# Spearmint
**Spearmint** (*Mentha spicata* L.; Chinese 留兰香) is a strongly aromatic perennial herb in the mint family ([Lamiaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/lamiaceae)), grown worldwide as a culinary herb and as the source of a carvone-rich essential oil used to flavor and fragrance food, toothpaste, mouthwash, and chewing gum[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details) • [2](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint). It is also known as garden mint, common mint, lamb mint, and mackerel mint, and the name *Mentha viridis* is an accepted synonym[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Mentha spicata* L., family Lamiaceae; synonym *Mentha viridis*[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details) |
| Native range | Europe to China; not native to Great Britain or Ireland[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details) |
| Habit | Vigorous rhizomatous perennial with upright four-ribbed stems, up to 1 m tall and wide[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details) |
| Leaves and flowers | Bright green, sweet-scented, serrated leaves 5-9 cm long; light purple flowers 2-3 mm in slender, interrupted terminal spikes in summer[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details) |
| Oil composition | Carvone 22-73% and limonene 8-31% of the essential oil, with 1,8-cineole 4-7% and menthone 1-5% depending on variety, harvest time, and growing conditions[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006) |
| Regulatory status | Spearmint, spearmint extract, and spearmint oil are on the US FDA Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006) |
| Conservation status | IUCN Red List: Least Concern[2](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint) |
## Description and identification
Spearmint forms an extensive colony of upright, four-ribbed stems from creeping rhizomes, reaching up to 100 cm tall and wide. The leaves are oval with pointed tips and serrated edges, bright green, 5-9 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, and carry the characteristic sweet spearmint scent. Light purple flowers 2-3 mm across appear in summer in interrupted, slender terminal spikes[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). Kew's flora accounts describe the species as most easily recognized by this scent together with glabrous or subglabrous, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate foliage and a slender spiciform inflorescence[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A30016176-2/general-information).
The genus *Mentha* is taxonomically difficult because of frequent hybridization, and spearmint is central to it: peppermint (*Mentha × piperita*) is a natural cross between water mint (*M. aquatica*) and spearmint[5](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/peppermint-oil), and the sterile hybrid of spearmint with apple mint (*M. suaveolens*) is *Mentha villosa*[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A30016176-2/general-information). Spearmint and *M. villosa* can be difficult to separate by morphology, although the latter often has broader, more wrinkled leaves[4](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A30016176-2/general-information).
## Distribution and status
The species is native to much of Europe and Asia, including the Middle East, the [Himalayas](https://www.edgepedia.org/himalayas), and China, and has naturalized in parts of northern and western Africa, North America, South America, and various oceanic islands[6](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62652-Mentha-spicata). The RHS records its plant range as Europe to China and notes it is not native to Great Britain and Ireland[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). On the IUCN Red List the species is placed in the category Least Concern[2](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint).
## Chemistry of the oil
The characteristic spearmint aroma comes from its essential oil, in which carvone is the dominant constituent. Analyses report carvone at 22-73% and limonene at 8-31%, with smaller quantities of 1,8-cineole (4-7%), menthone (1-5%), menthol, dihydrocarvone, myrcene, carveol, and alpha- and beta-pinene, varying with plant variety, harvest time, and growth location and conditions[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006). An EFSA assessment of a spearmint oil feed additive, citing the EFSA Compendium of botanicals, lists carvone at 59-77% among substances of potential concern in the oil from the aerial parts, alongside 1,8-cineole (1-7%), menthone (14-15.6%), and others[7](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12712543/). [Gas chromatography](https://www.edgepedia.org/gas-chromatography)-olfactometry work has identified carvone as the principal odorant of spearmint oils[8](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28058842/).
## Uses
Spearmint is widely grown as a culinary herb and ornamental plant, and its fresh taste and fragrance appear in everyday products including mouthwash, toothpaste, and chewing gum[2](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint). The aromatic oil is also used to fragrance perfumes, shampoos, and soaps[2](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint). Spearmint, spearmint extract, and spearmint oil appear on the US FDA Generally Recognized as Safe list[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006), and an essential oil derived from the aerial parts of *M. spicata* has been assessed for use as a feed additive in all animal species[7](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12712543/).
**Safety considerations.** [Carvone](https://www.edgepedia.org/carvone) is a recognized contact allergen, primarily associated with spearmint oil exposure; a 21-year study in southern Sweden documented the prevalence of carvone contact allergy, and oral lichenoid lesions linked to carvone allergy have been reported in snuff users[9](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13567479/). Rodent studies with an unstandardized spearmint tea preparation reported uterine toxicity and kidney and liver toxicity, while horses fed high-rosmarinic-acid spearmint for 24 days in a randomized double-blind controlled study showed no negative effects on feed and water intake, blood chemistry, or hematology[3](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006).
## Cultivation
Spearmint grows in any moist soil, in full sun or partial shade, and tolerates chalk, clay, loam, and sand with acid, alkaline, or neutral pH; in the UK it carries the hardiness rating H7, hardy in the severest European continental climates[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). In damp soils the plants can become a nuisance, so gardeners are advised to restrict the root run in a deep container sunk into the ground or to choose a site where it can spread freely; potted plants benefit from division every few years[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). Propagation is by seed or division in spring or autumn, and regular harvesting of young sprigs encourages bushy growth, with plants cut back to 5 cm from the base after flowering[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). Reported pests include sage leafhopper, blue mint beetle, and caterpillars, and diseases include powdery mildews and mint rust[1](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details). In tropical conditions, cultivation guidance suggests spacing plants 0.9-1.2 m apart[10](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/4/9/4946).
## References
1. [Mentha spicata (spearmint), RHS Plant Profile](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/11055/mentha-spicata/details)
2. [Spearmint - Mentha spicata, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew](https://www.kew.org/plants/spearmint)
3. [The safety of a dry spearmint extract in vitro and in vivo, Food and Chemical Toxicology (ScienceDirect)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230014003006)
4. [Mentha L., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn%3Alsid%3Aipni.org%3Anames%3A30016176-2/general-information)
5. [Peppermint Oil: Usefulness and Safety, NCCIH](https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/peppermint-oil)
6. [Spearmint (Mentha spicata), iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62652-Mentha-spicata)
7. [Safety and efficacy of a spearmint essential oil feed additive for all animal species (FEFANA), EFSA Journal via PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12712543/)
8. [Identification and Quantitation of Potent Odorants in Spearmint Oils, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28058842/)
9. [Molecular Targets and Biological Activities of Carvone: An Evidence-Graded Review, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13567479/)
10. [Mentha spicata, NParks Flora & Fauna Web](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/4/9/4946)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Seed plants › Other flowering plants › Asterids › Lamiid families › Mint family (Lamiaceae)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license