Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis var. piperascens) is an aromatic herb of temperate region. The oil and its principal aroma-compound menthol have cooling and gastro-stimulant properties, for which it is used in pharmaceuticals, food flavour, confectionery, cosmetics, beverages and related industries. In India, it is grown over around 50,000 ha land. The area has grown enormously during the last 3 years in tarai districts of Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Punjab and Haryana. India has emerged as a large exporter of its oil and menthol to world market, particularly to the USA.
Japanese mint is a vigorously growing branched, hardy perennial, attaining up to 1m height in rich fertile lands. The herb is covered with soft tomentum all over and bears broadly ovate leaves over terete, violet tinged quadrangular stems. It gives out long, narrow, axillary flowering spikes profusely, containing lilac flowers. Being of hybrid origin, it rarely sets seed. The crop is commercially raised through underground stems called stolons, though suckers given out in rainy season also easily give out roots on planting, producing new plants.
Medicinal plants constitute a group of industrially important crops, which are of immense social, economic and commercial value. Plant based drugs are being increasingly preferred in medical in medical science today. Mint is one of it. The authors have attempted to organize this book in such a way that it will be useful to everyone in the green health therapy. This book will be extremely useful to researchers, scientists, cultivators, entrepreneurs, traditional healers and many others associated with this subject. We are sure that the document will serve as a usefulreference book. in such a way that it will be useful to everyone in the green health therapy. |
