Fresh spearmint is used to prepare teas, season sauces, and garnish a variety of dishes. The tea is very healthy and can be enjoyed on a daily basis. It also helps alleviate gastrointestinal problems.
General information:
From Wikipedia: “Spearmint, or spear mint (Mentha spicata) (also known as Mentha viridis) is a species of mint native to much of Europe and Asia (Middle East, Himalayas, China etc.), and naturalized in parts of northern and western Africa, North America, and South America, as well as various oceanic islands.”
Cultivation:
“Spearmint grows well in nearly all temperate climates. Gardeners often grow it in pots or planters due to its invasive, spreading rhizomes. The plant prefers partial shade, but can flourish in full sun to mostly shade. Spearmint is best suited to loamy soils with abundant organic material.
Spearmint leaves can be used fresh, dried, or frozen. They can also be preserved in salt, sugar, sugar syrup, alcohol, or oil. The leaves lose their aromatic appeal after the plant flowers. It can be dried by cutting just before, or right (at peak) as the flowers open, about one-half to three-quarters the way down the stalk (leaving smaller shoots room to grow). Some dispute exists as to what drying method works best; some prefer different materials (such as plastic or cloth) and different lighting conditions (such as darkness or sunlight).”
Oil uses:
“Spearmint is used for its aromatic oil, referred to as oil of spearmint. The most abundant compound in spearmint oil is R-(–)-carvone, which gives spearmint its distinctive smell. Spearmint oil also contains significant amounts of limonene, dihydrocarvone, and 1,8-cineol. Unlike oil of peppermint, oil of spearmint contains minimal amounts of menthol and menthone. It is used as a flavoring for toothpaste and confectionery, and is sometimes added to shampoos and soaps.
Used as a fumigant, spearmint essential oil is an effective insecticide against adult moths.
John Gerard's Herbal (1597) states that: "It is good against watering eyes and all manner of break outs on the head and sores. It is applied with salt to the biting of mad dogs," and that "They lay it on the stinging of wasps and bees with good success." He also mentions that "the smell rejoice the heart of man", for which cause they used to strew it in chambers and places of recreation, pleasure and repose, where feasts and banquets are made."
Beverages:
“The cultivar Mentha spicata 'Nana', the nana mint of Morocco, possesses a clear, pungent, but mild aroma, and is an essential ingredient of Moroccan tea.
Spearmint is an ingredient in several mixed drinks, such as the mojito and mint julep. Sweet tea, iced and flavored with spearmint, is a summer tradition in the Southern United States.”
Health effects:
“In preliminary research, spearmint essential oil showed potential for antifungal activity against food poisoning pathogens and had no evidence of mutagenicity in the Ames test.”
Nutrient tables
The complete nutritional information, coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in the following nutrient tables.
Nutritional Information
|
per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
|
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Energy | 44 kcal 184 kJ | 2.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2000kcal | |
Fat/Lipids | 0.73 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 70g | |
Saturated Fats | 0.19 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 20g | |
Carbohydrates (inc.dietary fiber) | 8.4 g | 3.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 270g | |
Sugars | n/a | ||
Fiber | 6.8 g | 27.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 25g | |
Protein/Albumin | 3.3 g | 6.6% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 50g | |
Cooking Salt (Na:30.0 mg) | 76 mg | 3.2% Recommended daily allowance according to the GDA: 2.4g |
Essential micronutrients with the highest proportions | per 100g | 2000 kcal | |
---|---|---|---|
Min | Iron, Fe | 12 mg | 85.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Min | Manganese, Mn | 1.1 mg | 56.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Vit | Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 105 µg | 53.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Elem | Calcium, Ca | 199 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Vit | Vitamin A, as RAE | 203 µg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Min | Copper, Cu | 0.24 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Elem | Potassium, K | 458 mg | 23.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Prot | Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.05 g | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Elem | Magnesium, Mg | 63 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Vit | Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 13 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Detailed micronutrients and daily requirement coverage per 100g
Explanations of nutrient tables in general
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
Essential fatty acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Alpha-Linolenic acid; ALA; 18:3 omega-3 | 0.34 g | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 2.0 g |
Linoleic acid; LA; 18:2 omega-6 | 0.05 g | 1.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the CH-EDI-Verordnung: 10 g |
Essential amino acids | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Tryptophan (Trp, W) | 0.05 g | 20.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.25 g |
Threonine (Thr, T) | 0.14 g | 15.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Isoleucine (Ile, I) | 0.14 g | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.2 g |
Phenylalanine (Phe, F) | 0.17 g | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Leucine (Leu, L) | 0.25 g | 10.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 2.4 g |
Valine (Val, V) | 0.16 g | 10.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.6 g |
Lysine (Lys, K) | 0.14 g | 8.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 1.9 g |
Methionine (Met, M) | 0.05 g | 5.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the WHO-Protein-2002: 0.93 g |
Vitamins | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Folate, as the active form of folic acid (née vitamin B9 and | 105 µg | 53.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 200 µg |
Vitamin A, as RAE | 203 µg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 µg |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 13 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 80 mg |
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.18 mg | 13.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0.16 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.4 mg |
Thiamine (vitamin B1) | 0.08 mg | 7.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.1 mg |
Niacin (née vitamin B3) | 0.95 mg | 6.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 16 mg |
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 0.25 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 6.0 mg |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | < 0.1% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 5.0 µg |
Essential macroelements (macronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Calcium, Ca | 199 mg | 25.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Potassium, K | 458 mg | 23.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2'000 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 63 mg | 17.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 375 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 60 mg | 9.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 700 mg |
Sodium, Na | 30 mg | 4.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 800 mg |
Essential trace elements (micronutrients) | per 100g |
2000 kcal The numbers show the percent of the recommended daily value for a person who consumes 2000 cal per day. This number is for one serving of the recipe. A person normally eats multiple times a day and consumes additional nutrients. You can get all of the nutrients you need over a longer period of time and in this way ensure a healthy balance. |
---|---|---|
Iron, Fe | 12 mg | 85.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 14 mg |
Manganese, Mn | 1.1 mg | 56.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 2.0 mg |
Copper, Cu | 0.24 mg | 24.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 1.0 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 1.1 mg | 11.0% Recommended daily allowance according to the EU: LMIV-2011: 10 mg |
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