Description

Mentha spicata, spearmint, is a perennial aromatic herb of the family Lamiaceae, native to temperate Europe and the Mediterranean region, naturalised and cultivated across temperate and subtropical zones worldwide. Distinct from peppermint (Mentha × piperita) by its characteristically smooth, bright green, sessile leaves and its sweet, relatively mild carvone-dominated essential oil profile — lacking the menthol intensity of peppermint. In Ayurvedic folk traditions, the plant is associated with Pudina preparations and incorporated in digestive and cooling preparations. In European and American herbal traditions, spearmint has been used in formulations for nausea, irritable bowel comfort, and oral freshness for centuries. The dried leaf is also widely consumed as a herbal tea, with commercial cultivation centred in the United States (Indiana, Washington), Morocco, and China.