Wild mint

Description:

Wild mint is a herbaceous perennial plant generally growing to 10–60 cm (3.9–23.6 in) and rarely up to 100 cm (39 in) tall. It has a creeping rootstock from which grow erect or semi-sprawling squarish stems. The leaves are in opposite pairs, simple, 2–6.5 cm (0.79–2.56 in) long and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) broad, hairy, and with a coarsely serrated margin.(Wikipedia)

Habitat:

Spotted in a grassy meadow at the edge of Alder Lake. The lake level has dropped a lot over the last couple of years. The meadow where I found the mint would have been under water a few years ago.

Notes:

In ayurveda, Pudina is considered as appetizer and useful in gastric troubles. In Europe, wild mint[which?] was traditionally used to treat flatulence, digestive problems, gall bladder problems and coughs. The Aztecs used it for similar purposes[citation needed] and also to induce sweating and cure insomnia. The oil was extracted and rubbed into the skin for aches and pains. The Native Americans also used it in several traditional ways. It is currently used in many countries for various ailments. Mint extracts and menthol-related chemicals are used in food, drinks, cough medicines, creams and cigarettes. Chemical substances that can be extracted from wild mint include menthol, menthone, isomenthone, neomenthol, limonene, methyl acetate, piperitone, beta-caryophyllene, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, tannins and flavonoids. Menthol is widely used in dental care as a topical antibacterial agent, effective against streptococci and lactobacilli. The oil extracted from Japanese mint can consist of over 70% menthol, which is commonly used in pharmaceutical and oral preparations like toothpastes, dental creams, beverages and tobacco.