain, skin rashes, and measles. It is also effective against abscesses, ulcers, scabies, ringworm, and lacquer rash.
    1. Menthol in peppermint refreshes breath and has multiple medicinal properties, such as relieving abdominal pain, and gallbladder issues like spasms. It also has preservative, antibacterial, diuretic, expectorant, stomachic, and digestive properties. While excessive consumption may lead to insomnia, small amounts can aid sleep.

Applications: Food, Herbal Tea, etc.

  1. Traditional Chinese Medicine: Menthol, heat-clearing and digestion-promoting granules.
  2. Health Foods: Mint lozenges with herba chatuspina.
  3. Foods: Peppermint candies.
  4. Herbal Tea: Peppermint tea with a cooling taste.

Original Plant

Peppermint, known in traditional Chinese medicine as “Yindan Cao,” is a plant from the Lamiaceae family, commonly found in mountain and wetland areas by rivers. The underground rhizome spreads horizontally, making it an aromatic crop of significant economic value. It is a diaphoretic and antipyretic herb, effective against influenza, headaches, red eyes, body heat, sore throats, and swollen gums. Fresh peppermint picked from greenhouses during the Chinese New Year is a refreshing and tasty vegetable, often used as a tea substitute to clear the mind and improve vision. In China, peppermint is mainly produced in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

Peppermint is a perennial herb with erect stems reaching 30-150 cm in height. The lower part of the stem has fine roots and horizontal rhizomes, with sharply quadrangular stems that have four grooves, with the upper part being covered with soft, fine hairs, while the lower part has soft hairs only along the ridges. The plant branches out extensively. Flowering occurs from June to September, with fruiting in October. It thrives in moist areas near water at altitudes up to 3500 meters and adapts well to temperature variations, with rhizomes surviving winter and tolerating temperatures as low as -15°C. The optimal growth temperature is between 25°C and 30°C. Growth slows below 15°C but accelerates above 20°C. At temperatures between 20°C and 30°C, growth is rapid as long as water and nutrients are sufficient. Peppermint is a long-day crop that prefers sunlight. Longer daylight hours promote flowering and accumulation of peppermint oil and menthol. Peppermint is not very particular about soil requirements and can be grown in most soils except for overly sandy, clayey, acidic, alkaline, or poorly drained soils. Sandy loam or alluvial soil is ideal, with a pH of 6-7.5.

Peppermint has many varieties, with at least 600 types worldwide. This diversity is due to its wide distribution, strong adaptability, and ability to hybridize naturally. Peppermint is classified in various ways, some based on stem color, dividing it into green-stemmed and purple-stemmed varieties, with the latter having a stronger aroma. Others classify it by origin, such as Scottish Mint, American Mint, Vietnamese Mint, and Japanese Mint.

Peppermint can be categorized into two types based on stem color and leaf shape: purple-stemmed and green-stemmed.

Storage and Maintenance

Peppermint stems and leaves, a herbaceous plant from the Lamiaceae family, are produced in various regions, including Jiangsu. Harvest periods vary by location, with 2-3 harvests per year. It can be used fresh or dried and cut into sections. The aromatic and flavoring properties of peppermint are mainly used to mask and improve the unpleasant taste and difficulty swallowing certain medications.