An official website of the United States government.

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Plant Mentha x piperita (Lamiaceae)

Common Names
Peppermint
How this plant is used
Generally Recognized as Safe
Subspecies
nothosubsp. piperita
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
List of plant chemicals.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Chemical Name Activity Count Plant Part Low Parts Per Million High Parts Per Million Standard Deviation Reference
2-METHYL-CINNAMALDEHYDE 0 Leaf 0.0 0.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PHENYLETHANOL 0 Leaf 0.2 2.0 1.00 Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PHENYLETHANOL-ACETATE 0 Leaf 0.1 0.5 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PHENYLETHANOL-BUTYRATE 0 Leaf 0.1 0.5 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PHENYLETHANOL-ISOBUTYRATE 0 Leaf 0.1 0.5 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PHENYLETHANOL-N-VALERATE 0 Leaf 0.4 4.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
2-PROPYL-5-PHENYL-PYRIDINE 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
3(5',5'-DIMETHYL-TETRAHYDROFURAN-2'-YL)-BUT-CIS-2-EN-1-OL 0 Essential Oil 1.2 2.3 -0.71 Duke, 1992 *
3,4-DIMETHOXY-BENZALDEHYDE 0 Leaf 0.0 0.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
3,4-DIMETHOXY-SUDACHIUTIN 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
3,4-DIMETHYL-PSEUDACHITIN 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
3,4-DIMETHYL-SUDACHITIN 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
3,6-DIMETHYL-6-OXO-OCTANOIC-ACID 0 Leaf 0.0 0.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
3,6-DIMETHYL-7-OXO-OCTANOIC-ACID 0 Leaf 0.0 0.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
3,6-DIMETHYL-7-OXO-OCTANOIC-ACID-ETHYL-ESTER 0 Leaf 0.0 0.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
3-METHYL-CYCLOHEXANONE 0 Leaf 0.4 4.0 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
3-PHENYL-4-PROPYL-PYRIDINE 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
3-PHENYL-PYRIDINE 0 Leaf not available not available not available Duke, 1992 *
4-HYDROXY-4-METHYL-CYCLOHEX-2-EN-1-ONE 0 Leaf 0.1 0.7 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
4-METHYL-2-PHENYL-PENT-2-EN-1-AL 0 Leaf 0.0 0.1 not available Duke, J. A. Writeups or information summaries on approximately 2,000 economic plants, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705.
View the list of ubiquitous chemicals
List of plant activities.
Click on column headings to sort table by that column. *Unless otherwise noted all references are to (Duke, 1992)
Activity Chemical Count Reference
Sedative 21 Ortiz de Urbina, A.V., Martin*, M.L., Montero, M.J., Moran, A., and San Roman, L. 1988. Sedating and Antipyretic Activity of the Essential Oil of Calamintha sylvatica subsp. Ascendens. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 25: 165-171, 1989.
Serotoninergic 2 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).
Soap 2 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Spasmogenic 7 Fitoterapia No.59-1984.
Spasmolytic 1 Duke, 1992 *
Spermicide 2 Martindale's 28th
Spermigenic 2 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Sprout-Inhibitor 1 Duke, J.A.. Personal Communication.
Succinoxidase-Inhibitor 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Sunscreen 3 Lazarova*, G., Kostova, I., Neychev, H. 1992. Photodynamic damage prevention by some hydroxycoumarins. Fitoterapia 64(2): 134-136, 1993.
Suppository 1 Jeffery B. Harborne and H. Baxter, eds. 1983. Phytochemical Dictionary. A Handbook of Bioactive Compounds from Plants. Taylor & Frost, London. 791 pp.
Surfactant 1 Duke, 1992 *
Sweetener 2 Leung, A. Y. and Foster, S. 1995. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients 2nd Ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 649 pp.
Sympathomimetic 1 Newall, C. A., Anderson, L. A. and Phillipson, J. D. 1996. Herbal Medicine - A Guide for Health-care Professionals. The Pharmaceutical Press, London. 296pp.
Taenicide 1 Martindale's 28th
Termiticide 6 Jacobson, M., Glossary of Plant-Derived Insect Deterrents, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 213 p, 1990.
Termitifuge 1 Jacobson, M., Glossary of Plant-Derived Insect Deterrents, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 213 p, 1990.
Testosterone-Hydroxylase-Inducer 1 Duke, 1992 *
Testosteronigenic 1 Werbach, M. 1993. Healing with Food. Harper Collins, New York, 443 pp.
Thymoprotective 1 Pizzorno, J.E. and Murray, M.T. 1985. A Textbook of Natural Medicine. John Bastyr College Publications, Seattle, Washington (Looseleaf).