White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Oct. 17, 2001
NewsNeNwsNNewsletter Archive ewsl
Peppermint
And pennyroyal and peppermint
Pour dry-hot odors without stint
From fields and banks of many streams;
And in their scent one almost seems
To see Demeter pass, her breath
Sweet with her triumph over death.---
A haze of floating saffron; sound
Of shy, crisp creepings o'er the ground;
Cawein, Madison Julius, 1865-1914: FOREST AND FIELD [1908]
Near the same region was a small nursery of medicinal plants; for the mind
which had grouped so many pleasures for the eye and the taste of man, had not
put out of sight his infirmities, or forgotten where it was written, "in the
garden was a sepulchre." There, arose the rough leafed sage, with its spiry
efflorescence, the hoarhound foe of consumption, the aperient cumphrey, the
aromatic tansy, and the bitter rue and wormwood. There, also, the healing balm
was permitted to flourish, and the pungent peppermint for distillation. Large
poppies, scattered here and there, perfected their latent anodyne, and hop-vines,
clasping the accustomed arches, disclosed from their aromatic clusters some
portion of their sedative powers. Through these scenes of odoriferous wildness
Madam L --- often wandered, and like our first mother, amused herself by removing
whatever marred its beauty, and cherishing all that heightened its excellence.
Sigourney, L. H. (Lydia Howard) Sketch of Connecticut, Forty Years Since
(1824)
Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit one of the large mint growing
belts of Uttar Pradesh, in the region around Badaun. Traveling from the Himalayas
we entered the plains and journeyed on roads that were rough and dubiously maintained
but the sites, sounds and smells of rural India delighted the eye, ear and nose
. Though the body was jostled about the heart was filled with happiness in becoming
absorbed in the visions of rural life styles that remain intact into the modern
times. Toward evening we reached the outskirts of Badaun. A fresh coolness was
on the air reviving one after the dust and heat of the the days journey. Along
the road we were traveling one could see bullock cart after bullock cart ladened
with freshly cut mint headed for one of the many local distilleries situated
throughout the region. The delightful fresh sharp and penetrating aroma of peppermint
filled the nostrils adding greatly to the beauty of this wonderful scene. The
area where we journeyed was once not so prosperous as it is now. Farmers were
barely making ends meet but due to the foresight of several entreprenuers the
area was identified as a prime location for growing peppermint, cornmint, bergamot
mint, spearmint, and several other aromatic crops. During our visit we met with
one of the pioneers of the mint industry. In the beginning he traveled from
village to village in a jeep with a megaphone inducing the farmers to plant
mint. Local meetings were held, mint plants were provided and some of the farmers
decided to give it a try. And in the years that followed many others took up
the planting of this crop and through such modest beginnings the region rose
to prominence as one of the main sources of quality mint in the world. Even
though other countries like the USA have significant plantings of mint, with
modern means of harvesting and distilling it, still India has been able to surpass
USA production because of her strong agricultural community which depends to
a large extent on people and animal power.
As we continued our journey through this quite pastoral scene, we saw many
families ending their days mint harvest. With simple hand held sickles; men,
women and children move through their carefully tended mint crops, quietly cutting
and stacking the green herbage. No big combines here. Just quiet steady work
of entire families caring for small land holdings of 1-10 acres. At the end
of the day, they head for their modest homes to eat simple food often grown
on their own land. It is a scene that we seldom see on such a large scale in
our country. In India today, over 700,000, 000 people farm for a living and
the beauty and power of that simple lifestyle must be seen to be appreciated.
On the next day our kind host in that region took us to see the place in the
city where the distilling units were manufactured. It was amazing to see men
pounding out large pieces of sheet metal in perfect cyclinders using hammers
and other simple tools. Welding units were engaged in making the lids, connecting
pipes for condensors,etc. The entire industry from growing of the crops to distilling
of the herbage was being done on a local level. Very enterprising, ingeniuous
and industrious. We made the rounds of several small distileries in the local
area wher one could see banks of 4-8 distilling units being packed with peppermint
that had been allowed to slightly dry for 4-8 hours. The mint was then packed
into the units that looked to hold about 250 kilos of material. The fires that
kept the steam generators growing utilized the spent mint which had been dried
after distillation. The ashes in turn were spread on the fields as a simple
fertilizer. So again one could see the healthy cycle of total utilization of
raw materials taking place. The fields themselves were managed with a minimum
amount of petrochemical fertilizers. Cow and goat manure and ashes formed a
major part of their soil care program with stubble being tilled back into the
ground. Herbicies were not used as the weeding, hoeing and irrigation were attended
to by the extended families that managed their modest pieces
of land. Pesticides were also seldom used as most farmers followed a healthy
system of crop rotation. Diversified farming is very much a part of the Indian
system farming and even on small pieces of land one finds serveral grain, legume,
fruit being grown. The aromatic crop addition has brought a nice additional
income to these custodians of the land. Even though the visit to the mint growing
region lasted but a couple of days, the freshness and beauty of that rural scene
remains deeply engraved upon the heart.
Etymology of Mint
When Persephone found out that Pluto was in love with the beautiful nymph Minthe,
jealousy burned within her and she changed Minthe into a lowly plant. Pluto
couldn¹t undo Persephone¹s spell but he did soften it a little so that the more
Minthe was tread upon the sweeter her smell would become. The name Minthe changed
to mentha and became the genus name for mint. Few people now consider it a lowly
plant, particularly those involved in the business of toothpaste and chewing
gum and even those selling herb teas.
http://www.snatea.com/Briefs/Peppermint.htm
Description/Technical
Botanical Source.‹This herb is a perennial, with procumbent, ascending,
branched, reddish stems, quite smooth, or fringed, with a few spreading hairs,
furrowed and quadrangular, and 2 or 3 feet in height. The leaves are ovate-oblong,
or somewhat lanceolate, rounded at the base, deep-green, smooth or hairy on
the underside, serrate, and borne on ciliated petioles. The flowers are in whorls,
small, and purplish; upper floral leaves small, lanceolate-subulate, shorter
than the flowers. The whorls are few, lax, uppermost in a short, oblong, obtuse,
reddish spike; lowermost
remote, with the cymes shortly stalked. Bracts subulate, outer ones as long
as the calyx. Pedicels quite smooth. Calyx 5-toothed, teeth hispid,
subulate, erect. The corolla is 4-cleft, tubular, with the broadest segment
emarginate. Stamens 4, awl-shaped, straight, and distant; anthers with 2
parallel cells. Achenia smooth (L.‹W.‹G.)
http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/mentha-pipe.html
Images-
http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Ment_pip.html
superb images
History of Mint ---
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.
It was only recognized here as a distinct species late in the seventeenth century,
when the great botanist, Ray, published it in the second edition of his Synopsis
stirpium britannicorum, 1696. Its medicinal properties were speedily recognized,
and it was admitted into the London Pharmacopceia in 1721, under M. piperitis
sapore. The oldest existing Peppermint district is in the neighbourhood of Mitcham,
in Surrey, where its cultivation from a commercial point of view dates from
about 1750, at which period only a few acres of ground there were devoted to
medicinal plants. At the end of the eighteenth century, above 100 acres were
cropped with Peppermint, but so late as 1805 there were no stills at Mitcham,
and the herb had to be carried to London for the extraction of the oil. By 1850
there were already about 500 acres under cultivation at Mitcham, and at the
present day the English Peppermint plantations are still chiefly located in
this district, though it is grown in several other parts of England - in Herts
at Hitchin, and in Cambs at Wisbech, in Lincolnshire at Market Deeping and also
at Holbeach (where the cultivation and distillation of English Peppermint oil,
now carried on with the most up-to-date improvements was commenced over seventy
years ago). There is room for a further extension of its cultivation, owing
to the great superiority of the English product in pungency and flavour. Most
of London's supplies are grown in a triangle with its base on a line Kingston
to Croydon, and its apex at Chipstead in Surrey. This triangle includes Mitcham,
still the centre of the Peppermint-growing and distilling industry, the district
proving to be specially suited to the crop. There are large Peppermint farms
at Banstead and Cheam.
On the Continent Peppermint was first grown in 1771 at Utrecht, but it is now
grown in considerable amounts in several countries. In France it is cultivated
in the Departments of the Yonne and du Nord, French Peppermint Oil being distilled
at Grasse and Cannes, as well as in the Basses-Alpes, Haute-Garonne and other
parts, though the French varieties of M. piperita are not identical with those
cultivated in England. The variety cultivated in France is known as 'Red Mint'
and can grow on certain soils where the true Peppermint does not grow. The 'Red
Mint' can be cultivated for four or
five years in the same field, but the true M. piperita can be cultivated in
the same field for two years only. 'Red Mint' gives a higher yield of oil, but
is of inferior quality. In the Siagne Valley, it is calculated that 300 kilos
of fresh plant produce 1 kilo of essential oil, elsewhere a yield of 2 kilos
to about 1,000 kilos of stems and green leaves is claimed. It has been proved
by experience that all parts of the plant do not give the same proportion of
oil, and it is more abundant when the plants have been grown in a hot region
and have flowered to the best advantage. The product of absolutely genuine English
plants cultivated in French soil varies according to the district, for the soil
has a very important influence upon the flavour of the oil and also the climate:
badly-drained ground is known to give unfavourable results both as to the quantity
and quality of the oil.
An oil very similar to Mitcham oil, and of an excellent quality, is distilled
from English plants grown in Italy, mostly in Piedmont and also in Sicily.
Next to the essential oils of lemon and orange, that obtained from Peppermint
enjoys a high reputation among the numerous volatile oils produced by Italy.
Vigone and Pancalieri are the centres of the cultivation and distillation of
Peppermint in the province of Turin. This district, which has been designated
the 'Mitcham of Italy,' yields annually about 11,000,000 kilograms of Peppermint,
from which 25,000 to 27,000 kilograms of essential oil are obtained. A new variety
of Peppermint, found at Lutra on the island of Tino, in the Grecian Archipelago,
has been cultivated in the Royal Colonial Garden at Palermo. A small amount
of Peppermint oil of good quality is distilled from plantations in Germany,
at Miltitz, in Saxony and near Leipzig, where the little town of Colleda, before
the War, produced annually as much as 40,000 cwt. of the herb. Russia also produces
some Peppermint, in the Ukraine and the Caucasus, but most of it is used in
the country itself. With regard to Hungarian oil of Peppermint, organized effort
to secure improvement began in 1904 and has been greatly developed. Hungarian
oil compares favourably with American oil of Peppermint as regards percentage
of Menthol contained: Hungarian oil yielding 43 to 56 per cent of free menthol,
and 35 to 65 per cent of total menthol; while American oil yields 40 to 45 per
cent free menthol and 60 per cent total menthol. Peppermint oil distilled in
1914 from Mitcham plants grown at Molo, in the highlands of British East Africa,
possesses a most excellent aroma, quite free of bitterness, and a very high
figure indeed for the menthol contained, and there is no question that this
source of supply should be an important one in the future.
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. English oil is incomparably the best, but it fetches a very
high price, and the French oil, though much inferior, is of finer quality than
the American. The problem is to obtain a strain of mint plants which would yield
larger quantities of oil in our climate. It is possible that varieties yieldinga
more abundant supply ofessential oils might be secured by persistent endeavour,
without reducing our English standard of refinement.Also economy in harvesting
and distilling should be studied. If our English oils could be reduced in price,
they would replace the foreign to a greater or less extent depending upon the
reduction in cost of production. There are several varieties of Peppermint.
The two chief, the so-called 'Black' and 'White' mints are the ones extensively
cultivated. Botanically there is little difference between them, but the stems
and leaves of the 'Black' mint are tinged purplish- brown, while the stems of
the 'White' variety are green, and the leaves are more coarsely serrated in
the White. The oil furnished by the Black is of inferior quality, but more abundant
than that obtained from the White, the yield of oil from which is generally
only about four-fifths of that from an equal area of the Black, but it has a
more delicate odour and obtains a higher price. The plant is also more delicate,
being easily destroyed by frost or drought; it is principally grown for drying
in bundles - technically termed 'bunching,' and is the kind chiefly dried for
herbalists, the Black variety being more generally grown for the oil on account
of its greater productivity and hardiness. The variety grown at Mitcham is classified
by some authorities as M.
piperita, var. rubra.
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mints-39.html
Main phytochemcials in Mentha(including Peppermint) Phytochemicals Include:
1,8-cineole, Acetaldehyde, Acetic-acid, Alpha-amorphene, Alpha-cadinene, Alpha-carotene,
Alpha-copaene, Alpha-gurjunene, Alpha-pinene, Alpha-terpinene, Alpha-terpineol,
Alpha-thujone, Alpha-tocopherol, Aluminum, Amyl-alcohol, Amyl-valerate, Anethole,
Azulene, Benzoic-acid, Beta-betulenol, Beta-carotene , Beta-caryophyllene, Beta-copaene,
Beta-ionone, Beta-pinene, Beta-thujone, Beta-ylangene , Betaine, Bicycloelemene,
Bisabolene, Cadinene, Calcium, Camphene, Carvacrol, Carveol,
Carveol-acetate, Carvone, Caryophyllene-oxide, Cedrene, Cedrol, Choline, Chromium,
Cineole, Cinerol, Cinnamic-acid-methyl-ester, Cis-piperitol, Cis-roseoxide,
Cis-sabinol, Citronellol, Cobalt, Cryptone, Flavons Hymenoxin, Iron, Isoamyl-phenylacetate,
Isobutyric-acid, Isomenthol, Isomenthol-acetate, Isomenthone, Isomenthyl-acetate,
Isopulegol-acetate, Isorhoifolin, Isovaleraldehyde, Isovaleric-acid, Isovaleric-acid-n-octyl-ester,
Jasmone, Lavandulol, Ledol , Limonene, Linalool, Luteolin, Magnesium, Manganese,
Menthol, Menthone, Menthoside, Menthyl-acetate, Menthyl-isovalerate, Menthyl-valerate,
Myrcene, Myrtenol, Neoisomenthol-acetate, Neomenthol, Neomenthone, Neomenthyl-acetate,
Nerolidol, Nevadensin, Niacin, Octan-3-ol, P-cymene, P-cymol, Pectin, Pent-cis-2-en-1-ol,
Perillyl-alcohol, Phellandrene, Phenylethanols, Phenyl-propyl-pyridines, Phosphorus,
Pinene, Piperitenone, Piperitone, Piperitone-oxide, Potassium, Protein, Pulegone,
Pyridine, Riboflavin, Rosmarinic-acid, Rutin, Sabinene, Sabinene-acetate, Sabinene-hydrate,
Salvigenin, Selenium, Sideritoflavone, Silicon, Terpinolene, Thiamin, Thymol,
Tin, Trans-piperitol,
Trans-roseoxide, Vanillin, Viridiflorol , Xanthomicrol, Zinc
http://www.rain-tree.com/hortela.htm
Modern Therapeutic use of Peppermint by Steven Foster
Modern Use In recent years the medical community has begun to shift its focus
from merely recognizing peppermint oil as a pharmaceutical flavoring material
to investigation and confirmation of its therapeutic value. Rees, Evans, and
Rhodes (1979) reported results of a clinical trial with 18 patients with active
irritable bowel syndrome. This condition, though not fully understood, is characterized
by recurrent colicky abdominal pain, a feeling of distention, and variations
in bowel habits. According to Murray (1987), irritable bowel syndrome represents
between 30 to 50 percent of all referrals to gastroenterologists and is the
most common gastrointestinal ailment seen by physicians. As much as 15 percent
of the population may be affected by this condition. In the trial by Rees et
al., patients received either enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules (to prevent
absorption in the stomach) or peanut oil capsules as placebo. One to two capsules
were administered three times per day, depending upon the severity of symptoms.
Treatment periods lasted three weeks. The authors noted that patients felt considerably
better and experienced relief ofabdominal symptoms while taking peppermint oil
capsules compared with the placebo. The relative lack of side effects coupled
with a reduction of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome suggested to the authors
that the use of enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules is a useful treatment
for symptoms associated with this condition.
Occasionally peppermint oil is released into the stomach causing heartburn and relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. The treatment is contraindicated with meals and patients with achlorhydria, absence of hydrochloric acid from gastric juices (Rees, Evans and Rhodes 1979). Dosage of enteric-coated peppermint capsules is recommended between meals. Somerville, Richmond, and Bell (1984) studied the pharmacokinetics of entericcoated peppermint oil capsules by determining menthol metabolites in urine. These researchers found that enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules significantly delayed the appearance of menthol metabolites in urine, suggesting that the oil in the enteric-coated peppermint capsules is released in the colon. The oil in gelatin-coated peppermint capsules, on the other hand, is absorbed in the stomach. The authors note that for peppermint oil to be effective in the treatment of spastic colon syndrome, the oil must reach the colon in an unmetabolized state (Somerville, Richmond, and Bell,1984). A communication by Leicester and Hunt (1982) to the British medical journal The Lancet indicated that peppermint oil may be useful as an adjunct to colonoscopy. Recognizing that peppermint oil is a safe substance and produces local smooth muscle relaxation, these researchers used peppermint oil in colonoscopy to reduce colonic spasm during the diagnostic procedure. Colonic spasm was relieved within 30 seconds in each of 20 patients using this technique. The workers switched from peppermint oil B.P * (British Pharmacopoeia) to a diluted suspension of peppermintoil in order to avoid any direct irritation from the oil. Antispasmodic drugs usually used in the procedure have to be administered intravenously while the patient is in an inconvenient, uncomfortable position. However, diluted peppermint oil, sprayed onto the endoscope itself, was thought to be a more convenient means of producing colonic relaxation during endoscopy than orthodox pharmaceuticals generally used in the procedure (Leicester and Hunt, 1982).
Other studies have shown that peppermint oil inhibits gastrointestinal smooth
muscle spasms (Sigmund and McNally, 1969; Taylor, Luscombe and Duthie, 1983)
and reducescolonic motility (Duthie, 1981)in humans. Inhalation of the oil for
treating congestion due to common colds is believed to ease congestion, aiding
respiration, by stimulating cold receptors in the respiratory tract (ESCOP,
1992). Numerous studies provide further information on the efficacy and mechanism
of peppermint or peppermint oil in laboratory experimental models. According
to a recent proposed European monograph (ESCOP, 1992) internal use of the oil,
only under the direction of a physician, is indicated for spastic conditions
of th upper gastrointestinal tract, flatulence, symptomatic treatment of irritable
bowel syndrome, and catarrh of the respiratory tract. It is contraindicated
for gall bladder inflammation and gallstones. External use includes oral mucosa
inflammations, rheumatic conditions, local muscle and never pains as well as
skin conditions such as pruritus and urticaria. Peppermint leaf is approved
by the Commission E of the German government as a nonprescription medicine for
dyspeptic complaints and peppermint oilis approved for treatment of irritable
bowel syndrome. However, Commission E contraindicates peppermint oil topically
on the face of children under four years old as well as internally for gallstones.
(Blumenthal, et al., 1996). Peppermint and peppermint oil are some of the most
widely-used flavors in the food and confection business. Additionally, scientific
research confirms traditional folk remedy use of peppermint as a digestive aid.
http://www.herbalgram.org/botanicalbooks/peppermint.html
Olfactory description of Peppermint Oil/Uttar Pradesh
clear white to pale yellow mobile liquid with fresh, crisp, penetrating minty
topnote Fine tingling effect on the olfactory receptors which is both cooling
and stimulating. One naturally feels alert yet calm as the scent penetrates
deep into ones mucous membranes. Beneath this pronounces topnote sits a sweet,
clean and softly rounded blasmic heart and base note.
He drove away then, and I stood looking after him. He was a doctor of the
old school, of the class of family practitioner that is fast dying out; a loyal
and honorable gentleman who was at once physician and confidential adviser to
his patients. When I was a girl we called in the doctor alike when we had measles,
or when mother's sister died in the far West. He cut out redundant tonsils and
brought the babies with the same air of inspiring self-confidence. Nowadays
it requires a different specialist for each of these occurrences. When the babies
cried, old Doctor Wainwright gave them peppermint and dropped warm sweet oil
in their ears with sublime faith that if it was not colic it was earache. When,
at the end of a year, father met him driving in his high side-bar buggy with
the white mare ambling along, and asked for a bill, the doctor used to go home,
estimate what his services were worth for that period, divide it in half --
I don't think he kept any books -- and send father a statement, in a cramped
hand, on a sheet of ruled white paper.
Rinehart, Mary Roberts : The Circular Staircase
There was a spot in days of yore whereon I used to stand,
With mighty question in my head, and penny in my hand;
Where motley sweets and crinkled cakes made up a goodly show;
And "story books," upon a string, appeared in brilliant row.
What should I have? The peppermint was incense in my nose;
But I had heard of, "hero Jack," who slew his giant foes:
My single coin was balanced long before the tempting stall,
'Twixt book and bull's-eye---but, forsooth! "Jack" got it after all.
Cook, Eliza, 1818-1889: OLD STORY BOOKS