Dried mint leaves have been found in ancient Egyptian pyramids, and mint was so greatly valued in Biblical times that it is referenced in the New Testament as a payment for taxes. In Greek mythology, the water nymph Minthe was turned into a mint plant after a tryst with the god Pluto (an explanation for many mint varietals’ preference for moist soils). 

In the first century AD, the Roman naturalist Pliny noted that the Greeks and Romans used mint to flavor sauces and wine, and it is referenced in a west Nordic pharmacopoeia fragment of the 13th century. But it wasn’t until the 1700s that the peppermint we know today began to be commercially cultivated as a medicinal plant. It quickly spread from England to Western Europe and around the world, noted for its fresh flavor and its ability to calm cranky digestive systems.

Today, it’s a common sight throughout grocery store shelves from the produce section to the dental hygiene aisle. As herbalists, we love it as an invigorating herbal tea or in an herbal alcohol-based tincture to support bellies.