Mentha arvensis or corn mint steam distilled from the flowering herb, from North America
Peppermint Japanese aka cornmint is known for its high menthol content - typically 85%. Menthol crystals sometimes form right on the leaves!
Aroma: Peppermint Japanese has a sharp, penetrating mint scent, with a sweet vapour.
History: Peppermint and its name has its roots in Greek mythology. Pluto - god of the dead - fell in love with Minthe, a beautiful nymph. Pluto's goddess wife Persephone became jealous and turned Minthe into a plant. Pluto could not bring her back to life but ensured that she would have a wonderful and fragrant aroma.
Colour: Colourless to pale yellow liquid.
Common Uses: Peppermint Japanese essential oil has long been credited as being useful in combating stomach ailments. It is also viewed as an antispasmodic and antimicrobial agent. Of course, most people will associate it with being a flavouring or scenting agent in foods, beverages, skin and hair care products (where it has a cooling effect by constricting capillaries and helping with bruises and sore joints due to its menthol content), as well as soaps and candles.
Possible Uses: Asthma, colic, exhaustion, fever, flatulence, headache, nausea, scabies, sinusitis, vertigo. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 59-67.]
Constituents: Menthyl Acetate, Menthone, Cineole, Limonene, Phellandrene, Pinene, Beta-Caryophyllene [Shirley Price, The Aromatherapy Workbook (Hammersmith, London: Thorsons, 1993), 54-5.]
Safety Information: Avoid in cardiac fibrillation, epilepsy, fever. Mucous membrane irritant and neurotoxic (toxic to the nerves). Some of this information applies to oral use, but is provided for informational purposes (no essential oil should be taken internally without the guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner). [Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 160.]
May cause sensitization. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 175.]
Photo thanks to Jim Morefield from Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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I carry over 500 essential oils, resins, absolutes, extracts and dozens of enriching, infused and carrier oils, making Anarres Natural Health the most ethical and local source for essential oils in Toronto.