- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Europe, Asia, North America
- Sanskrit
- Puthea
- Traditions
- Ayurveda, Chinese medical traditions, Unani medicine
Europe · Herb · № 523
Mentha arvensis
Herb · Europe
Corn mint
Mentha arvensis
Traditionally attributed effects: aromatic, carminative, stimulating, antispasmodic, promotes menstruation, antiseptic, stomachic, cooling, diuretic; leaf juice for diarrhoea and dysentery, tea for rheumatism and indigestion.
Safety notes
Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Chinese materia medica: Caution with yin deficiency with heat and spontaneous sweating; not during breastfeeding, as mint can reduce milk production.
Preparation
Syrup (sharbat) as a cooling drink; leaf juice; leaf tea.
Use in traditions
Corn mint grows throughout Europe and Asia along fields and ditches. In India it is used as pudina in chutneys and cooling drinks; in Chinese medicine a closely related mint (bo he) is a remedy for early colds with fever. In Japan menthol was extracted from corn mint. Sanskrit name: Puthea.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Aromatic, carminative, stimulating, antispasmodic, promotes menstruation, antiseptic, stomachic, cooling, diuretic; leaf juice for diarrhoea and dysentery, tea for rheumatism and indigestion.
Preparation and amount
Syrup (sharbat) as a cooling drink; leaf juice; leaf tea.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, cool, aromatic
- Meridians
- lung, liver
Attributed effects
Chinese field mint (bo he, Mentha haplocalyx) expels wind-heat in colds with fever, headache, red eyes and sore throat, helps bring out rashes such as measles and moves stagnant liver energy in a tight feeling in the chest, mood swings and irregular menstruation.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 2–6 g a day, added only at the end of cooking. Western spearmint or lemon balm are a good substitute.
Combinations
- With chrysanthemum, platycodon and burdock seed for wind-heat with sore throat
- With jing jie and burdock seed for measles and itchy rashes
Caution: Caution with yin deficiency with heat and spontaneous sweating; not during breastfeeding, as mint can reduce milk production.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)Syrup, honey and oxymel