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
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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
Mystical correspondences
Correspondences vary by tradition and source.
Is peppermint safe to use?
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.
Exposure note: EPA indoor-particle guidance says burning can add particles and advises ventilation. ASPCA plant entries address ingestion, not smoke exposure. See the sourced burning, pet and pregnancy lookup; neither source clears this plant as safe to burn.