(Mentha spp.)
Folk Name: Garden Mint
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Deities: Pluto, Hecate
Powers: Money, Lust, Healing, Travel,
Exorcism, Protection
Magical Uses: Mint has long been used in healing portions and mixtures, and the fresh leaves rubbed against the head was said to relieve headaches. Mint worn at the wrist assures you will not be ill. Stomach problems can be allievated by stuffing a green poppet with mint and anointing it with healing oils.
Mint is also used in travel spells and to provoke lust. Its bright green leaves and crisp scent led to its use in money and prosperity spells; the eaisest of which is to place a few leaves in the wallet or purse, or to rub where your money is kept.
To rid a place evil, sprinkle salt water with a sprinkler made of fresh sprigs of mint, marjoram and rosemary. Fresh mint laid on the altar will call good spirits to be present and aid you in magick. Mint is also kept in the home for protection.
"Mint" is a general term for any of the Mentha family.
[From: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"]
Native to Western Asia and the Mediterranean, mint has long had a place in history and is referenced in Greek mythology. Throughout the years, the Romans crowned themselves with peppermint wreaths and the Greeks used mint in various herbal treatments believing it could clear the voice and cure hiccups. Beginning in the eighteenth-century, mint was widely used as a medicinal herb.
Today, the menthol in peppermint is still used for medicinal purposes and is said to calm an upset stomach and indigestion. Additionally, mint has many cuilinary uses and is also used to flavor candy, gum and other sweets.
Storage:
Frozen mint can be chopped and used immediately in your favorite recipes. Wash mint and gently pat dry with a paper towel. Wrap the leaves in a dry paper towel and place in a plastic bag for freezing. Or freeze chopped mint in an ice cube tray by adding water, then use for soups or sauces.
The mint is a herb that is commonly used in many personal care products as well as used as an ingredient in cooking. However, it also has many healing properties that make it an excellent herbal home remedy as well
Natural remedy to help maintain regularity and support healthy regular bowel movements for a holistic approach to digestive health.
With thirty different varieties of mint, there can be a lot of herbal remedies that can be made out of them. Peppermint is the preferred mint herbal remedy in the western world. In China, it is the field mint. Garden mint, or spearmint, is another very popular mint herbal remedy which is more commonly used for children.
The aerial parts of the mint herb are the most commonly used parts to make herbal remedies. The mint is great for healing in cases of digestive disorders, colic and fatulence. In addition, mint is often used to treat motion sickness and nausea. If you are suffering from flu or fever, a mint herbal home remedy can be used to help promote sweating to break the illness. In Chinese herbal medicine, mint is also called bo he and is used to help relieve the symptoms of liver stagnation or other digestive complaints.
Mint is best used right after harvesting. You can also use the aerial parts to prepare an inhalation, tincture, compress, or an infusion, depending upon your needs. The easiest way to ingest mint as a herbal home remedy is in the form of teas.
An essential oil can also be prepared from mint. Peppermint oil is known for its analgesic, calming, and cooling affect on your body. This is a good remedy for treating and relieving headaches, migraines, treating fevers, and treating skin problems. This oil is considered antibacterial in nature as well, which is great for using on minor infections.
Inhaling peppermint oil can help relieve severe nasal congestion, but should not be used too often. It can irritate your mucous membranes if used frequently. Young children should not use peppermint oil and nursing mothers should stay away from peppermint oil, as it can decrease your milk flow.
You can also derive benefits from mint by just eating the herb. Mint is used for flavoring dishes in cooking. It is widely used as an ingredient for desserts such as in mint chocolates or ice cream.
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From the website http://www.growing-herbs.com/herb_articles/mint.htm comes the following information. And yes, various mint plants can be quite invaisve with their desire to spread and
take over. I have tried growing mint in pots but haven't had much success yet. There is a
chocolate mint that retruns every year by a plant bed near my kitchen window. It keep spreading
despite the lack of care it gets.
Mint can be an exotic addition to your herb garden, or an invasive pest!
•Plant Type: Hardy Perennial
•Growing Zone: Zones 3-9, depending on the species
- A spreading perennial it is generally grown for its aromatic leaves but can also be used for ornament. Its tiny flowers grow in spikes of pink, white or purple. Plant height can reach 18 to 36 inches.
- Mint Propagation is most successfully accomplished by root division or rooting plant cuttings.
- Care of Mint is easy. Pinch back young plants’ tips to increase leaf production. Divide and replant to a new location every three or four years to maintain vigor.
Any Mint Plant can easily take over your garden. To prevent this, plant the roots in a well-drained tub above or below ground and cut back stray growth to prevent rooting.
Growing mint from seed can produce inconsistent, even frustrating results.
It is recommended that you purchase mint seedlings or plugs from a reliable online supplier. Plant the herb seedlings outdoors in full sun or partial shade, in moist, well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.5-8.0. Planting can easily be done in spring or autumn. It's always good to add compost.
The Mint leaves can be dried for winter use, but retain more and better flavor if chopped and frozen. Be sure to wash and dry thoroughly beforehand.
The variety of Mint Plants have many uses, varying tastes and scents
Mint, like Peppermint, is common in many flavorings with diverse uses. Mint or peppermint leaves are commonly used in sauces and relishes, as well as with fruit and vegetables and in teas and drinks like the mint julep.
The mint plant from your herb garden, can be used medicinally to treat indigestion and colds. The main constituent of Peppermint is menthol, which acts as an antibacterial. When dissolved in alcohol, it may be used to combat ringworm.
Mint from the herb garden was an important aromatic herb in medieval times as well. Growing herbs like Water Mint were strewn in homes because its scent was stronger than Peppermint or Spearmint. It was also added to baths because of its fragrance.
Spearmint contains no menthol and so was used only for its fragrance.
Peppermint can also be used to stimulate the liver and gallbladder, increasing the flow of bile and promoting digestion. In herbal tea, peppermint can ease upset stomachs and relieve digestive muscle aches or cramps because it acts as an antispasmodic.
Externally, Peppermint Oil is often used in soothing balms and massage oils. It cools the skin and promotes blood flow where applied.
Inhaling mint like peppermint or peppermint oil can loosen up respiratory mucus. However, prolonged use of mint inhalants should be avoided, and they should not be used for infants.
And here from a favorite website source for me http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mints-39.html
comes more information on Mint plants.
There are three chief species of mint in cultivation and general use: Spearmint (Mentha viridis), Peppermint (M. piperita), and Pennyroyal (M. pulegium), the first being the one ordinarily used for cooking.
Botanical: Mentha viridis (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Labiatae
Synonyms---Garden Mint. Mentha Spicata. Mackerel Mint. Our Lady's Mint. Green Mint. Spire Mint. Sage of Bethlehem. Fish Mint. Menthe de Notre Dame. Erba Santa Maria. Frauen Munze. Lamb Mint.
---Part Used---Herb.
This common garden mint is not a native of these islands, though growing freely in every garden, but is originally a native of the Mediterranean region, and was introduced into Britain by the Romans, being largely cultivated not only by them, but also by the other Mediterranean nations. It was in great request by the Romans, and Pliny according to Gerard says of it: 'The smell of Mint does stir up the minde and the taste to a greedy desire of meate.' Ovid represents the hospitable Baucis and Philemon scouring their board with green mint before laying upon it the food intended for their divine guests. The Ancients believed that mint would prevent the coagulation of milk and its acid fermentation. Gerard, again quoting Pliny, says:
'It will not suffer milk to cruddle in the stomach, and therefore it is put in milk that is drunke, lest those that drinke thereof should be strangled.'
Many other references to it in old writings - among them, that of the payment by the Pharisees of tithes of Mint, Anise and Cumin - prove that the herb has been highly esteemed for many centuries. Mint is mentioned in all early mediaeval lists of plants; it was very early grown in English gardens, and was certainly cultivated in the Convent gardens of the ninth century. Chaucer refers to 'a little path of mintes full and fenill greene. '
Turner states in his Herball (1568) that the garden mint of his time was also called 'Spere Mynte.' Gerard, in further praise of the herb, tells us that:
'the smelle rejoiceth the heart of man, for which cause they used to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose, where feasts and banquets are made.'
It has, in fact, been so universally esteemed, that it is to be found wild in nearly all the countries to which civilization has extended, and in America for 200 years it has been known as an escape from gardens, growing in moist soils and proving sometimes troublesome as a weed.
The Ancients used mint to scent their bath water and as a restorative, as we use smelling salts to-day. In Athens where every part of the body was perfumed with a different scent mint was specially designated to the arms.
In the fourteenth century, mint was used for whitening the teeth, and its distilled oil is still used to flavour tooth-pastes, etc., and in America, especially, to flavour confectionery, chewing gums, and also to perfume soap.
Mint ottos have more power than any other aromatic to overcome the smell of tobacco.
The application of a strong decoction of Spearmint is said to cure chapped hands.
Mice are so averse to the smell of mint, either fresh or dried, that they will leave untouched any food where it is scattered. As mice love Henbane and often prove very destructive to a crop, it has been suggested that their depredations might be checked if some mint were planted between the rows of Henbane.
It is probable that Spearmint was introduced by the Pilgrim Fathers when they landed in America, as it is mentioned among many other plants brought out from England, in a list given by John Josselyn. When in this country apparently found growing wild, it occurs in watery places, but is rather rare.
Description---From creeping root-stocks, erect, square stems rise to a height of about 2 feet, bearing very short-stalked, acute-pointed, lance-shaped, wrinkled, bright green leaves, with finely toothed edges and smooth surfaces, the ribs very prominent beneath. The small flowers are densely arranged in whorls or rings in the axils of the upper leaves, forming cylindrical, slender, tapering spikes, pinkish or lilac in colour. The little labiate flowers are followed by very few, roundish, minute brownseeds. The taste and odour of the plant are very characteristic.
There are several forms of Garden Mint, the true variety being of bold, upright growth, with fairly large and broad leaves, pointed and sharply serrated (or toothed) at the edges and of a rich, bright, green colour. Another variety, sometimes sold as Spearmint (M. cardiaca), is much smaller and less erect in growth, with darker leaves, the whorls of flowers distant and leafy, but possessing the same odour and flavour, and another has comparatively large, broad or rounded leaves. Yet another has soft hairs, but this, though distinct from what is known as Horse Mint, is inferior to the true Spearmint.
A form with its leaves slightly crisped is common in gardens under the name of M. crispa.
Cultivation---A moist situation is preferable, but mint will succeed in almost anysoil when once started into growth, though in dry, sandy soils it is sometimes difficult to grow, and should be planted in the coolest and dampest situations. Leaf mould, road scrapings, burnt ash and similar materials should, on the other hand, be used freely for lightening heavy, tenacious soils. It does best in a partially shaded position: if in a sheltered spot, it will start earlier in the spring than if exposed. Where a long or regular supply is required, it is a good plan to have at least one bed in a sunny and sheltered, and another in a shady position, where gatherings may be made both early and late.
As the plant is a perennial, spreading by means of its underground, creeping stems propagation may be easily effected by lifting the roots in February or March, dividing them - every piece showing a joint will grow - and planting again in shallow trenches, covering with 2 inches of soil. Six inches apart in the rows and 8 inches between the rows are the right distances to allow. Cuttings in summer or offsets in spring may also be utilized for increasing a stock. Cuttings may be taken at almost any time during the summer, always choosing the young shoots, these being struck on a shady border of light soil and kept moist, or a better plan, if possible, is to insert them in a frame, keeping them close and moist till rooted. Cuttings or young shoots will also strike freely in good-sized boxes in a heated greenhouse, in the early spring, and after the tops have been taken off two or three times for use, the plants may be hardened off and planted outside.
The beds are much benefited by an annual top-dressing of rich soil, applied towards the close of autumn, when all remaining stalks should be cut down to the ground. A liberal top-dressing of short, decayed manure, such as that from an old hot-bed or mushroom bed, annually, either in the spring, when it commences to grow, or better still, perhaps, after the first or second cutting, will ensure luxuriant growth. Frequent cuttings of shoots constitute a great drain on the plants, and if not properly nourished they will fail, more or less. To have really good mint, the plantation should be re-made about every three years, or failing that, it is essential that a good top-dressing of rich soil be added.
A good stock should be kept up, so that plenty may be available for forcing. Cultivators having a greenhouse can easily force mint into an earlier development of new growth than would be in the open garden. Forcing is very easy, the only preparation being the insertion of a quantity of good roots in a box of light soil, which should be placed in a temperature of about 60 degrees and watered freely as soon as growth starts. Cuttings may be made in two or three weeks. Forcing will generally be necessary from November to May - a succession being kept up by the introduction, at intervals of about three weeks, of an additional supply of roots, as forced roots soon decay. Often mint is so grown both upon and under the benches in greenhouses, and the demand for the young, tender stems and leaves during the winter is sufficient to make the plants pay well.
---Mint Disease---Unfortunately, mint is susceptible to a disease which in some gardenshas completely destroyed it. This disease, which from its characteristic symptoms is known as Rust, is incurable. The fungus (Puccinia Mentha) which causes it develops inside the plant, and therefore cannot be reached by any purgicide, and as it is perennial, it cannot be got rid of by cutting off the latter. All that can be done is to prevent the spread of the disease by digging up all plants that show any sign of rust. The same ground should not be used again for mint for several years. Healthy stock should be obtained and planted in uninfected soil, some distance away. On account of this liability of mint to rust, it is advisable not to have it all in one bed, but to have several beds of it, placed at some distance from each other.
The leaves may also be stripped from the stems as soon as thoroughly dry and rubbed through a fine sieve, so as to be freed from stalks as much as possible, or pounded in a mortar and thus powdered, stored in stoppered bottles or tins rendered airtight. If preparing for market and not for home use, the rubbed herbs will, of course, command a higher price than the bunched herbs, and should be put up in tins or bottles containing a quantity of uniform weight.
When mint is grown commercially on a large scale, it has been estimated to yield from 4 to 5 tons per acre, from which 15 to 20 cwt. of dry should be obtained. Average yields per acre are, however, taken when crops are at maturity, and an estimate of the first cutting crop is hard to form, and is likely to be less profitable than succeeding years, on account of initial expenses.
If Spearmint is being grown as a medicinal herb, for the sake of the volatile oil to be extracted from it, the shoots should be gathered in August, when just coming into flower, and taken to the distillery as soon as possible after picking, the British Pharmacopceia directing that oil of Spearmint be distilled from the fresh, flowering plant. It is estimated that 350 lb. of Spearmint yield 1 lb. of oil. If the distillery is not on the ground or only a short distance away, and the crop has to be dispatched by train, the cutting should take place late in the afternoon on a fine day, before the dew falls, so as to be sent off by a night train to arrive at their destination next morning, having travelled in the cool, otherwise the leaves are apt to heat and ferment, losing colour.
Peppermint
Botanical: Mentha piperita (SM.)
Synonym---Brandy Mint.
---Part Used---Herb.
---Habitat---The plant is found throughout Europe, in moist situations, along stream banks and in waste lands, and is not unfrequent In damp places in England, but is not a common native plant, and probably is often an escape from cultivation. In America it is probably even more common as an escape than Spearmint, having long been known and grown in gardens.
Of the members of the mint family under cultivation the most important are the several varieties of the Peppermint (Mentha piperita), extensively cultivated for years as the source of the well-known volatile oil of Peppermint, used as a flavouring and therapeutic agent.
---Description---The leaves of this kind of mint are shortly but distinctly stalked, 2 inches or more in length, and 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches broad, their margins finely toothed, their surfaces smooth, both above and beneath, or only very slightly, hardly visibly, hairy on the principal veins and mid-rib on the underside. The stems, 2 to 4 feet high, are quadrangular, often purplish. The whorled clusters of little reddish-violet flowers are in the axils of the upper leaves, forming loose, interrupted spikes, and rarely bear seeds. The entire plant has a very characteristic odour, due to the volatile oil present in all its parts, which when applied to the tongue has a hot, aromatic taste at first, and afterwards produces a sensation of cold in the mouth caused by the menthol it contains.
History---Pliny tells us that the Greeks and Romans crowned themselves with Peppermint at their feasts and adorned their tables with its sprays, and that their cooks flavoured both their sauces and their wines with its essence. Two species of mint were used by the ancient Greek physicians, but some writers doubt whether either was the modern Peppermint, though there is evidence that M. piperita was cultivated by the Egyptians. It is mentioned in the Icelandic Pharmacopoeias of the thirteenth century, but only came into general use in the medicine of Western Europe about the middle of the eighteenth century, and then was first used in England.
The United States, however, are now the most important producers of Peppermint oil, producing - mostly in Michigan, where its cultivation was introduced in 1855, Indiana, the western districts of New York State, and to a smaller extent in Ohio - rather under half of the world's total output of the oil. The whole of the Peppermint cultivation is confined to the north-east portion of the United States, and the extreme south of Canada, where some is grown in the province of Ontario. The first small distillery was erected in Wayne County, New York State, in the early part of last century, and at the present day the industry has increased to such an extent, that there are portions of Michigan where thousands of acres are planted with nothing else but Peppermint.
Mentha spicata - Spearmint
This is my favorite mint because its flavor is sweeter and smoother than the others. Cooling and watery, it is associated with Venus. Its essential oil is very calming. This is a very popular garden plant in North America, Germany, and Holland. This mint works as a mild local anaesthetic and is good for digestive problems. It stimulates the mind and can help with migraines (peppermint can be a bit irritating with a migraine). Spearmint is good for the skin, especially in cases of acne, because it has antiseptic properties. Likewise, spearmint tea can help sooth bronchitis. Generally, this herb is good for healing and protection--and it makes great mint juleps.
How to grow Spearmint: Sow on surface and keep moist to germinate in 15 days at 70F. Transplant to moist, rich soil in partial shade, especially where it's hot or the sun is intense. It likes fertilizer, so side dress liberally with Black Cow. It can be propagated by root divisions and by cuttings once it is established. Mint can be invasive, so keep an eye on it or grow it where it has plenty of room. You can also grow it in pots and indoors. It is a perennial in zones 6-10 and an annual elsewhere. It can get 3 feet tall. Harvest when the flowers being to develop.
And here is something that is apparently quite popular now a days - http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/626316
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