Mentha alaica

Last updated

Mentha alaica
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Mentha
Species:
M. alaica
Binomial name
Mentha alaica

Mentha alaica is a mint species within the genus Mentha , native to the Pamir-Alay mountain range within Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. [1] [2] The species was recorded by Russian botanist Antonina Borissova in 1954. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

While it is accepted as a distinct species by authorities such as Plants of the World Online, [4] some authors have treated Mentha alaica as simply a synonym of Mentha longifolia. [5] [6]

Description

A perennial species, Mentha alaica grows to a height of 1 meter, and propagates via creeping rhizomes. [1] It produces large oblong-lanceate leaves up to 10 centimeters long. [7]

Use

Mentha alaica has been used in various formulations in Traditional Chinese Medicine. [8] As an ingredient within this tradition, it is believed to "dispel pathogenic heat and wind." [9] Under the common name Hortelã, M. alaica was reported used as an herbal medicine in Brazil to treat nausea, as well as digestive and kidney problems. [10]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Borissova 1977, p. 442.
  2. "Mentha alaica". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  3. "Mentha alaica Boriss., Bot. Mater. Gerb. Bot. Inst. Komarova Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R. 16: 283 (1954)". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  4. "Mentha alaica Boriss". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  5. Quattrocchi 2016, p. 2472.
  6. Wiart 2020, p. 516.
  7. Borissova 1977, p. 430.
  8. Lin et al. 2017, p. 234.
  9. Chang Chen 2017, p. 63.
  10. Lima et al., p. 7.

Related Research Articles

<i>Mentha</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae

Mentha is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae. The exact distinction between species is unclear; it is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist. Hybridization occurs naturally where some species' ranges overlap. Many hybrids and cultivars are known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peppermint</span> Hybrid flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae

Peppermint is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world. It is occasionally found in the wild with its parent species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spearmint</span> Species of mint

Spearmint, also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint and mackerel mint, is a species of mint, Mentha spicata, native to Europe and southern temperate Asia, extending from France in the west to southern China in the east. It is naturalized in many other temperate parts of the world, including northern and southern Africa, North America, and South America. It is used as a flavouring in food and herbal teas. The aromatic oil, called oil of spearmint, is also used as a flavoring and sometimes as a scent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicinal plants</span> Plants or derivatives used to treat medical conditions in humans or animals

Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection against insects, fungi, diseases, and herbivorous mammals.

<i>Mentha suaveolens</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentha suaveolens, the apple mint, pineapple mint, woolly mint or round-leafed mint, is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to southern and western Europe including the Mediterranean region. It is a herbaceous, upright perennial plant that is most commonly grown as a culinary herb or for ground cover.

Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the traditional medicine based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g., indigenous peoples. The word ethnomedicine is sometimes used as a synonym for traditional medicine.

<i>Mentha arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentha arvensis, the corn mint, field mint, or wild mint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It has a circumboreal distribution, being native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America. Mentha canadensis, the related species, is also included in Mentha arvensis by some authors as two varieties, M. arvensis var. glabrata Fernald and M. arvensis var. piperascens Malinv. ex L. H. Bailey.

<i>Mentha canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentha canadensis is a species of mint native to North America and the eastern part of Asia. In North America, it is commonly known as Canada mint, American wild mint, and in Asia as Chinese mint, Sakhalin mint, Japanese mint, and East Asian wild mint. The flowers are bluish or have a slight violet tint. The plant is upright, growing to about 4–18 in (10–46 cm) tall. Leaves grow opposite from each other, and flower bunches appear in the upper leaf axils. The mint grows in wet areas but not directly in water, so it will be found near sloughs, and lake and river edges. Plants bloom from July to August in their native habitats.

<i>Mentha longifolia <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> asiatica</i> Variety of flowering plant

Mentha longifolia var. asiatica is known by the common name Asian mint. It is a variety of the mint species Mentha longifolia. It has also been treated as the separate species, Mentha asiatica and Mentha vagans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronaridine</span> Chemical compound

Coronaridine, also known as 18-carbomethoxyibogamine, is an alkaloid found in Tabernanthe iboga and related species, including Tabernaemontana divaricata for which it was named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christophe Wiart</span>

Christophe Wiart is a French scientist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerba buena</span> Number of aromatic plants

Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. Yerba buena translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as yerba buena varies from region to region, depending on what grows wild in the surrounding landscape, or which species is customarily grown in local gardens. Perhaps the most common variation of this plant is spearmint. The term has been used to cover a number of aromatic true mints and mint relatives of the genera Clinopodium, Satureja or Micromeria. All plants so named are associated with medicinal properties, and some have culinary value as herbal teas or seasonings as well.

<i>Brucea javanica</i> Species of plant

Brucea javanica is a shrub in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet javanica is from the Latin, meaning "of Java". Other common names in English include Java brucea and kosam.

Asparagus curillus is a shrub distributed in the tropical and temperate climate of the central Himalaya. It is known as shatawar in traditional Ayurvedic medicine in which it is used as a demulcent, an herbal tonic, to terminate pregnancies, and to treat gonorrhea and diabetes. This plant contains oligospirostanosides, oligofurostanosides, sarsasapogenin glycoside, steroidal saponins, and steroidal glycosides.

<i>Adenia hondala</i> Species of plant

Adenia hondala, commonly known as hondala is a large, tuberous, woody climber which scrambles over other plants. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka, and in southeastern Asia. The tuber and the fruit are used as herbal remedies and the plant is used as a cure for snake bites. The caterpillars of several species of butterfly feed on this plant; these include the tawny coster, the clipper, the common cruiser and the Tamil lacewing.

Mentha darvasica is a mint species within the genus Mentha, native to Darvaz, Tajikistan. The species was recorded by Russian botanist Antonina Borissova in 1954.

Mentha pamiroalaica is a mint species within the genus Mentha, endemic to the Gissar Range in Tajikistan. The species was recorded by Russian botanist Antonina Borissova in 1954.

Mentha royleana, is a species within the Mentha (mint) genus, native to eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Himalayas and Kashmir. A polymorphic perennial herb, M. royleana has seen diverse uses in traditional medicine.

Mentha micrantha, is a plant species in the genus Mentha, native to western Kazakhstan and southeastern Russia. The species was described in 1890 by botanist George Bentham. Its epithet, micrantha, means "with small flowers." It is unique among its genus as the only species that is an annual plant.

References