9th July: Mint

Mint is the herb assigned to this date by the archaic French Revolutionary Calendar. Here are a few things you might not know about mint.

1. Mint is one of the most popular flavours in the world and is used widely in cookery, both in savoury dishes - often paired with lamb, or as a flavouring for sweets such as Ice cream or mint Chocolate.
2. It's been around a long time. Mint has been found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1000 BC and has been part of the Chinese pharmacopoeia for even longer than that.
3. The Romans believed mint would increase intelligence and stop a person from losing their temper. Royal ambassadors would carry sprigs of mint in their pockets to help with diplomacy. Recent research has borne some of this out. Scientists at the University of Cincinnati found that sniffing mint improves concentration - so some Japanese companies have started piping mint aromas into workplaces to increase productivity.
4. In Ancient Greece and the Middle East, mint symbolised hospitality. It was rubbed on tables in Greece when visitors were coming and was used as an air freshener. In the Middle East, guests would be served with mint tea, a tradition that continues today.
5. Mint's scientific name is Mentha requienii, after the Greek nymph Minthes, who flirted with Pluto, the god of the underworld, thus angering his wife, Proserpine. She turned Minthes into a herb so she would forever be trampled under people's feet. The scent of mint was added to make it more likely that people would tread on her.
6. Mint is native to Europe and Asia with some species indigenous to the Americas. 70% of the world's mint comes from the USA with top mint producing states including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Indiana, California and Wisconsin.
7. There's a reason why mints and mint chocolates are served after meals. It has a long history as an aid to digestion. Studies show that peppermint reduces the amount of time food spends in the stomach by stimulating the gastric lining to produce digestive enzymes. Peppermint tea has been shown to lower testosterone levels in females with polycystic ovarian syndrome, and scientists are looking into the possibility of using it to treat irritable bowel syndrome.
8. Mint can be used as an insecticide, too. It has been known to kill wasps, hornets, ants, and cockroaches, and it's environmentally friendly.
9. Mint is rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, Iron and magnesium.
10. Compounds called pulegone and menthol are present in the leaves of mint plants, and are responsible for the aroma and the cooling effect of mint. The compound primarily responsible for the aroma and flavour of spearmint is L-carvone.