This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional.
🐝🦋 Popular pollinator attractor
▷ IDENTIFICATION🔍
Common Name: Peppermint
Botanical Name: Mentha piperita
Family: Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Aromatic (when crushed) herbaceous perennial herb for Zones 5 to 9
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) is a highly toxic look-alike and may cause severe liver damage if ingested.
PRECAUTION: May interact with hypertensive and diabetes medications. Not appropriate for all, consider consulting a doctor first. See section “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION > Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions”.
Gallstones or Active Gallbladder Inflammation: Do not use.
❗Children, epileptic, pregnant, or breastfeeding: This plant may be harmful if used internally for young children, pregnant, or breastfeeding people. Research or speak with a healthcare professional. It is suggested to avoid diffusing or applying peppermint essential oil to children under 6, as it may increase their risk of respiratory distress or a seizure (Lavender is a safer alternative). 🚼
▷ OTHER NAMES & LOOKALIKES 🏷️
Other Names 🏷️
◦ Mint
◦ Mentha, from the Greek word “mintha“
Lookalikes 🔎
◦ Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium): Highly toxic and may cause severe liver damage if ingested.
◦ Spearmint (Mentha spicata)
◦ Perilla Mint (Perilla frutescens)
◦ Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)
▷ APPEARANCE 🪞
Plant Description🌿🗒️
Creeping plant with lengthy, smooth, square stems. Leaves are round, dark green with a serrated edge, oppositely arranged, 1½” to 3½” in length, ½” to 1½” wide. Leaves and stems are usually slightly fuzzy. Purple flowers are small, ¼” to ⅛” length, have a four-lobed corolla ¼” diameter, occurring in whorls on an inflorescence.
Dimensions, Root Depth, and Spacing 📏↔️
Height: 1′ to 3′
Width: 2′ to 5′
Root Depth: Shallow, 12″ to 18″; Ideal minimum container size 7 gallon or 8 gallons. Larger containers allow plants to grow taller and wider!
Spacing: 2′ apart
Flower Season and Fruit or Seed 🌻🍎🫘
Flower: Late Spring to Late Summer
Seed: Very small, black minty aroma when rubbed. Self-pollinated seeds are sterile. Keep far from other mints to prevent cross pollination.
▷ REPRODUCTION 🌱
Sexuality: Sterile flowers and seeds due to being a cross between spearmint (Mentha spicata) and watermint (Mentha aquatica). Peppermint sexually reproduces through cuttings and roots.
Pollination: Pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.
Growth Rate: Very fast
Propagation:
◦ Layering: Select a thick stem that is long enough to lay in nearby container of soil. Remove leaves from the middle section of the stem, this part of the stem will be planted carefully and directly into the soil while still attached to the plant. Water as is necessary to keep soil consistently moist, especially during the Summer. Roots should form on the buried stem in a month, and may thereafter be cut and replanted into individual pots.
◦ Roots: Carefully dig up plant. Select healthy stems that are connected to roots, divide them in to separate plants, and cut off dead leaves and stems. Make sure there are a few roots for at least 1 stem. If there is excessive foliage, trim back the foliage to have 4″ stems from the root system.
◦ Cuttings: Plant cuttings that are ⅜” to ½” diameter (the wider the stem, the higher percentage of success) and 4″ to 6″ tall. Add cuttings to water and change the water every day for 1 month until roots form, later planting in soil in a container, or propagate by planting in soil during the Spring. Protect the new plant by placing it in partial sun or under a grow light until it has matured, avoiding direct sun.
Seed Germination: Soil pH 6.0 to 7.5 at 60°F to 75°F kept moist, however not wet or dry. Plant seed ¼” deep, emerges 5 to 20 days after being sown. Germination rate of 27% to 85% (depending on producer).
Indoor Planting: Grow plant for 1 year prior to transplanting outside 12 to 14 weeks after last frost date
Outdoor Planting: Plant seeds 10 weeks after last frost date
▷ REQUIREMENTS❤️
Sunlight, Water, Fertilizer, and Pruning ☀️💧✂️
Sunlight: Minimum 6 hours full sun to part shade. Full sun helps produce the strongest flavor oils. In hot climates, partial shade may prevent bitterness.
Note: Avoid aerial watering, which encourages fungal growth and disease.
Outdoor Watering: Water regularly during Summer (every 2 to 4 days) and less frequently in the Winter (1 to 3 times per month, more often if a warm climate). Too much water may cause root rot. Intolerant of stagnant water. K-cup seed starters need water every day during Summer and every 2 days during Winter. Small pots require watering more often, especially if exposed to full sun, while large pots and shaded pots need less water.
Indoor Watering: Deep and infrequent, allowing for soil to dry on the top layer prior to more water.
Drought Tolerance: Fairly drought tolerant once established, thought won’t produce many leaves without enough water.
Fertilizer: At the start of the growing season, apply fertilizer every 4 weeks to 6 weeks. Scatter evenly at the base of plants, avoiding clumps of fertilizer and preventing contact with stalks and stems. Large clumps of fertilizer won’t evenly supplement nutrients into the entire soil surface after it mixes with water from rain or irrigation. Fertilizer clumps around the base of plants make cause the main stalk to rot or have contact burns, which could damage or kill the plant. Do not throw fertilizer over plant tops, as the clumps of fertilizer caught in between leaf nodes and on foliage may either burn or rot the foliage.
Pruning: Avoid pruning during Winter as it may kill the plant. This same rule applies for the Fall in northern climates. Keep dead leaves as a shield to protect the plant during Winter. In early Spring, remove withered flowers, dead leaves, and leggy or dead stems to enhance the plant’s appearance. This also promotes new stems to appear with more leaves and flowers.
Soil, Planting, and Environment 🌄🏞️🏜️
Soil: Prefers moist, well drained soil
pH: 6 to 7.5
Planting: When planting a potted plant, dig a hole that’s as deep as the pot and as wide as the root base. For plants with wide roots, dig a hole that is twice the width of the pot and gently space out the root system and then cover with soil to promote healthy growth. Burying tangled roots could cause health issues or stunted growth. The soil should be gently pressed in or watered in to fill the air pockets, preventing soil from collapsing in when watering or raining. Unplanted roots add to the stress of plants and could cause health problems or diseases. Cover every root with soil and smooth the soil’s surface.
Habitat: Moist habitats such as stream sides and low areas, very adaptable
Temperature Preference and Temperature Tolerance🌡️
Temperature: Prefers 50°F to 70ºF
Heat Tolerance: 85ºF; Above 85ºF may slow growth and harm health
Cold Tolerance: Roots: -20ºF; Mulch roots to retain water and to protect the root system from the cold during Winter. Keep dead leaves on the plant during Winter as a shield to protect the plant, then cut back in the Spring to promote new foliage growth.
Salt, Wind, and Pollution Tolerance 🧂💨 ☣️
Salt Tolerance: No tolerance
Wind Tolerance: Moderate tolerance
Pollution Tolerance: Low tolerance of urban, inner city, and wastewater pollution
▷ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION📚
Description 📝
Peppermint is a hybrid mint crossed with Spearmint and Watermint, native to Europe and Asia, however is naturalized to North America.
Attract and Repel Wildlife🐝🦋🐦🐌🪰🐇🦌
Deer and Rodent Resistant🦌🐇🐁
The smell of peppermint is so overwhelming, if there is a vast amount of peppermint in a location then deer and rabbit won’t be able to smell many other smells. Deer usually avoid areas with vast amount of peppermint.
Attracts: Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators
Repels: The plant naturally repels deer, rodents, aphids, and spider mites. Peppermint oil may be used to repel ticks, spiders, roaches, moths, flies, fleas, beetles, and ants. Peppermint is usually disliked by burrowing and digging animals.
Diseases and Pests🐜🦠
Note: Proper care keeps plants resilient and healthy, preventing diseases and pests. This list details the potential threats, specific diseases and pests vary depending on environmental climate.
Diseases:
◦ Anthracnose
◦ Black Stem Rot
◦ Powdery Mildew: Disease caused by a fungus due to overwatering or overcrowding, making the plant vulnerable to other pests and diseases
◦ Rust: This fungal disease is caused by more than 7,000 species of fungi. It affects the aerial parts of plants, most commonly the leaves, plus the stems, flowers, and fruit. Each type or plant rust has its own distinctive symptoms, such as bright red, orange, yellow, or brown spots on the leaves. As spores form, the spots turn reddish-orange and eventually black.
◦ Septoria Leaf Spot
◦ Stem and Stolon Canker
◦ Verticillium Wilt: A disease that clogs a plant’s vascular system with fungal cells, which then spread and cause the plant to die slowly. An early symptom is sudden wilting on one side of the plant, followed by leaves turning brown.
Pests:
◦ Aphids: Small, soft-bodied sucking insects which pierce plant tissues and draw out the juices.
◦ Cutworms
◦ Flea Beetles: Flea beetles may overwinter in the soil, plant debris, or nearby weeds, and may go through multiple generations in a year.
◦ Hairy caterpillars
◦ Mealybugs: Mealybugs feed on the juices from leaves and stems of plants, damaging a wide variety of host plants.
◦ Mint Bud Mites
◦ Scale: Parasite that infest a plant’s leaves and stems and suck sap from plants through their mouth parts. Heavy infestations cause yellowing or wilting of leaves, stunting or unthrifty appearance of the plants, and eventually death of all or part of the plant.
◦ Spider Mites: They feed by bruising plant cells with their small, whiplike mouthparts and ingesting the sap. Spider mites produce a fine silk webbing, often found at leaf nodes or the undersides of leaves, which may kill plants or cause serious stress to them.
◦ Thrips: May spread plant viruses called tospoviruses, which cause diseases such as tomato spotted wilt, impatiens necrotic spot, and iris yellow spot virus. Thrips feed on plants by puncturing the plant’s surface with their mouthparts and sucking the juices.
Animal Toxicity and Medicine Interactions ☠️❤️🩹
Animal Toxicity: Plant is considered toxic to dogs, cat, birds, and horses
ASPCA Website, Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants “Mint”
Medicine Interactions:
Individuals may have a sensitivity or allergies to peppermint, consult a healthcare professional first and proceed at own risk. Peppermint is not for everyone, consider consulting a doctor first. At high doses, it may be toxic to the kidneys. Not for people with gallstones or active gallbladder inflammation.
◦ Diabetes medication: Taking mint along with diabetes medications might cause blood sugar to drop too low. Monitor blood sugar closely.
◦ Antihypertensive medication (High blood pressure medication): Mint may excessively lower blood pressure and strengthen the effect of blood pressure medications.
◦ Stomach acid reduction medication: Acid-reducing medications may reduce the effectiveness of mint. Take mint at least 2 hours before or after an acid-reducing medication.
◦ Cyclosporine: Suppresses the immune system and is usually taken to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ.
◦ Medications changed by liver (Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), (Cytochrome P450 1A2 [CYP1A2] substrates), (Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), and (Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). Mint may change how quickly the liver breaks down medications prone to being changed or broken down by the liver. This could change the effects and side effects of these medications.
WebMD Website – Peppermint “Interactions”
Use and Harvest⚕️🌾
❗Never ingest essential oils, instead use organic fresh or dried herbs.
Some individuals may have sensitivities that react with heartburn or stomach upset.
Use:
◦ Leaves: A basis of flavor foods and beverages while also the fragrance for soaps and cosmetics. Also used medicinally either internally or externally. May be used as last resort survival tooth paste! Externally applied in the form of a poultice, therapeutic tea soak, herbal oil, salve, or cream.
Essential Oil: Click Here for Precautions, Instructions, and Dilution Ratios
Benefits: Antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory (relieves swelling), astringent, helps digestive problems (flatulence, indigestion, nausea, IBS [irritable bowel syndrome]), motion sickness, anxiety, headaches, nausea, and bad breath. Use externally for muscle pain and nerve pain. Reduces spasms during endoscopy and colon exams and helps with recovery after surgery. Internally ingested as dietary supplement or tea; Leaves may be externally applied in the form of a poultice, therapeutic tea soak, oil, salve, or cream.
Dosing: Steep 1 teabag for soothing herbal tea every other day each week. Do not drink every day, maximum 8 weeks consecutive use. 2 pinches of fresh peppermint for recipes should suffice.
Click Here for How To Dry and Harvest Herbs and Seeds
Never harvest more than 20% of a plant’s leaves or roots!
Harvest: Harvest prior to the flowering stage for best flavor. Once flower buds start to form, leaves may become slightly bitter. Drying may diminish the intensity of the peppermint’s aroma and medicinal benefits.
Aroma, Flavor, and Culinary Combinations🧼🍴
Drying may diminish the intensity of the peppermint scent and its potential benefits.
Use prior to flowering stage for best flavor. Once the flowering stage begins and buds forms, leaves may become slightly bitter.
Aroma: Strong, minty, fresh, cooling, and green
Flavor: Peppermint is described as pungent, cooling, and green
Culinary Combinations: Peppermints compliments herbs and spices (other mints, sweet basil, holy basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, sage, chamomile, goldenseal, elderberry, rose, hibiscus, and lavender), quinoa, whole wheat enriched pasta, wild rice, bean sprouts, quinoa, whole wheat enriched pasta, wild rice, bean sprouts, beans (sugar snap peas, green beans, chickpeas [garbanzos], black, pinto), legumes (lentils, mung beans), tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, nuts (roasted cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts), vegetables (arugula, Summer squash [zucchini, straightneck, and crookneck], red potato, white potato, eggplant, garlic, lemongrass, bell pepper, carrot, beet beet, brussels sprouts, and cucumber), and fruits (avocado, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, apple, apricot, mango, pear, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, citrus [mandarin, lemon, and lime], and figs).
Click Here to explore a comprehensive list of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients with function explanations, deficiency or excess symptoms, and vegan food source rankings (high, medium, low)
History 📜
Ancient Egyptian papyrus from 1550 B.C. records medical use of Mint to calm stomach pains. Mint was such a valuable resource to the Egyptians, that they used Mint as a form of currency.
Lifespan⏳
5 to 10 years longevity for life expectancy
Vegan Botany 