Divide plants every two years to keep them healthy. Prune potted plants regularly to keep neat and tidy. If you live in an area with very cold winters, it is best to bring potted spearmint indoors and place in a sunny window. Mahendran G, Verma SK, Rahman LU. The traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of spearmint ( Mentha spicata L.): A review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021;278:114266. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2021.114266 Spearmint and peppermint, as you might guess from their different flavor, have different nutritional content. Below you can find a table summarising the major nutritional fact for 100g of fresh herb from the SELF Nutrition Data. Due to its stronger taste, peppermint is often used just in deserts and tea. Its high methanol content makes such an herb ideal for its essential oils, quite widespread in the market and online retailers mainly for its relaxing and calming scent. Yogalakshmi, K.; Rajeswari, M.; Sivakumar, R.; Govindarajan, M. (2012-05-01). "Chemical composition and larvicidal activity of essential oil from Mentha spicata (Linn.) against three mosquito species". Parasitology Research. 110 (5): 2023–2032. doi: 10.1007/s00436-011-2731-7. ISSN 1432-1955. PMID 22139403. S2CID 12022813.

Grant P. Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. a randomized controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2010 Feb;24(2):186-188. doi:10.1002/ptr.2900 Given the lower amount of calories in absolute (only 70 for 100g which is quite a bit of leaf), peppermint is shown to provide more benefits to your diet. Vitamin C indeed improves your skin health, immune system, wound healing, and much more. 4. Culinary Use: Spearmint vs Peppermint This is a medium-difficulty recipe that requires, on average, 15 minutes of your time. Once you buy them, you can generally make many hot chocolates, and many of those ingredients (except for the diary part) last for long.The next four types of mint have a long tradition in countries where tea drinking plays an important role. No wonder, then, that these mints are all particularly good for making tea. Moroccan mint (Mentha spicata var. crispa Morocco) Lansdown, R.V. (2014). " Mentha spicata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T164464A42395980 . Retrieved 21 May 2022. Do you know that one of the two is way better for producing essential oils than the other, and although they look similar, there is still a way to differentiate them? Let’s dive in! 1. Appearance: Spearmint vs Peppermint

You have probably heard of the following five types of mint. You can’t really go wrong with them – but it is certainly worthwhile to find out more about these well-tried species. Did you know, for example, that pennyroyal is poisonous? Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) The name nana mint can actually refer to three types of mint: the species Mentha spicata var. crispa‘Nane’ or Mentha x piperita var . piperita‘Nana’– and also the Moroccan mint described above is sometimes called nana mint. However, the actual nana mint is Mentha spicata var. crispa‘Nane’. Are you an indoor gardener? Then I have great news for you! You can grow virtually all mint varieties and cultivars right at home using a good LED grow light—just pay attention to photosynthetically active radiation or PAR! Learn more about this in our article on PAR in grow lights. Medicinal Use of Mint Plants L-theanine: L-theanine is an amino acid found in green tea and other foods. It has been studied for its potential role in memory enhancement, especially in older adults.Mentha spicata was first described scientifically by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. [2] The epithet spicata means 'bearing a spike'. [17] The species has two accepted subspecies, each of which has acquired a large number of synonyms: [2] [4] [5]

Often mixed in with other supposedly medicinal plants, mint is taken to treat several ailments including, but not limited to: Harley, R. M.; Brighton, C. A. (1977). "Chromosome numbers in the genus Mentha L.". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Linnean Society of London ( OUP). 74 (1): 71–96. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1977.tb01168.x. ISSN 0024-4074. The easiest way to identify spearmint from peppermint is to eat one (or better half) of their leaf. Indeed, peppermint has a way stronger and more pungent flavor than spearmint. Some describe such tastes as those of sweet minty candy. a b c Vokou, D.; Kokkini, S. (1989-04-01). " Mentha spicata (Lamiaceae) chemotypes growing wild in Greece". Economic Botany. 43 (2): 192–202. doi: 10.1007/BF02859860. ISSN 1874-9364. S2CID 32109061. Spearmint ideally thrives in soils that are deep, well-drained, moist, rich in nutrients and organic matter, and have a crumbly texture. The pH range should be between 6.0 and 7.5. [27] Diseases and pests [ edit ] Fungal diseases [ edit ]Nozhat F, Alaee S, Behzadi K, Azadi Chegini N. Evaluation of possible toxic effects of spearmint (Mentha spicata) on the reproductive system, fertility and number of offspring in adult male rats. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2014;4(6):420-429. Spearmint is documented as being an important cash crop in Connecticut during the period of the American Revolution, at which time mint tea was noted as being a popular drink due to it not being taxed. [23] Ecology [ edit ] Spearmint grows well in nearly all temperate climates. [29] Gardeners often grow it in pots or planters due to its invasive, spreading rhizomes. [30] Some nematode diseases in spearmint include root knot and root lesions. Nematode species that cause root knots in this plant are various Meloidogyne species. The other nematode species are Pratylenchus which cause root lesions. [28] Viral and phytoplasmal diseases [ edit ] a b " Mentha spicata subsp. condensata (Briq.) Greuter & Burdet". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 2019-07-08 . Retrieved 2019-07-14.

Peppermint contains way more “valuable” essential oils than spearmint. This is because, as discussed in this study from the University of Bucharest, peppermint essential oil is way richer in menthol (46.8%). Other studies show that spearmint essential oils only contain up to 11.4% of menthol. Essential oils, in the last decade, have become quite popular in the last years due to many properties attributed to them, although not much rigorous research has been found to prove many of the (health benefits) claimed. However, do not forget that many of them produce an intense and great scent for your home. Vázquez-Fresno R, Rosana ARR, Sajed T, Onookome-Okome T, Wishart NA, Wishart DS. Herbs and spices- biomarkers of intake based on human intervention studies - a systematic review. Genes Nutr. 2019;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12263-019-0636-8 a b c Kalra, A.; Singh, H. B.; Pandey, R.; Samad, A.; Patra, N. K.; Kumar, Sushil (2005). "Diseases in Mint: Causal Organisms, Distribution, and Control Measures". Journal of Herbs, Spices & Medicinal Plants. 11 (1–2): 71–91. doi: 10.1300/J044v11n01_03. S2CID 84328718. Grant, P. (2010, February). Spearmint herbal tea has significant anti-androgen effects in polycystic ovarian syndrome. A randomized controlled trial. Phytotherapy Research 24(2), 186-8

Care of Spearmint

In reality, fresh spearmint has about 13% carvone and 0% menthol, whereas peppermint has about 0% carvone and 12% menthol. Of course, a single bottle of their essential oils will have substantially more as a single bottle has the concentrated oil of numerous dried mint leaves. 3. Nutritional Value: Spearmint vs Peppermint Fun Fact: There are two national holidays in the United States that are specifically for celebrating mint! You can share your love for mint as early as the 18th of January every year for National Chocolate Mint Day. Then, there’s the National Peppermint Latte day that’s celebrated on the 3rd of December annually. However, if you want to use your herbs for some very refreshing tea, and peppermint is your objective, in this case, you have two options: Spearmint should be used for cooking, not peppermint. Indeed, peppermint is mainly used in baking such as in lollipops, ice cream, and hot chocolate recipes.