Another herb for my indoor garden has been decided: Peppermint. Two down, two to go (Yeah, I decided to just stick with four this time around). This was also a relatively easy decision. While with Basil, I made the decision primarily based on my culinary usage of the herb, my decision to grow Peppermint was largely based on the medicinal use of the herb. I drink Peppermint tea fairly often to soothe any gastrointestinal woes or to just round out a satisfying meal. It's delightfully refreshing and works wonders. Culpeper notes that "it is very profitable to the stomach", and I agree! I bet these affects will be intensified and enhanced in the form of an infusion with fresh Peppermint leaves. And of course, I'll also use the leaves to make a mint julep from time to time. ;) There are also some great summer salads that use Peppermint to enhance flavor. Here's the rundown on Peppermint.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a species belonging to the Mentha genus. To be more specific, it is actually a hybrid of spearmint (Mentha spicata) and water mint (Mentha aquatica), and as such, is essentially sterile. There is a chance that it will produce fertile seeds, but it's a very, very slim chance. Don't you just love the juxtaposition of Peppermint's demure sexuality and Basil's lecherous promiscuity? Totally unplanned, but I like that it happened that way! Anyways, enough anthropomorphizing and back on track: more on the Mentha genus.
The origin of Mentha's name can be traced back to Greek/Roman mythology and the interactions of a nymph named, Minthe, with the King and Queen of the Underworld. In one version of the tale, Minthe was taken by the god, Pluto, and his wife, Persephone took violent, homicidal action against Minthe to ensure that no such extramarital affairs occurred between she and her husband ever again. In another version of the tale, carnal relations between Pluto and Minthe were avoided when Persephone intervened and transfigured Minthe into none other than the plant, mint. I think I like the second version of the tale better; the outcome is a bit more... refreshing!
I mentioned my use of Peppermint for gastrointestinal disturbances, and there is actually some scientific evidence that essential peppermint oil can assuage the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Ford et al., 2008; NY Times Article). Additionally, essential peppermint oil has been found to have antiallergenic, antibacterial, and antispasmodic properties. Peppermint also contains the flavonoid, Luteolin, which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and has been implicated in inhibiting cell mutation (Samejima, 1995). But again, best not to overdue the Peppermint consumption: the menthol present in its composition could have degenerative effects on the brain. Guard your noggins!
My only reservation about selecting Peppermint is that the literature I've been reading says it requires full sun to part-shade. I might have to watch this herb's growth and development a little bit more carefully than the others I choose and adjust accordingly if problems arise along the way. But at least I'm aware of this going into the project. Also, I will definitely not be growing Peppermint from seed, per the recommendations outlined in The Big Book of Herbs.
There are currently three herbs in the running for the final two coveted spots in my indoor garden. I'm weighing culinary use, medicinal use, and ease of growth to make my final decisions. I'm not sure how this looks from an outside perspective--perhaps some think I am being overly-analytical in my methods--but from my perspective, I'm pleasantly surprised at how relatively painless the decision process has been. I was expecting to be so overwhelmed with wanting to grow everything right away, that I'd have an enormously difficult time only choosing four herbs to grow. Don't get me wrong, I still want to grow every herb known to humankind, but I guess I've reconciled with the fact that I need to be reasonable starting out if I want to have any chance of success.
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