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The genus Mentha, Lamiaceae (Labiatae), with the common name mint, includes about 25 species of highly aromatic plants native to the temperate parts of the world. Elsewhere they are cultivated for their uses in food, medicine and industry. In addition to more than a dozen cultivated species, there are several hybrids. Mentha piperita L., the peppermint is the most popular of all the mints. Mints have a very long history of cultivation, for the most important component menthol, present in most species, but is mostly derived from Mentha arvensis L., subsp.. haplocalyx Biqq., var. piperascens Holmes.
Mentha spicata L., spearmint or garden mint, is one of 10 or so species of the genus (see Appendix 23), cultivated in different parts of India. This species (see the photograph), going by the name pudina is cultivated almost throughout the country. Mentha arvensis L., the field mint, also goes by the name pudina. It is not easy to distinguish the two species in the vegetative condition, and hence the market pudina may be one or both of them.
Pudina is considered as a stimulant, carminative and antispasmodic. The leaves are given in fever, bronchitis and for aphthae. They are a good anti-emetic.
The young shoots and leaves are used in chutneys.
Menthol, d -carvone, careen, d -sylvestrene and citronellol were extracted from Mentha arvensis. Carvone, lomonene, dipentene, and dihydrocarveol were known from Mentha spicata, a combination that gives distinctness to spearmint oil, widely used in chewing gum, toothpastes, confectionery and pharmaceutical preparations.