The thought of peppermint is likely to evoke its
distinctive sweet, menthol aroma. The pure oil itself, as well as extracts of the oil, are
widely used as food flavorings. Most of us have encountered the cool, refreshing aroma and
flavor of peppermint essential oil in chewing gum, candy, breath mints, toothpaste and
mouthwash.
Peppermint belongs to the labiatae family of plants,
along with other well-known herbs like lavender and rosemary. Although up to 600 kinds of
mints have been classified, most are probably variants and hybrids of around 25
well-defined species.
Mints hybridize easily; many differently scented and
colorful plants have been produced both in the wild and by plant hybridizers. Mint plants
are popular as ornamentals, often cultivated as fragrant herb garden plants. They tend to
spread rapidly via underground stems – to the point that some gardeners considers them
invasive weeds.
The two primary cultivated mints are peppermint (Mentha piperita)
and spearmint (Mentha spicate). Spearmint has a strongly
sweet aroma, almost creamy and candy-like with a sharp menthol undertone.
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