PEPPERMINT (MÉNTHA PIPERÍA L.) - THE MOST IMPORTANT EPHYRNOMASLICHNY PLANT
Peppermint (Metha piperita L.), SEM. Clear-Flowered-Lamiaceae Lindl. All aboveground organs of peppermint contain essential oil: leaves up to 2.75%, inflorescences up to 6.0%, stems up to 0.3%. The main components of the oil are menthol, Mentone, pinene, limonene and menthol esters of acetic and Valerian acids. The oil is colorless, with a yellowish or greenish tint, refreshing pleasant taste and smell. Leaves contain carotene, hesperidin, betaine, ursolic and oleanolic acids; seeds contain up to 20% of fatty oil. Preparations from peppermint have soothing, antispasmodic, choleretic, antiseptic, analgesic properties, and also have reflex expansion of coronary vessels, enhance capillary blood circulation and intestinal peristalsis. Preparations from peppermint leaves are used for angina, inflammation of the gallbladder, upper respiratory tract; increase the secretion of digestive glands, improve appetite, have a spasmolytic effect, reducing the tone of the smooth muscles of the intestine, bile and urinary tract. Pure menthol in the form of various alcohol and water preparations is used in the complex treatment of eczema, dermatitis, neurodermatitis, urticaria.