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{{redirect|Spearmint}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Mentha spicata''
| image = Minze.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Foliage
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Lamiaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Mentha]]''
| species = '''''M. spicata'''''
| binomial = ''Mentha spicata''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''''Mentha spicata''''' ('''Spear Mint''' or '''Spearmint'''; syn. ''M. viridis'') is a species of [[Mentha|mint]] probably native to much of [[Europe]] and southwest [[Asia]], though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation. It grows in wet soils.<ref name=empp>Euro+Med Plantbase Project: [http://ww2.bgbm.org/_EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=111945&PTRefFk=500000 ''Mentha spicata'']</ref><ref name=blamey>Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. ISBN 0-340-40170-2</ref>
It is a [[herbaceous]] rhizomatous [[perennial plant]] growing 30–100 cm tall, with variably hairless to hairy stems and foliage, and a wide-spreading fleshy underground [[rhizome]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 5–9 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The [[flower]]s are produced in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5–3 mm long and broad.<ref name=blamey/><ref name=rhs>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.</ref>
[[Hybrid]]s involving spearmint include ''[[Mentha × piperita]]'' (Peppermint; hybrid with ''[[Mentha aquatica]]''), ''Mentha × gracilis'' (Ginger Mint, syn. ''M. cardiaca''; hybrid with ''[[Mentha arvensis]]''), and ''Mentha × villosa'' (Large Apple Mint, hybrid with ''[[Mentha suaveolens]]'').<ref name=blamey/>
The name 'spear' mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.<ref name=turner>[[William Turner|Turner, W.]] (1568). ''Herbal''. Cited in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''.</ref>
==Cultivation and uses==
Spearmint is grown for its aromatic and [[carminative]] oil, referred to as '''oil of spearmint'''. It grows well in nearly all temperate climates. Gardeners often grow it in pots or planters due to its invasive spreading roots. The plant prefers partial shade, but can flourish in full sun to mostly shade. Spearmint is best suited to loamy soils with plenty of organic material. Spearmint leaves can be used whole, chopped, or dried. The leaves lose their aromatic appeal after the plant flowers.
The [[cultivar]] ''Mentha spicata'' 'Nana', the Nana mint of [[Morocco]], possesses a clear, pungent, but mild aroma and is an essential ingredient of [[Touareg Tea]].
Spearmint is an ingredient of [[mojito]], the traditional Cuban cocktail. It is used as a flavouring for [[toothpaste]] and [[confectionery]], and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps. In [[herbalism]], spearmint is steeped as tea for treatment of stomach ache.
Recent research has shown that Spearmint tea may be used as a treatment for mild [[hirsutism]] in women. Its anti-androgenic properties reduce the level of free testosterone in the blood, while leaving total testosterone and DHEA unaffected.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6376599.stm Tea 'controls female hair growth' </ref>
==Chemistry==
A major component of the oil is R-[[Carvone]]; pure R-Carvone is sufficient to produce a smell which people identify as a spearmint smell.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/1971/19/i04/f-pdf/f_jf60176a035.pdf?sessid=6006l3 | title=Chemical and sensory data supporting the difference between the odors of the enantiomeric carvones | author=TJ Leitereg, DG Guadagni, J Harris, TR Mon, ... | journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | volume=19 | issue=4 | year=1971 | pages=785}}</ref>
==References==
{{Commons|Mentha spicata}}
{{reflist}}
<gallery>
Image:mentha spicata 02.jpg|Plant in flower
Image:Koeh-096.jpg|1887 illustration
</gallery>
{{Herbs & spices}}
[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Mentha spicata''
| image = Minze.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Foliage
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Lamiaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Mentha]]''
| species = '''''M. spicata'''''
| binomial = ''Mentha spicata''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''''Mentha spicata''''' ('''Spear Mint''' or '''Spearmint'''; syn. ''M. viridis'') is a species of [[Mentha|mint]] probably native to much of [[Europe]] and southwest [[Asia]], though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation. It grows in wet soils.<ref name=empp>Euro+Med Plantbase Project: [http://ww2.bgbm.org/_EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=111945&PTRefFk=500000 ''Mentha spicata'']</ref><ref name=blamey>Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. ISBN 0-340-40170-2</ref>
It is a [[herbaceous]] rhizomatous [[perennial plant]] growing 30–100 cm tall, with variably hairless to hairy stems and foliage, and a wide-spreading fleshy underground [[rhizome]]. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 5–9 cm long and 1.5–3 cm broad, with a serrated margin. The [[flower]]s are produced in slender spikes, each flower pink or white, 2.5–3 mm long and broad.<ref name=blamey/><ref name=rhs>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.</ref>
[[Hybrid]]s involving spearmint include ''[[Mentha × piperita]]'' (Peppermint; hybrid with ''[[Mentha aquatica]]''), ''Mentha × gracilis'' (Ginger Mint, syn. ''M. cardiaca''; hybrid with ''[[Mentha arvensis]]''), and ''Mentha × villosa'' (Large Apple Mint, hybrid with ''[[Mentha suaveolens]]'').<ref name=blamey/>
The name 'spear' mint derives from the pointed leaf tips.<ref name=turner>[[William Turner|Turner, W.]] (1568). ''Herbal''. Cited in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''.</ref>
==Cultivation and uses==
Spearmint is grown for its aromatic and [[carminative]] oil, referred to as '''oil of spearmint'''. It grows well in nearly all temperate climates. Gardeners often grow it in pots or planters due to its invasive spreading roots. The plant prefers partial shade, but can flourish in full sun to mostly shade. Spearmint is best suited to loamy soils with plenty of organic material. Spearmint leaves can be used whole, chopped, or dried. The leaves lose their aromatic appeal after the plant flowers.
The [[cultivar]] ''Mentha spicata'' 'Nana', the Nana mint of [[Morocco]], possesses a clear, pungent, but mild aroma and is an essential ingredient of [[Touareg Tea]].
Spearmint is an ingredient of [[mojito]], the traditional Cuban cocktail. It is used as a flavouring for [[toothpaste]] and [[confectionery]], and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps. In [[herbalism]], spearmint is steeped as tea for treatment of stomach ache.
Recent research has shown that Spearmint tea may be used as a treatment for mild [[hirsutism]] in women. Its anti-androgenic properties reduce the level of free testosterone in the blood, while leaving total testosterone and DHEA unaffected.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6376599.stm Tea 'controls female hair growth' </ref>
==Chemistry==
A major component of the oil is R-[[Carvone]]; pure R-Carvone is sufficient to produce a smell which people identify as a spearmint smell.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/1971/19/i04/f-pdf/f_jf60176a035.pdf?sessid=6006l3 | title=Chemical and sensory data supporting the difference between the odors of the enantiomeric carvones | author=TJ Leitereg, DG Guadagni, J Harris, TR Mon, ... | journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | volume=19 | issue=4 | year=1971 | pages=785}}</ref>
==References==
{{Commons|Mentha spicata}}
{{reflist}}
<gallery>
Image:mentha spicata 02.jpg|Plant in flower
Image:Koeh-096.jpg|1887 illustration
</gallery>
{{Herbs & spices}}
[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Herbs]]
