At a glance
- Common name
- Peppermint
- Botanical name
- Mentha x piperita
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Parts mentioned in historical records
- Leaves, flowering tops, essential oil
- Traditional correspondences
- Mercury; Air / Fire
Historical record
Natural sterile hybrid between spearmint and water mint identified in 17th-century England. Mint species have been found dried in Egyptian pyramids dating to 1000 BCE.
Folklore and mythology
Rubbed on wooden dining tables prior to banquets in Greece and Rome to welcome guests and stimulate hospitality. Scattered across floors in medieval homes as a sweet-smelling strewing herb.
In Ovid's Metamorphoses, the nymph Minthe was the lover of Hades. When Persephone discovered this, she trampled Minthe into dust in a jealous rage. Hades transformed her remnants into the aromatic mint herb.
Tradition: Greco-Roman Associated figures: Minthe, Hades & Persephone
Minthe, nymph of the underworld river Cocytus and lover of Hades, was crushed beneath the sandals of jealous Queen Persephone, resurrected by Hades as fragrant garden mint.
Rubbed over banquet tables to ignite friendly warmth and hospitality; strewn across medieval church floors to release scent when trodden upon.
Mystical correspondences
Correspondences vary by tradition and source.
Safety first
Historical and spiritual associations do not establish that Peppermint is safe or effective. Do not use this page as instructions for ingesting, smoking, inhaling, or applying Peppermint.
For current safety information, check a health authority or ask a qualified clinician or pharmacist, especially during pregnancy or lactation, while taking medication, or with an allergy or health condition.