Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

Mentha piperita, commonly called peppermint, is a hybrid species of mint formed by a natural cross between watermint and spearmint, indigenous to Europe and the Middle East and now cultivated widely around the world. As a hybrid it typically cannot reproduce reliably from seed and instead spreads vegetatively through its runners, and among the more than twenty five species in the mint genus it is the most commercially important. Along with the separate species Chinese peppermint, Mentha haplocalyx, it is a recognized source of the compounds menthol and menthone, and it ranks among the oldest herbs used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Modern uses span flavoring for teas and food, gastrointestinal remedies, cosmetic and personal care products, and even industrial leak testing of pipes, where its distinctive odor reveals escaping gas.