Mint is a group of plants that belong to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Upwards of 20 species of mint are thought to exist, with water mint (Mentha aquatica), peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha spicata) perhaps being the most well known examples. Mint is widely distributed around the World in many different environments, has aromatic leaves and is best known for its culinary uses. Mint is also quite often added to teas and other decoctions for its flavour and taste. Mint has been used in traditional medicine for a number of reasons including its analgesic, digestive, antispasmodic, antiseptic, restorative and antioxidant effects. However, traditional medicine also suggest that mint has mood elevating effects and in this regard may be a useful treatment for mild to moderate anxiety. The use of mint is recorded historically by the Zulu tribes of Africa, where they used Mentha aquatica in the treatment of mental disorders. Studies suggest that mint may affect mood because of the phytochemicals it contains.
Mint is well known for its culinary uses, and possess as distinctive taste due to the essential oil it contains. Extracts of mint plants have been shown to be able to inhibit the monoamine oxidase enzyme system and in this way may raise levels of serotonin in the brain. In addition, extracts of mint plants may be able to activate the GABA receptor, in the same way as the benzodiazepine group of anxiolytic drugs. Activation of the GABA receptor increases level of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in parts of the brain, and this can have a calming effects on behaviour. These two mechanisms of action are common to many anxiolytic herbs. Image is of spearmint (Mentha spicata).
It is unclear why mint may have mood enhancing properties, but the plant is a rich source of many phytochemicals. Plants of the mint family contain essential oils and these oils have been analysed for their chemical composition. For example, the essential oil of peppermint is composed mainly of menthol (37.4 %), menthyl acetate (17.4 %) and menthone (12.7 %). In contrast, the essential oil of spearmint is composed mainly of carvone (69.5%) and menthone (21.9%). Evidence suggests that some of these oils may affect mood. Carvone for example, has been shown to be comparable in its anxiolytic effects when compared to the anxiolytic benzodiazepine drug diazepam. Mint is also a source of flavonoids, and naringenin, a flavonoid belonging to the flavanone subgroup of flavonoids, has been isolated from mint plants. Although naringenin may not possess anxiolytic effects, it does appear to induce sedation in rats. Naringenin may therefore contribute to the overall effects of mint plants of mood.
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