ABSTRACT
Because it is such a popular flavoring agent and so widely used in just about every kind of product intended for human consumption, you would think peppermint was one of our oldest herbs. But it is not. The plant is a natural hybrid or cross that sprouted in a field of spearmint growing in England in 1696. Ever since that time, peppermint, Mentha x piperita L. of the family Lamiaceae, has been intensively cultivated for its fragrant volatile oil. Since it does not breed true from seed, peppermint is vegetatively propagated; there are numerous cultivated varieties.1
