Herbaceous plant stems of violet or green square, simple leaves, opposite lanceolate and toothed, flowers weakly bilabiadas corolla with purple clustered in spikes very tight, characterize this lively hybrid that is multiplied by stolons (M. x M. aquatica L. spicata L.)
Source
The name of the different forms of this hybrid (originally appeared in England) is generally confusing [560-562]: how officinalis rubescens (Mitcham) is the most cultivated (USA, Europe), mint white (palescens form) is grown in Russia and mint called Hungarian, (rubescens sylvestris) is grown everywhere.
Chemical composition
Alongside the essential oil that is seen as the active ingredient, also contains triterpenes the road, carotenoids and flavonoids. Some are highly oxygenated flavones [563]. This type of compound is identical to that characterizes some of chemotype thyme.
• Essential oil. Its composition and variations of it have been the subject of hundreds of publications. According to Gilly [560] the majority component is always the menthol (30 to 40%), together with Menton (15-25% in the case of Mitcham, half the mint in white) and Menthyl acetate (most abundant in mint white), are also the isomentona, neomentol, cineol, Menthofuran, germacrene D and other hydrocarbons. These proportions vary among cultivars, eg.: Menthol can exceed 50%, the Menthofuran and isomentona appear to vary between 0 and 10% [564]. The flowers and leaves provide a different essential oil [565] and numerous factors affect its composition: growing conditions, climatic variations, harvesting periods and procedures for obtaining it.
Pharmacological data
Although the drug has a solid reputation (especially to relieve the pain gastrointestinal) its pharmacology has been very little studied. What has been studied mostly has been spasmolytic activity of the essential oil. It dissolved in water, half acid ester polyoxyethylene, is active on the ileum, and most weakly on the guinea pig trachea in vitro (IC50 = 26 and 87 mg / l) [566]. Other research papers confirm the antispasmodic action and show that the menthol is the most active [567]. Foster et al (1980) demonstrated the inhibitory action of the mint on the contractions of guinea pig ileum, induced by acetylcholine.
The essential oil of peppermint (3 mg / kg, iv) is active on the sphincter of Oddi of guinea pig: it increases the contraction induced by morphine [568]. On the other hand, menthol, as other terpenes, prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits subjected to a regime rich in cholesterol increases the cholesterol from the HDL fraction, but, curiously, it inhibits the lecithin-cholesterol-aciltransferasa (enzyme involved in the transport of cholesterol by HDL) [569]. This alcohol, mixed (32%) with other monoterpenes unicycle reduces the activity of HMG CoA reductase, rat (2 g / kg) [570].
The activity attributed to the infusions were probably due to the flavonoids.
Observations on the Man
Spasmolytic action of the essential oil of peppermint permits, according to Dew et al., Obtaining good results in the pathology of colon [571]. The use of essential oils was equally effective for the local relaxation of the muscle fibers in the test of the coloscopia [572].
Employment
Although it has been possible to give exceptional cases of poisoning [573], the drug has no toxicity, which is not the case with the essential oil and its components whose prolonged administration (1 month) induces rat, a histopathological changes at the level of brain (oil Essentially, 40-100 mg / kg) due no doubt to the Pulegone [574]. The daily dose, not surmountable, menthol has been set at 0.2 mg / kg. The mint, OTC, for a long time, is widely used in infusion as "pleasant and hygienic drink" to "facilitate digestion." Under its various forms, the mint is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of minor digestive disorders: digestions slow accumulation of gas, bloating, etc. .. and as colerética.
The drug
The leaf blade of peppermint measured 3-9 cm long and 1-3 cm in width, is acuminate, asymmetrical at the base and lined with sharp teeth. Main nerves and lateral (45 ° oriented) are prominent in the lower side. The microscopic examination revealed, among others, with head hairs secreting mono or octocelular about a foot long single cell. The C.C.F. Extract clorometilénico shows that the menthol gives the band more intense [562] and that carvone and Pulegone are absent. The essential oil (> 1.2% V / m) is also official, unless they contain 4.5 to 10% of esters calculated in Menthyl acetate, 15 to 32% of compounds carbonyls calculated in the chin and least 44% of alcohol-free, calculated in menthol (French Pharmacopoeia, July 1987).
Bibliography
[560] G. GILLY, J. Garnered and P. RACINE
Menthe Poivre. Chemical Composition, Analysis chromatographique
Parfums Cosmet. Aroma, (71), 79-86, 1986.
[561] étant given that M. x P. is a group hybridogène A. Jacquin-Dubreuil and G.G. AYMONIN précisent that l'on doit préférentiellement Parler of nothomophes (nm.), les trois nm. majeurs du groupe étant: M. x piperita nm. piperita (M. noire) nm officinalis (M. bEtant given that P. M. x is a group hybridogène A. Jacquin-Dubreuil and GG AYMONIN précisent that l'on doit préférentiellement Parler of nothomophes (nm.
[562] J.-L. LAMAISON, A.P. CARNAT and A. CARNAT
Différenciation des menthes Poivre, Mentha x piperita L. Mitcham type and type Hongrie, grown in Auvergne.
Plantes Méd. Phytother., 21, 252-261, 1987.
[563] F. JULLIEN, B. VOIRIN, J. BERNILLON and J. FAVRE-Bonvin
Highly oxygenated flavones from Mentha piperita
Phytochemistry, 23, 2972-2973, 1984.
[564] B. M. LAWRENCE
Progress in essential oils: peppermint oil
Perfume. Flavor., 13, (10-11), 66-71, 1988.
[565] M. MAFFEI and T. SACCO
Chemical and morphometrical comparison between two peppermint notomorphs
Planta Med., 53, 214-216, 1987.
[566] M. REITER and W. BRANDT
Relaxant effects on tracheal and ileal smooth muscles of the Guinea Pig
Arzneim.-Forsch., 35, 408-414, 1985; see also: W. BRANDT, Spasmolytische Wirkung Ole ätherischer
Z. Phytother., 9, 33-39, 1988.
[567] I. Taddei, D. Giachetti, E. Taddei, P. MANTOVANI and E. BIANCHI
Spasmolytic activity of peppermint, sage and rosemary Essences and their major constituents
Phytotherapy, 59, 463-468, 1988; see also H.B. FOSTER, H. Niklas, S. LUTZ, Antiespasmodic effects I. Taddei, D. Giachetti, E. Taddei, P. MANTOVANI and E. BI.
[568] D. Giachetti, E. Taddei and I. Taddei
Pharmacological activity of essential oils on Oddi's sphincter
Planta Med., 54, 389-392, 1988.
[569] R.V. COONEY, J. NEMHAUSER and R.J. MORIN
Inhibition of human lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase by monoterpenes
Lipids, 19, 371-373, 1979.
[570] A. MIDDLETON, B. MIDDLETON, D.A. And G. WHITE DUNCAN BELL
The effects of monocyclic terpenes on hepatic S-3-hydroxy-3-A reductase methylglutaryl-coenzymme in vivo
Biochem. Soc. Trans., 7, 407-408, 1979.
[571] M.J. DEW, B.K. And J. EVANS RHODES
Peppermint oil for the irritable bowel syndrome: a Multicentre Trial
Bbr. J. Clin. Prac., 38, 394-398, 1984.
[572] R.J. LEICESTER and R.H. HUNT
Peppermint oil to reduce Colonic spasm during Endoscopy
Lancet, 2, 989, 1982.
[573] L. AUGISEAU, Y. BARBIN and J.-F-Verbist
Une Intoxication by an infusion of Mentha
Plantes Méd. Phytother., 21, 149-152, 1987.
[574] Y. THORUP, G. Wurtz, J. CARSTENSEN and P. OLSEN
Short term toxicity study in rats dosed with peppermint oil
Toxicol Lett., (19), 211-215, 1983; id., Short term toxicity study in rats dosed with Pulegone and menthol, ibid, 207-210; id., Short term toxicity. THORUP, G. Wurtz, J. CARSTENSEN and P. OLSEN
Short term toxicity.
Diseases whose treatment is appropriate in this plant
Dyspepsia
Dyskinesias bile
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