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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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